Eastern Europe

In 2023, chocolate confectionery is witnessing low and stable retail volume growth, despite the ongoing inflationary pressures in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As seen during past financial crises, affordable treats, such as chocolate confectionery, can…

Chocolate confectionery is witnessing a more upbeat performance in 2023, with retail volume sales returning to growth. There has been a significant number of new chocolate products launched in 2023, which has captured consumer interest and boosted…

In 2023, gum saw minimal decline in retail volume terms due to diminishing consumer demand for products in this category. Health and wellness trends and changing consumer preferences are diverting consumers away from gum and towards healthier snack…

Gum continues to gradually recover from the pandemic in 2023, although retail volume sales are still declining marginally. Gum increasingly has a bad name, due to its high sugar content and bad environmental reputation in terms of disposability, and…

Ice cream is enjoying robust growth in 2023, with retail volume and current value sales surpassing pre-pandemic sales thanks to a strong rebound in consumer demand. More frequent new product launches and the premiumisation trend is stimulating ice…

Consumer demand for ice cream remains strong in 2023, even after the category’s full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The scorching heat in 2023 has led to high demand for ice cream driving up impulse purchases. Inflation and rising unit prices…

Savoury snacks continues to grow moderately in 2023 in retail volume terms, due to stable consumer demand in the post-pandemic period. Rising unit prices and inflation are the main contributing factors to the double-digit current value growth.…

Savoury snacks is witnessing moderate volume growth in 2023 as the category recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Inflation and rising energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine have driven up unit prices and is a major cause of supply chain…

Snacks continues its strong recovery in 2023, thanks to a period of stable consumer demand in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the post-pandemic period. Despite the rising costs of living, snacks have remained a popular option on the household shopping…

Snacks continues to make a robust recovery in 2023. Consumer demand for snacks is stabilising and the category is much closer to pre-pandemic sales in retail volume terms, which should be reached in 2024. Snacks is among the most dynamic packaged…

In 2023, sugar confectionery faces further decline in retail volume sales, as consumers reduce consumption amid the growing focus on health and wellbeing. Consumers are opting for higher nutritional value snacks and less sugar in their diet, which…

Healthy eating is taking a higher priority with consumers increasingly shunning sugar confectionery due to its high sugar content and limited value-added properties. As a result, retail volume sales are declining for the fourth consecutive year in…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks achieved a better performance in retail volume terms in 2023, despite the ongoing issue of inflation. Consumers are opting for healthier options such as fruit snacks and snack bars, as well as more…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks saw strong double-digit current value growth in 2023, supported by stable consumer demand and rising unit prices. Inflation remains high fuelling much of the current value growth. Rising consumer demand for…

With its very low tax burden and strong state finances, Bulgaria enjoys economic freedom, although political instability has been common. High inflation is adversely affecting the economy, but joblessness remains low. Although skills shortages are…

Ageing, urbanisation and migration remain the major drivers shaping the global population. The number of seniors worldwide was increasing in 2022 and is expected to continue growing to 2040. The number of births is declining globally due to falling…

During times of economic uncertainty, chocolate confectionery tends to cede ground to sugar confectionery in Ukraine. This is largely because of the higher prices of chocolate confectionery amid strong pressure on consumer incomes. Towards the end of…

The demand for gum in Ukraine suffered heavily in the wake of the Russian invasion of the country in 2022. This was partly because consumers in Ukraine looked to save money, and they tended to make fewer impulse purchases, which included perceived…

Like other packaged food categories, ice cream suffered in late 2022 and 2023 from electricity outages. These energy problems had strong negative impact on the manufacture and storage of frozen goods. While ice cream is set to register strong retail…

Savoury snacks can be said to have suffered most from the effects of the war in Ukraine in terms of production, supply and consumer behaviour. This is partly reflected in savoury snacks recording the highest decline in snacks in retail volume sales…

All snacks categories are projected to see good-to-strong retail volume growth over 2023. However, sales bases have been lowered significantly by the slump in 2022, and market sizes at the end of the review period are expected to be lower than in…

Strongly increased sugar prices and electricity outages in late 2022-2023 increased the cost of manufacturing and negatively impacted consumers’ ability to afford or justify the prices of sugar confectionery. As a result, consumers tended to reduce…

In 2023, sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks all started to rebound from the double-digit declines recorded in retail volume sales in 2022. During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, fruit snacks, snack bars and sweet biscuits posted only…

Sales of computers continue to decline in retail volume terms in 2023. This is partly down to the uncertain political and economic context, but also due to the strong performance seen during the pandemic. Tablets is seeing the strongest decline.…

After a strong performance in 2020 and 2021, sales of consumer electronics moved into negative territory in 2022 in retail volume terms, mainly as a result of the impact of double-digit inflation on unit prices, the economy and cost of living. Sales…

