Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities...
Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities across industries in Eastern Europe, with the latest regional and country-level analysis and market statistics.
A strong unit price increase in all retail tissue categories had negative impact of volume sales in Croatia in 2023. The only category to see volume growth in the year was toilet paper as this is an essential item. Consumers sought to make savings in…
In 2023, retail sales of retail tissue in Estonia recorded solid growth, both in value and volume terms. Boxed facial tissues experienced remarkable volume growth in 2023, driven by heightened consumer awareness and evolving lifestyle trends. The…
The return to pre-pandemic lifestyles in 2023 has stimulated volume sales of retail tissue in Georgia. Despite this growth, there has been a decline in unit prices. In 2022, the price of cellulose surged, leading to significant increases in tissue…
Retail tissue saw modest volume growth and double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023, with inflationary pressures helping bolster the value performance. Amid rising inflation, local consumers are more price sensitive and look for…
As with retail adult incontinence, an ageing population remained the key driver of Rx/reimbursement sales in Croatia in 2023, with the category recording solid volume and current value growth in the year. Incontinence products are considered medical…
In 2023, the demand for Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence witnessed continued growth in Estonia, with both value and volume experiencing an upward trajectory. This growth trend persisted despite the ongoing challenges associated with limited…
In 2023, Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence recorded moderate volume growth, resulting from growing consumer awareness not only of incontinence, but also from health insurance companies and their reimbursement payments to consumers for the…
Tissue and hygiene in Bulgaria witnessed positive development in 2023, with high inflation bolstering sales especially in the second half of the year. Retail prices remained elevated and even saw some slight increases, as most producers grappled with…
In 2023, retail value sales of tissue and hygiene in Croatia recorded strong growth due to rising inflation and significant price increases in all product areas. While positively impacting retail value growth, rising prices changed consumers’…
In 2023, tissue and hygiene witnessed substantial growth across both retail and away-from-home segments, propelled by various influential factors. Firstly, heightened consumer awareness, particularly regarding adult incontinence items, emerged as a…
In 2023, tissue and hygiene in Georgia sustained a stable performance, buoyed by consistent economic conditions, a burgeoning immigrant population, and a resurgence in pre-pandemic lifestyles. Despite encountering challenges such as dwindling birth…
Tissue and hygiene was affected by strong price increases, leading to significant value sales growth of all product types. Consumers reacted by reducing the frequency of their purchases leading to stagnation or a decline in volume sales of several…
Wipes in Bulgaria increased in retail volume and current value terms in 2023, as the category is still relatively new and has strong growth potential. A stronger emphasis on hygiene has occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic, with categories like wet…
Sales of wipes in Croatia continued to record steady retail volume growth in 2023, while retail current value sales benefited from rising price points. Consumers have become more hygiene conscious since the outbreak of COVID-19, with this helping to…
In 2023, retail sales of wipes recorded steady growth, though this value growth was largely driven prices increases as inflationary pressures continued to be felt in the country. Intimate wipes experienced robust volume growth in 2023, emerging as…
In 2023, wipes in Georgia are witnessing a resurgence in volume sales growth following a decline over the review period amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, brand loyalty remains low as consumers prioritise affordability over brand recognition.…
Wipes saw robust current value growth in 2023, thanks in part to inflationary pressures on prices, but also because, despite the waning pandemic, hygiene-consciousness remained high in the Czech Republic. A key driver for the category is the…
Apparel and footwear specialists recorded moderate value sales growth in 2023. A positive impact on the channel is the rapidly changing fashion that drives the sale of fast fashion, and even the visible trend of ultra-fast fashion, where consumers…
Appliances and electronics specialists saw current value sales decline slightly in 2023. Trade was depressed as rapidly rising inflation caused unit prices to increase sharply and weakened consumer confidence and purchasing power. These conditions…
In 2023, away-from-home (AFH) tissue and hygiene recorded double-digit retail value growth in Hungary, boosted by rising price points. However, while retail volume growth was slower than the previous year, it remained positive in most areas, with…
Throughout 2023, the growing population precipitated a notable uptick in the demand for away-from-home toilet paper. Various establishments, spanning restaurants, hotels, offices, and public facilities, experienced a resurgence in operations, thereby…
Throughout 2023, away-from-home adult incontinence in Lithuania maintained a stable trajectory, despite encountering challenges in competing with the robust sales observed in the prescription (Rx) sector. Hospitals, serving as pivotal entities within…
Convenience stores recorded slower value dynamics than overall retail in 2023. Higher prices in this channel stimulated a consumer shift towards discounters and supermarkets. The situation in the market favoured retail chains that can afford to offer…
In 2023, direct selling registered marginal growth in retail value sales. After a decline in 2022, direct selling returned to positive if marginal growth. The cost-of-living crisis proved beneficial for the industry as more people sought to be hired…
