Eastern Europe

Tissue and hygiene in Macedonia was challenged by high inflation for the second consecutive year in 2023. Although, the rate of inflation is lower compared to 2022, it remained well above normal levels in Macedonia. High inflation has stifled volume…

In 2023, the tissue and hygiene landscape in Poland recorded positive, double-digit retail value growth, driven by rising price points. As such, while value sales were high, retail volume was challenged in areas viewed as unessential, including…

Throughout 2023, players in retail tissue in Romania contended with persistent challenges stemming from inflation and escalating prices of raw materials and energy. These factors compelled some players to adjust their pricing strategies, passing on a…

In 2023, current value sales of wipes witnessed a second year of double-digit growth in North Macedonia. Much of this growth was fuelled by inflation which led to price increases. Despite lowering birth rates and inflationary pressures, baby wipes…

In 2023, wipes in Poland recorded double-digit retail value growth, with these high levels of growth driven by ongoing price rises. General purpose wipes continued to experience positive retail volume growth as consumers increasingly appreciated the…

The prevailing economic landscape in Romania in 2023 was characterised by persistent inflationary pressures, exerting upward pressure on unit prices across various product categories, including wipes. Rising costs associated with raw materials and…

Away-from-home tissue and hygiene in Serbia has been supported by the return to pre-pandemic lifestyles, which has boosted tissue sales. Horeca is the most important channel for away-from-home tissue in Serbia and the recovery of this channel in 2023…

Sales of away-from-home tissue are heavily linked to the performance of the Slovakian economy in 2023. Although the economy remained robust, there were some signs of weakness and companies remained cautious in the face of high inflation. Only a very…

In 2023, away-from-home toilet paper emerged as the largest subcategory in away-from-home tissue and hygiene in Slovenia, serving as an indispensable product in public facilities and private accommodations alike. Its widespread use across various…

Serbian women are generally quite conservative with regards to menstrual care. Sanitary towels remain the most popular product, whilst menstrual cups and reusable pads are available but remain a niche. Moreover, some consumers consider re-washable…

Menstrual care in Slovakia was affected by rising prices across all types of products in 2023, however retail volume growth witnessed steady progress. Consumers are widely accustomed to buying their favourite brands and switching to cheaper brands is…

In 2023, menstrual care saw growth in both volume and value terms in Slovenia, despite facing challenges from an uncertain economic environment and inflationary pressures. The impact of rising prices, particularly due to geopolitical factors such as…

Nappies/diapers/pants in Serbia faces challenges from demographic and economic factors. The birth rate in Serbia continued to slow in 2023, reaching 0.5%, according to official national statistics, which was on a par with 2022 levels. The government…

Demand for nappies/diapers/pants in Slovakia was negatively affected by rising prices and lower birth rates in the country, which resulted in retail volume decline in 2023. Some consumers chose to make products last longer and made fewer purchases to…

The nappies/diapers/pants product area experienced a decline in volume terms in Slovenia in 2023, attributed to factors such as declining birth rates and the increasing popularity of eco-friendly nappies designed for multiple uses. Modern consumers…

Retail adult incontinence remains a taboo topic in Serbia as people do not like to discuss incontinence problems, even with their relatives and friends. In general, retail volume sales are stimulated by the ageing population in Serbia, which already…

In Slovakia, retail adult incontinence products for light and moderate/heavy users witnessed sales growth in 2023. Increasing numbers of consumers are suffering with incontinence problems as the population is ageing. Manufacturers have ramped up…

Retail adult incontinence in Slovenia continued to witness robust volume growth in 2023. The country's rapidly ageing population remains a primary driver of this growth, with older individuals forming the core consumer base for incontinence products.…

In 2023, consumers focused on buying essential retail tissue products in Serbia, as inflation remained stubbornly high. Toilet paper faced robust volume growth and supported overall category growth, as it is considered a necessary product that cannot…

Retail tissue in Slovakia bucked the downward economic trend in 2023, by posting a solid increase in volume sales. Healthy growth in toilet paper supported this trend aided by brand and private label innovations. Economy toilet paper was launched by…

Sales of retail tissue in Slovenia in 2023 saw growth in both value and volume terms. This expansion was primarily propelled by heightened hygiene awareness among consumers, a growing population, and the ongoing urbanisation trend. Post-pandemic,…

Volume sales of Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence in Serbia remained stable in 2023. The ageing population is the main driver of category sales, as the elderly tend to experience incontinence issues later in life. In tandem, rising inflation and…

The growth of Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence in Slovakia remained stable in 2023, as consumers tend to use these products for a long time. Compared to retail, products prescribed by the doctor are fully reimbursed by an insurance company, and…

The category of Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence experienced growth in both volume and value terms in 2023 in Slovenia, driven primarily by healthcare settings. As the elderly population continues to increase, more individuals are seeking…

Rising inflation has dampened volume sales of tissue and hygiene in Serbia. Higher logistical and raw material costs linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have also resulted in price increases. With the high costs of living…