Consumers are increasingly consuming entertainment through their mobile devices in Romania, including when outside home and on the move with this making a positive contribution to the growth and development of headphones. Furthermore, rising mobility…

Sales of home audio and cinema continue to decline in 2023, continuing the pattern seen over the review period. This decline has accelerated in 2022/2023 in part due to the rising mobility of Romanians. During the pandemic some products such as home…

Sales of home video declined in 2022 in retail volume terms with this trend continuing into 2023. This is mostly due to increasing pressure on consumers’ disposable income with Romania experiencing elevated rates of inflation which has led to a sharp…

Imaging devices has continued to record a steep decline in retail volume terms in 2023. Romanians increasingly regard these products as redundant in the era of high-performance smartphones. Furthermore, high inflation and economic pressures have led…

In 2022, the Romanian car market increased by 7% in volume terms, but this was mostly due to purchases of new vehicles, with sales of second-hand cars falling by 20%. This had a negative effect on the performance of in-car entertainment, which…

For the second year in a row, sales of smartphones are declining in retail volume terms in 2023. This is partly due to the fact that the category is reaching maturity. In the current economic context, Romanians are postponing large, non-essential…

With the pandemic being declared over by the World Health Organisation in early 2023 most consumers have now returned to their old lifestyles and behaviour. The rising mobility of the population has helped to drive strong demand for wireless speakers…

Alongside the rising preoccupation for health and wellness among the population, consumers are becoming increasingly knowledgeable and want to track more of their health parameters (eg heart rate, oxygen blood level, burn calories, water intake,…

A low tax burden adds to Hungary’s economic freedom, but corruption remains an issue and state finances are under pressure. Economic performance has outpaced peers and unemployment is low, but inflation remains very high and will adversely impact…

Although corruption is a problem, the Czech Republic has strong adherence to economic freedom and solid government finances. Economic growth is set to slow amidst persistent inflation, but the foreign investment landscape is vibrant. Whilst…

Following an uplift in price points in 2022, the rise in flight ticket prices slowed down in 2023 due to stabilising energy prices, high levels of competition on the landscape, and growing flight capacity. However, a return to 2019 prices is not…

The cost of living crisis has not had a significant impact on Czech consumers' appetite for travel. Following the pandemic, Czechs are looking to travel abroad after two years of travel restrictions, when many consumers spent holidays at home. As…

Luxury hotels see the slowest recovery due to a gradual return of foreign tourists to the Czech capital and growing inflationary pressure on overseas and domestic tourists, translating into lower spending power. The luxury category also shows the…

Demand for domestic tourism is benefiting from changing consumer behaviour, underlined by the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic years and the economic crisis. Czech consumers increasingly prefer shorter distances-something that was preferred in the…

The absence of overhaul flights from Prague to destinations in the USA and Asia impacts the recovery of inbound tourism in 2023. As such, it is yet to reach pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, many tourists from the USA are put off travel to Eastern…

In 2023, air passenger traffic continues to recover from the harsh fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with retail value sales nearing pre-pandemic levels. Slovaks are returning to similar air travel patterns as seen before the pandemic, spurred…

Consumer demand for outbound travel remains strong in 2023, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis, and this has enabled travel intermediaries to register a strong performance in terms of booking sales. Travellers are taking advantage of…

Natural decrease and negative net migration will drive depopulation in Georgia in most years up to 2040. Rapid ageing will be illustrated by extreme growth in 70+ cohorts, impacting consumer trends and placing further pressure on state resources.…

Lodging operators remain under intense pressure with regards to price in 2023. All operating expenses have increased at an unprecedented rate (well above the general inflation), putting upward pressure on lodging prices. With the cost of living…

The war in Ukraine and the onset of the energy crisis significantly impacted inbound tourism flows in Slovakia in 2022, and its negative influence continues into 2023. Inbound flows from the US and Scandinavian markets have been hampered by the war…

The cost of living crisis has not hindered the Slovakian’s appetite for travel in 2023. The number of outbound departures is enjoying steady growth, although travellers prefer low cost destinations such as Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece over more…

Airlines in Croatia become a far more competitive category during 2023 as the numbers of airline passengers being carried continue to increase amidst rebounding demand during the post-pandemic era. Indeed, by the end of the year, the airlines…

During 2023, strong value growth was recorded in booking in Croatia, with both booking offline and booking online recording robust double-digit growth rates, although somewhat predictably booking online was the big winner during the year. The regular…

2023 saw many of Croatia’s lodging operators facing huge pressure on their margins as the impact of high inflation hit their cost structures from two angles. On the one hand, dramatic increases in the cost of fuel and numerous other inputs over the…

The big story in tourism flows in Croatia in 2023 was the huge rebound seen in inbound arrivals as the return to international travel fuelled a boom in foreign tourism worldwide, with Croatia benefiting from its burgeoning status as a very attractive…