Eastern Europe

Overall , it was a muted picture for fragrances in North Macedonia in 2023, with both constant value sales and overall volume sales falling. Continuing high inflation and population decline dampened value sales. Premium outperformed mass, with volume…

In 2023, the ongoing return to socialising outside the home both at work/school and whilst doing activities had a positive impact on the performance of fragrances in Slovenia. Fragrances are considered an essential accessory by Slovenians, and the…

It was a muted picture for hair care in North Macedonia in 2023, with high inflation continuing to hit profit margins and a declining population also dampening volume growth. Standard shampoo continued to account for most value sales, but more niche…

Hair care in Slovenia recorded another good strong year in 2023 with the return to normal grooming habits following the COVID-19 pandemic. Private label has witnessed increasing popularity thanks to its affordability at a time of high inflation and…

Mass beauty and personal care still accounted for significantly more value sales than premium in North Macedonia in 2023. However, with inflation still being high, there was only a slight increase in constant value sales, as rising costs hit profit…

Mass beauty and personal care registered a strong performance in 2023, driven by increased demand for cheaper products as high inflation prevailed in Slovenia. This development has positively impacted the performance of private label in recent years.…

Though there was double-digit growth in current value sales in men’s grooming in North Macedonia in 2023, volume growth was minimal and constant value sales fell slightly. Continuing high inflation, as well as a declining population, dampened value…

Men’s grooming in Slovenia was hampered by the weak performance of men’s shaving due to the enduring popularity of beards, especially among men in their 30s and 40s. While the beard trend has undoubtedly peaked, there are still significant numbers of…

Though there was double-digit growth in current value sales in oral care in North Macedonia in 2023, both constant value and volume sales fell. Continuing high inflation, as well as a declining population, dampened value sales. As such, with…

The oral care category continued to see positive growth in Slovenia in 2023, with consumers switching to cheaper products. Private label gained significant ground in oral care during 2023 as the rising cost of living in Slovenia forced many consumers…

Performance was muted for premium beauty and personal care in North Macedonia in 2023. Inflation continued to be high and rising costs hit profit margins. With this backdrop, current value sales of premium beauty and personal care products increased…

In 2023, some of the best performing categories in beauty and personal care in Slovenia were those with a relatively high proportion of premium brands, notably skin care and fragrances. The products in these categories are increasingly seen as…

Despite continuing high inflation, and also a falling population, skin care in North Macedonia registered some volume growth in 2023. It was also the best performing beauty and personal care product in terms of current value growth. Premium skin care…

Skin care retained its status as one of the best performing categories in the Slovenian beauty and personal care industry during 2023. The category’s strong performance during the year was mainly the result of more regular use of skin care products…

It was a dismal year for sun care in North Macedonia in 2023, with both constant value and volume sales falling. Inflation continued to be high and the continuing rising costs cut into players’ profit margins. A declining population also led to a…

Sun care in Slovenia had a favourable year in 2023 supported by warm weather for the majority of the summer and improvements in the tourism sector. Croatia remains a popular summer destination for Slovenians, but there has been a visible improvement…

Similar to their canine counterparts, cat food in Poland is expected to register a surge in premiumisation in 2024. An improving economic picture, with inflation easing significantly, and real wages rising, is expected to enable this transition. As…

Cat food in Romania is expected to see a return to positive growth in retail volume terms in 2024 as easing inflationary pressures render such products more affordable to the cat-owning population. In addition, the number of cats in the country will…

The cat food category in Slovakia is feeling the pressure from a slowdown in household cat ownership in 2024. Pet abandonment is on the rise with some Slovaks postponing their decision to get a new cat altogether due to rising costs. Retail volume…

Cat food is set to see strong current value growth in Ukraine in 2024. In Ukraine, there is a relatively low penetration of industrial pet food with the majority of people still feeding their cats non-prepared food. However, those owners who do feed…

Dog food in Poland is expected to register double-digit constant value growth in what is an improving economic picture in 2024, with inflation easing significantly, and real wages also increasing. This is expected to lead to further premiumisation,…

Dog food in Romania is expected to see a return to positive volume growth in 2024, following the decline of the previous year. This will be due in a large part to waning inflationary pressures, which will make commercially-prepared products more…

Dog food is facing marginal retail volume growth in 2024, with consumer purchasing power still under pressure in Slovakia and unit price growth occurring in most categories. The steepest price increases were observed in dog treats forcing owners to…

Dog food is set to see significant current value growth in Ukraine in 2024. The full-scale war in the country has reinforced behavioural trends that were in evidence before the Russian invasion. Small dogs were already becoming more popular because…

Other pet food in Poland is expected to register higher volume growth than either dog or cat food in 2024. With many Poles leading increasingly hectic lifestyles, there is a noticeable trend toward pets that require less maintenance. In particular,…

