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.
In 2023, beer consumption in Bulgaria decreased resulting in a decline in off-trade volume sales. Bulgarians spent more time out of the home and increased their level of domestic and foreign travel, thus lowering at-home beer consumption. The…
Beer saw volume sales fall significantly in Hungary in 2023. Brewers held high expectations of restoring volume sales back to pre-pandemic levels during the year. However, these efforts fell short, and the beer market experienced a decline at the…
Sales of beer declined in 2023 in on- and off-trade volume terms as high inflation and rising living costs restricted consumer purchasing power. With money being tight many consumers were forced to focus on basic necessities and therefore they were…
Beer in the Czech Republic came under further pressure in 2023, with on-trade volumes declining. Stubbornly high inflation continued to impact Czech consumers with the cost-of-living creating a tougher economic environment in 2023. The on trade has…
Consumer demand for cider/perry in Bosnia and Herzegovina tends to be highly volatile, given that this category is small within alcoholic drinks. In 2023, even minor changes and shifts had significant impacts on the category's performance. Following…
In 2023, the cider/perry category in Bulgaria witnessed strong growth in retail volume terms, thereby exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The development of this category is a result of the global trend towards low-alcohol and long drinks, especially…
Cider/perry saw a rise in total volume sales in Hungary in 2023. Cider, a relatively new category in the Hungarian alcoholic drinks market, remains a small segment compared to beer, but is growing, in contrast to alcoholic flavoured/mixed lagers,…
Cider/perry is a declining category, with a lack of interest or investment that could help stimulate sales. Due to falling demand, retail chains are reducing the shelf space provided for cider/perry, especially discounters, some of which have even…
Price increases of cider/perry and the weak economic situation in the Czech Republic resulted in declining volume sales, whilst rising unit prices underpinned current value sales. The withdrawal of three key brands in 2022 continued to negatively…
Throughout 2023, retail sales of cigarettes in Latvia sustained a downward trajectory. This trend was primarily driven by the steady increase in average unit prices, attributed to excise tax policies and heightened competition from alternative…
Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in Lithuania in 2023. Consumers are increasingly aware of the health risks associated with smoking, a concern further amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which created additional impetus for…
As was the case throughout the review period, cigarettes in North Macedonia saw retail volume sales contract in 2023 as smoking prevalence among the adult population continued to fall in line with rising health-consciousness. Having recently become…
Cigarettes saw a slight rise in volume sales in Ukraine in 2023. This came after several years of marked volume decline. Amongst the reasons for this upturn in volumes were the low starting base following a steep decline in the previous year because…
The year 2023 witnessed significant declines in the demand for cigars and cigarillos in Latvia. This downward trend is indicative of the niche status and limited demand for these products. In the case of cigars, the sales decline observed in 2023…
The cigarillos category did not see much positive activity in Lithuania in 2023. The major competitive battles are fought outside this category, leaving it with little attention from market players and consumers. However, the government did not…
Fine cut tobacco was the most dynamic performer within cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in North Macedonia in retail volume growth terms in 2023. This product type continued to gain ground as an economical substitute for cigarettes as unit…
Cigars and cigarillos saw a double-digit decline in volume sales in Ukraine in 2023, while smoking tobacco volumes also fell during the year. Both the cigars and cigarillos, and the smoking tobacco categories have suffered significantly during…
Insight into income, wealth and expenditure of consumers and households is vital in helping businesses make strategic decisions with regards to which country (or even which region within a country) to enter, which consumer segment to target, which…
Insight into income, wealth and expenditure of consumers and households is vital in helping businesses make strategic decisions with regards to which country (or even which region within a country) to enter, which consumer segment to target, which…
Insight into income, wealth and expenditure of consumers and households is vital in helping businesses make strategic decisions with regards to which country (or even which region within a country) to enter, which consumer segment to target, which…
Convenience continued to drive consumer demand for RTDs in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2023, resulting in solid total volume growth. This growth, combined with rising RTD prices due to inflation, culminated in achieving strong double-digit percentage…
RTDs in Bulgaria witnessed another strong year of recovery in 2023, although this category is still growing from a small base. The re-activation of social lifestyles, people gatherings, festivals and other social occasions underpinned demand. Volume…
RTDs saw a rise in total volume sales in Hungary in 2023. The category was more exposed than most as rapidly rising inflation led Hungarians to exercise greater caution in their spending decisions, as these products are comparatively expensive, and…
Spirit-based RTDs was the most dynamic category within RTDs in Poland in 2023. Looking to capitalise on the growing demand for these products players continued to develop and launch new lines of RTDs in 2023. For example, in 2023 Jack Daniel's & Cola…
RTDs have benefited from the reduction in visits to on-trade establishments, as they appeal to consumers who still want the experience of mixed drinks but at a more affordable price. Indeed, RTDs have been a cost-effective solution during the tough…
