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, full-service restaurants continue to recover from the devastating losses registered during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the strong double-digit value growth is largely the result of rising unit prices and inflation. For a growing number…
In 2023, the fragrances category was recording strong growth, albeit following a sharp downturn in sales a year earlier, when sales shrunk by around half. The fragrances performance has begun to recover as life has normalised in some parts of Ukraine…
Fragrances saw further current value growth in the Czech Republic in 2023, with volume sales falling as consumers paid higher prices but left with fewer items in their shopping baskets. The overall positive performance was driven by premium…
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…
Premium fragrances recorded high single-digit current value growth in 2023, with retail volume sales being notably slower and impacted by stubbornly high inflation. Mass fragrances declined in in both retail value and volume terms, with economic…
Fragrances in Serbia in 2023 showcased stable performance but encountered notable challenges. A significant development was observed with drugstore chains like Dm introducing low-cost fragrances within their product offerings. Similarly, the…
In 2023, fragrances in Romania continued to experience current value growth, although volume sales maintained their declining trend. This phenomenon was attributed to consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for fragrances, resulting in fewer…
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…
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, sales demonstrated another outstanding year in Lithuania with strong double-digit retail value growth and strong retail volume growth in all areas, bar men's mass fragrances and mass fragrance sets/kits.
Fragrances in Latvia registered a much slower performance in 2023 compared to previous years. Although fragrances are considered a staple item for the majority of consumers, demand weakened for several reasons. Economic uncertainty remained strong in…
Mass fragrances experienced double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 due to significant price hikes, although growth remained lower compared to premium fragrances due to the price sensitivity of the target customer group for these products.…
It was a positive year for fragrances in Georgia in 2023, with similar healthy volume growth both for premium and mass fragrances, though volume growth was lower than the previous year. Price sensitive consumers, especially in the mass segment, opted…
In 2023, fragrances in Estonia recorded double-digit retail value growth, driven by the premium segment. While retail volume growth was positive in all areas of premium fragrances, mass fragrances declined, with mass fragrance sets/kits recording…
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were few differences between sales growth trends across premium fragrances and mass fragrances. However, since volume sales of premium fragrances dropped sharply in 2020 during the early stages of…
Fragrances in Bulgaria was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and whilst sales have begun to bounce back, overall volume and value sales have yet to be restored to 2019 levels. The lifting of all pandemic restrictions during 2022 resulted in…
Consumers have returned to wearing fragrances with social contact largely back to normal levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After a solid recovery from the pandemic in 2021, retail volume growth declined in 2022 and 2023 as consumers were confronted…
This briefing examines how the forestry, wood and paper industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of forestry, wood and paper output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry…
Across footwear, sneakers (trainers) and children’s footwear are projected to see the steepest increases in unit prices over 2023, although the demand for sneakers continued to gain traction. Heeled shoes and boots have seen significant increases in…
After the 2021 rebound, volume sales of footwear continued to increase in both 2022 and 2023. As Romanians are going out more often than before for work, leisure or travelling, their demand for footwear is also on the rise. This rise in demand is…
The ongoing fluctuations in global temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns have instigated notable shifts in consumer behaviour. With the occurrence of an unusually cold spring and warm autumn in 2023, Polish consumers have adjusted their…
The remarkable sneaker/trainer boom that Hungary is currently witnessing showed no signs of slowing down in 2023 as the huge numbers of sports footwear enthusiasts among the local population continued to prefer sneakers and trainers, especially…
The briefing examines how the food, beverages and tobacco industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of food, beverages and tobacco output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports,…
Cordless mixers and blenders are yet to be popular in the Czech Republic, with many consumers preferring traditional models; not only because they are more affordable, but out of habit. Manufacturers will continue to offer cordless models, set to be…
Food preparation appliances are maintaining positive volume sales in 2023, supported by consumers’ focus on healthy diets and lifestyles. Many households remain interested in upgrading their food preparation appliances due to the focus on preparing…
Food preparation appliances continue to see robust volume growth in 2023, underpinned by the strong emphasis on home cooking. There has been a growing interest in healthy eating among Polish consumers, leading to a stronger emphasis on home-made…