Other pet food in Romania is expected to see positive growth in retail volume terms in 2024, continuing the trend of the previous year. Compared to dog and cat food, the category was less impacted by cost of living pressures which characterised the…

Unit price growth and changes in the pet population were the two major factors determining other pet food sales growth in Slovakia during 2023, although prices began to stabilise in 2024. For mammals and reptiles, the pet population was down slightly…

Other pet food is set to see significant current value growth in Ukraine in 2024. The other pet population is expected to rise slightly in 2024 having experienced a marked decline in 2022 as war broke out following the Russian invasion and a further…

It is expected to be a positive picture for pet care in Poland in 2024, with both healthy double-digit current and constant value growth. An improving economic picture is also expected to support this growth, as inflation eases significantly and real…

Pet Care in Romania is expected to see a return to positive volume growth in 2024, following the decline of the previous year. This will be due in a large part to waning inflationary pressures, which will have a positive impact on real household…

The performance of pet care in Slovakia is being hampered by unit price growth and marginal fluctuations in pet populations during 2024, with retail volume sales rising only slightly. In current value terms, pet care posted healthy growth thanks to…

Pet care is set to see continued growth in Ukraine in 2024. Having seen volumes fall following the Russian invasion of the country in 2022, the market returned to growth in the following year. The positive sales performance in wartime is related to…

Pet products in Poland is expected to register value growth, though not as high as for pet food. However, one segment that is expected to register significant growth is pet clothing. This growth reflects a global movement towards pet humanisation,…

Pet products in Romania are set to see double-digit growth in current value terms in 2024, continuing the trend of the previous year. Despite the high cost of living, consumers will remain willing to lavish their pets with care and attention, in…

In 2024, cat litter sales remain stable supporting the positive development of pet products in Slovakia. Consumers typically buy cat litter on price discounts and will compare prices using online tools from Heureka.sk and other retailers to identify…

Pet products is expected to see current value growth in Ukraine in 2024. Manufacturers of cat litter are experimenting with different raw materials to provide high functionality and manage the increased costs they are facing. Besides the popular…

In 2023, baby and child-specific products maintained dynamic current value growth in Poland. This growth was purely due to price rises, as volume sales were unable to return to growth. However, different performances were seen across categories. For…

Bath and shower maintained growth in both retail volume and current value terms in Poland in 2023, with growth across all categories except hand sanitisers, sales of which continued to normalise after the peak of the pandemic. Bar soap saw one of the…

After rapidly changing circumstances in recent years, beauty and personal care in Poland experienced a certain level of stabilisation in 2023, with slow retail volume growth and dynamic current value growth. A major challenge for players was to…

Despite the challenges posed by rising inflation, colour cosmetics has emerged as a beacon of success for manufacturers and retailers alike. The year 2023 saw low overall retail volume growth, along with a dynamic increase in current value terms –…

In 2023, deodorants experienced further solid growth in both retail volume and current value terms in Poland, despite already having returned to the pre-pandemic level of sales. All categories saw both volume and value growth except for deodorant…

Depilatories experienced notable increases in retail volume and current value sales in Poland in 2023, with growth across all categories, fuelled by the resumption of social events and travel. The mass transition from remote working back to the…

Although retail volume growth stalled in 2023, fragrances witnessed robust current value growth across all categories in Poland in 2023, driven by rising prices. Evolving consumer motivations were seen for fragrances post-COVID-19. Beyond seduction…

Hair care in Poland maintained its growth momentum in retail volume and current value terms in 2023. This was despite the fact that after seeing declines in 2020 due to the pandemic, current value sales had already returned to the pre-pandemic level…

Although growth was lower than premium beauty and personal care, mass beauty and personal care witnessed a second year of double-digit current value growth in Poland in 2023. High current value growth was seen across all mass beauty and personal care…

After declines were seen for men’s grooming in Poland during the pandemic, value sales returned to the 2019 level in 2022, while 2023 witnessed continued robust retail volume recovery, and sales finally returned to the pre-pandemic level. Despite…

Oral care maintained solid retail volume and current value growth in Poland in 2023. Its comparatively strong performance within overall beauty and personal care is unsurprising, as recent studies reveal that many Poles still lack adequate oral…

Premium beauty and personal care saw another year of dynamic double-digit current value growth in Poland in 2023, although from a lower base than the mass segment. The momentum of the premium segment was higher than the mass segment, and in fact…

Skin care in Poland flourished throughout the review period, seemingly unaffected by the impact of the pandemic and prevailing economic challenges, and retail volume and current value growth continued in 2023, with increases in sales across all…

After witnessing significant declines in 2020 in the first year of COVID-19, sun care in Poland saw continuous robust retail volume and current value growth from 2021 to 2023, recovering fully in current value terms, but not rebounding completely…