In 2023, e-vapour products in Lithuania continued to show strong growth. A significant number of consumers are shifting from regular cigarettes to alternatives perceived as less harmful, particularly single-use vaping devices and heated tobacco.…
Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products, and heated tobacco in Latvia continued its upward trajectory in 2023, primarily driven by the increasing popularity of heated tobacco and single-use vaping systems. While this growth trend has been consistent…
E-vapour products saw a fall in sales in current value terms in Ukraine in 2023, while heated tobacco products saw growth in both current value and volume terms. E-vapour products experienced a significant change in market conditions in Ukraine…
Heated tobacco products was by far the most dynamic of the main categories within smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in North Macedonia in retail volume growth terms in 2023. While this was partly because sales are still emerging…
Consumer demand for spirits witnessed a significant slowdown in 2023, marked by minimal total volume growth across the category. This trend was characterised by mixed performances among the three largest spirits categories. While whisky categories…
In 2023, the consumption of spirits in Bulgaria increased with volume sales rising well in on-trade venues but declining marginally in retailers. Current value growth was fuelled by price rises after a long period of stability. Nevertheless, the…
Total volume sales of spirits increased slightly in Hungary in 2023. A small yet affluent customer segment, characterised by a higher level of knowledge about spirits and a discerning taste for quality, continued to drive the market for premium…
The average unit price of spirits in Poland rose sharply in 2023 due to high inflation, an increase in production costs, and a further increase in the excise tax rate by 5%. Although these price rises translated into strong growth in current value…
The challenging economic situation in the Czech Republic led to weaker demand for spirits in both the off-trade and on-trade in 2023. Czech households came under more intense financial pressure due to prevailing high inflation, with the price of…
In 2023, the major trends in tobacco in Latvia remained consistent with previous years. Sales of regular cigarettes continued to decline, while vaping and heated tobacco products gained popularity. However, an alarming trend was the resurgence of…
Retail sales of cigarettes in Lithuania are steadily declining as consumers increasingly shift towards alternatives such as vaping and heated tobacco. This trend raises questions about whether the overall popularity of smoking is genuinely decreasing…
Total current value sales growth for tobacco in North Macedonia in 2023 was up markedly on that recorded in 2022. The improvement was primarily attributable to unit price hikes resulting from tax increases and inflationary pressures fuelled by the…
Tobacco saw double-digit current value growth in Ukraine in 2023. After marked upheavals following the outbreak of war in 2022, global tobacco players adapted to the new reality and returned to new launching new products. These launches were mostly…
In 2023, wine in Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced a notable slowdown in consumer demand, although it remained comparatively stronger when compared to beer consumption trends. This shift in consumer preferences hinted at a gradual transition towards…
Wine in Bulgaria continued to enjoy buoyant retail volume growth, underpinned by the recovery of on-trade sales following the pandemic. However, wine consumption through the on-trade still remained below 2019 levels as inflationary conditions and…
Total volume sales of wine fell slightly in Hungary in 2023. However, during the year, sparkling wine volume sales continued to grow, finally exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Sparkling wine consumption, traditionally reserved for celebrations and…
Wine saw strong growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was the result of price hikes rather than an increase in demand with sales declining in total volume terms as financial pressures led to consumers adopting a more cautious approach to…
Wine in the Czech Republic faced declining volume sales in 2023 as economic conditions worsened. The high cost-of-living drove consumers to cut back on purchases within the wine category. Current value growth was buoyed by increased prices due to…
In 2023, the impact of immigrants from Russia on alcoholic drink sales in Georgia was negligible, resulting in a more subdued sales growth compared to the previous year. Despite this, moderate inflation and a stable exchange rate contributed to the…
In 2023, the volume sales of beer in Georgia continued to grow, albeit at a slower pace compared to previous years. This growth, although more stable, was underpinned by both an increase in domestic production and a rise in imports. The Horeca…
Both cigars and cigarillos registered volume growth in Serbia in 2024, unlike cigarettes, which saw volume sales fall. One reason for the positive performance of cigars and cigarillos is that the price gap between cigarettes and cigars and cigarillos…
Insight into income, wealth and expenditure of consumers and households is vital in helping businesses make strategic decisions with regards to which country (or even which region within a country) to enter, which consumer segment to target, which…
New regulations were introduced for e-vapour products in Serbia in 2023. Amendments to the Tobacco Law, effective from November 2023, established a new category for electronic cigarettes and associated products, regardless of their nicotine content.…
In 2023, the influx of immigrants from Russia did not significantly impact vodka sales in Georgia, resulting in a subdued growth compared to the previous year. Consumption of spirits remained relatively constant, with distinct preferences observed…
Though current value sales of tobacco increased in 2023, constant value sales fell, as inflation continued to be high. Volume sales also only increased marginally.