The high and rising energy prices led some consumers to cook less in 2023 to save costs, with others focusing on shorter cooking times. In addition, many postponed the replacement of food preparation appliances to save money and spend on necessary…
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically altered consumer shopping behaviour. Using the Digital Consumer Survey, which was fielded in March and April during the height of mandated lockdowns, this report explores consumer sentiment with…
Retail current value sales of fine wines/champagne and spirits grew by 15% in 2023 to total RON505 million. This was the result of the consumer desire to indulge themselves after the pandemic. Socialising over a drink with friends remains a priority…
Value sales of fine wines/champagne and spirits grew by 20% to total PLN1.7 billion in 2023, boosted by consumers’ desire to enjoy themselves after the pandemic. Enjoying a drink with friends remains a priority leisure activity, following on from the…
Cash remains an important mode of payment in the Czech Republic, especially in rural areas, although modernisation is driving growth in financial cards and payments. The expansion of POS terminals in retail stores is driving financial card…
Romania lags behind in financial inclusion compared to other nations, showcasing a lower uptake of basic financial services, primarily due to a trifecta of factors: low financial literacy levels, a significant grey economy, and a widespread…
Financial cards and payments in Poland is undergoing substantial change with the continued increase in non-cash transactions in 2023. Card operators are focused on providing access to a variety of payment methods so that the consumer and merchant can…
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly influenced payment habits in Hungary, leading to an increased reliance on cards, online payments and smartphone applications. This trend continued as pandemic-related restrictions were gradually lifted…
Financial cards and payments were significantly impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020, with the pandemic still affecting the industry in 2021. However, after the decline in consumer payment transactions value in 2020, a return to positive growth…
Although eyewear in Romania is set to expand in total volume and current value sales terms in 2024, growth rates are expected to be weaker than those recorded in 2023. The downturn is mainly explained by stubbornly high inflation, which continues to…
In 2024, eyewear in Poland continued its upward trajectory, particularly in areas such as daily disposable and frequent replacement lenses. Daily disposable lenses, driven by a growing number of individuals with vision impairments, emerged as the…
A growing number of consumers are developing allergic reactions to outside elements, including pollen and spores, which can cause irritation and discomfort to the eyes. Due to the effects of climate change on the living environment, the Czech…
As the incidence of allergies is rising in Slovakia, consumers continue to purchase allergy eye care products. Over 2023, allergy eye care is expected to follow strong double-digit retail volume growth in 2022 with a good, if much slower, increment.…
In Romania, the eye care industry has not seen much change and is mostly controlled by a few big companies. These top brands are well-known and trusted by consumers, thanks to their strong distribution and advertising efforts. There is, therefore, an…
Polish consumers are increasingly suffering from diagnosed vision problems, particularly myopia. This can be largely attributed to lifestyle issues, in particular, the extended number of hours spent in front of computer screens. This trend was…
With high inflation continuing to drive up unit prices and weaken purchasing power among Hungarians, eye care is set to see total volume sales contract for a second consecutive year in 2023. However, the rate of decline should be slower than that…
The maturity of the market in Bulgaria implies that most potential customers are already using or have easy access to eye care products, reaching a saturation point in terms of penetration. This situation can lead to intensified competition among…
Tourist visitor levels in Romania recovered in 2023, despite global macroeconomic pressures like high inflation and the rapid escalation of living costs. International tourism increased by 40% January-July compared with the corresponding period in…
Tourist visitor levels in Poland recovered in 2023, despite global macroeconomic pressures such as high inflation and the rapid escalation of living costs. This was an improvement on previous years when the pandemic prevented people from travelling.…
In its second edition, the EV Readiness Index 2023 indicates the best prepared markets for the electric vehicle (EV) transition. This follows growing EV take-up, with new electric passenger car registrations set to reach 20% of total registrations…
The briefing introduces the 2022 Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Index which has been produced for 37 countries globally. The index seeks to assess the readiness of each country across four key pillars: Market Maturity, Income and Spending,…
Depopulation in Estonia in 2021-2040 will be driven by natural decrease. Ageing will be a key trend, impacting consumer trends and putting further pressure on state resources. Urbanisation will slow slightly while Tallinn remains the dominant city.…
Engaging millennials and Generation Z consumers matters now more than ever, as the disruptions experienced by these unique generations since the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have accelerated both challenges and opportunities for businesses. To…
Energy drinks was the only soft drinks category in Ukraine to see retail volume growth both in 2022 and 2023. This dynamic growth related to the strong increase in demand from volunteers, doctors, armed forces, and other people looking for an energy…