Tissue and hygiene in Slovakia recorded only slight volume growth in 2023, as strong inflationary pressures limited consumer expenditure and prevented an increase in spend year-on-year. Robust price increases in tissue and hygiene ultimately led to…

Tissue and hygiene in Slovenia experienced significant growth in 2023 driven by heightened health and hygiene awareness among consumers. With ongoing concerns about cleanliness and sanitation, individuals are prioritising products such as wipes,…

Demand for wipes in Serbia has been supported by elevated hygiene standards since the COVID-19 pandemic. Though wipes registered double-digit current value growth in 2023, constant value sales were flat. Prices have been rising due to the soaring…

Sales of wipes in Slovakia continued to enjoy steady growth in retail volume terms, while current value growth benefited from rising prices. Consumers have become more hygiene conscious since the outbreak of COVID-19, with this helping to support the…

Wipes experienced growth both in volume and value terms in Slovenia in 2023, with deodorant wipes emerging as one of the fastest-growing subcategories. This growth is primarily attributed to increased hygiene awareness among consumers, coupled with a…

Following a sharp contraction in 2022, apparel and footwear specialists in Ukraine saw current value sales rebound strongly in 2023. However, its recovery was skewed by price hikes imposed to offset inflationary pressures, with trade remaining…

While appliances and electronics specialists in Ukraine showed a much improved performance in current value sales terms in 2023, it remained one of the retail channels worst affected by the Russian invasion. Because the types of goods such outlets…

In 2023, away-from-home (AFH) hygiene led in the AFH segment in volume terms, thanks to AFH adult incontinence registering positive dynamics, in contrast to AFH tissue, in which all categories were noted for negative growth rates. Hospitals began to…

Convenience retailers in Ukraine continued to prove more successful than other grocery formats in weathering the challenges brought about by the Russian invasion in 2023. Offering a relatively limited range of day-to-day essentials, they were well…

The mass exodus of refugees from Ukraine in 2022 following the Russian invasion took a particularly heavy toll on direct selling. This was because a high proportion of those who left were women, who not only represent this channel’s main target…

General merchandise stores in Ukraine is dominated by variety stores, which continued to weather the challenges of trading during a full-scale war better than many other types of retailers in 2023. This was mainly because their offer of wide ranges…

An impressive recovery by health and beauty specialists in Ukraine in current value sales terms in 2023 was underpinned by robust demand in the dominant channel of pharmacies. The latter continued to show greater resilience to the economic shock of…

Home improvement and gardening stores was by far the most dynamic channel within home products specialists in Ukraine in current value growth terms in 2023. This performance reflected an increased need for construction equipment and materials as…

Hypermarkets in Ukraine lagged behind the other main modern grocery retailers channels in terms of current value sales growth in 2023. These types of outlets have lost ground to smaller formats since the start of the Russian invasion, in part because…

In 2023, menstrual care experienced a decline in volume sales in Ukraine, primarily stemming from the departure of the female population from the country amid the ongoing war. While sales rose slightly in current value terms, this was primarily the…

The decline in the nappies/diapers/pants category in Ukraine in 2023 can be attributed to the dual impact of a declining birth rate and children leaving the country due to the ongoing war. The diminishing number of births directly contributed to…

Retail adult incontinence demonstrated growth in Ukraine in 2023, fuelled by multiple factors, including a rise in the number of individuals affected by illness and injuries due to the war, increased awareness of the convenience of these products,…

In keeping with the performance of the wider retail market, after the shock of the Russian invasion caused a sharp contraction in 2022, e-commerce in Ukraine saw current value sales rebound at a healthy pace in 2023. Indeed, it was among the channels…

After experiencing a deep contraction in 2022 due to the shock of the Russian invasion, retail in Ukraine saw total current value sales rebound at an impressive pace in 2023 as consumers and businesses adjusted to the new reality. However, recovery…

Toilet paper performed relatively well in retail tissue in Ukraine in 2023. This can be attributed to its status as a fundamental commodity, maintaining robust demand even amidst declining revenues in the tissue market. Notably, toilet paper…

Small local grocers was the only grocery retailers channel in Ukraine to contract in current value terms in 2023. While trade picked up from 2022 as the initial shock of the Russian invasion receded, it continued to lose ground to modern formats such…

Supermarkets was the most dynamic grocery retailers channel in Ukraine in current value growth terms in 2023. While many players suffered steep declines in revenues and the loss of several outlets in 2022 due to the initial shock and destruction of…

Tissue and hygiene saw decline in both volume and value terms in Ukraine in 2023. This performance was connected with the mass migration of people from the country due to ongoing military actions. The substantial population shift has resulted in a…

Foods vending was the most dynamic performer within vending in Ukraine in current value growth terms by some distance in 2023. While this was partly due to high inflation and the ongoing emergence of sales from a relatively low base, its strong…