Discounters recorded double-digit value sales growth in 2023. Discounters are successful thanks to convenient locations and a wide range of goods, including groceries, clothing, electronics, household items and beauty and personal care in one place.…
In 2023, general merchandise stores recorded strong current value sales growth. Much of this stemmed from the strong performance of variety stores, which in keeping with its performance throughout the review period, recorded high double-digit growth…
In 2023, health and beauty specialists recorded strong growth in value sales. This channel has thus far been relatively resistant to the rising cost crisis in the country. This is influenced by its wide range of products and rapid response to the…
Despite substantial price increases amidst soaring inflation, overall current value sales growth for home products specialists in 2023 was slightly weaker than in 2022. Trade in the two largest channels of home improvement and gardening stores and…
Hypermarkets recoded low growth in value sales in 2023 and was by far the weakest performer among modern grocery retailers. The channel struggles with consumers’ disinclination to buy groceries in large shopping centres on the outskirts of cities.…
In 2023, retail value sales of menstrual care products saw significant growth in Hungary, driven by rising inflation an ongoing price hikes. In response to these price changes, women looked for deals and discounts on the landscape, checking the…
The year 2023 witnessed a remarkable surge in the demand for tampons among Latvian women, primarily attributed to the increasing adoption of active lifestyles. This trend, echoing the patterns observed in the previous year, reflects a notable shift…
In 2023, menstrual care in Lithuania demonstrated resilience, maintaining a stable performance despite challenges. Retail volumes remained consistent, reflecting the essential nature of sanitary protection products and their steady demand throughout…
In 2023, nappies/diapers/pants in Hungary recorded double-digit retail value growth, driven by rising price points. However, retail volume declined, with strong inflationary pressure leading consumers to reduce purchases. In addition, the ongoing…
Nappies/diapers/pants in Latvia witnessed a notable decrease in volume sales in 2023, primarily attributed to the diminishing birth rate in the country. Economic factors, evolving social trends, and changing demographics collectively contributed to…
In 2023, the nappies/diapers/pants category experienced a decline, mirroring the overall negative trend in demography. With the category reliant on a specific consumer base, the contraction in population size directly influenced the downturn in…
In 2023, retail value sales of adult incontinence goods in Hungary recorded double-digit growth while retail volume growth remained positive. Rising awareness surrounding adult incontinence further supported volume sales, with more consumers…
The surge in demand for light adult incontinence products in 2023 is indicative of a broader trend towards greater awareness and acceptance of these solutions. This trend mirrors the growing acceptance observed toward the end of the review period,…
The landscape of retail adult incontinence in Lithuania witnessed significant shifts in 2023, largely influenced by changes in prescription (Rx) pricing and consumer preferences for lighter incontinence options. Retail sales of adult incontinence…
In 2023, retail value sales of retail e-commerce recoded healthy growth. The category benefited enormously from the pandemic during which there was a surge in the number of consumers shopping online. While the threat from COVID-19 has waned…
High inflation led to a deterioration in consumer purchasing power in 2023 with many consumers who had the additional financial burden of mortgages and other loans being particularly badly affected. Instalments increased significantly as a result of…
In 2023, retail value sales of retail tissue were double-digit in Hungary, driven by ongoing inflation and price hikes. Consumer purchasing behaviour changed in line with the economic downturn, driving interest in more affordable, economy retail…
Throughout 2023, the demand for paper towels experienced remarkable growth in both value and volume terms. This surge can be attributed to the growing recognition among consumers of the versatility and practicality of paper towels in various…
As Lithuania emerged from the pandemic in 2023, retail tissue underwent a period of adjustment, navigating the new normal. Amidst this transition, certain products like toilet paper, regarded as household staples, remained relatively stable,…
In 2023, Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence was on the rise in Hungary, fuelled by the ageing population, which led to increased and ongoing use of the products. In a time of rising inflation, consumers were increasingly attracted to reimbursement…
The demographic landscape in Latvia is undergoing a significant shift, with an increasing proportion of the population comprising elderly individuals. This demographic trend is particularly pronounced among single pensioners who often require…
RX/reimbursement adult incontinence in Lithuania experienced significant growth in 2023, largely driven by state support and legislative changes. The decrease in prices for Rx products by 20-30% from July 1, 2023, provided a substantial boost to…
In 2023, small local grocers recorded low growth in retail value sales. Double-digit inflation has changed the shopping habits of Poles. Consumers purchase less, save money, buy cheaper alternatives or limit their consumption. In 2023, sales of beer…
Supermarkets recorded strong growth in value sales in 2023. The upward trend in the number of supermarkets also continued in 2023 with supermarkets recording the highest growth in grocery retailers during the year. Proximity supermarkets, ie local…
In 2023, the tissue and hygiene landscape in Hungary was impacted by high levels of inflation and rising prices, resulting in double-digit retail value growth. However, retail volume levels were challenged, with consumers adapting their purchasing…
Tissue and hygiene in 2023 witnessed substantial expansion, encompassing both retail and away-from-home tissue and hygiene products. This growth is underpinned by a multitude of factors, notably the elevated standards of personal hygiene and a…