Eastern Europe

2023 was a positive year for sales of vitamins in Lithuania. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, new habits have formed in the country, with consumers keen to take care of their immune systems, with a solid and growing focus on preventative health…

Although vitamins are still witnessing solid current growth in 2023, demand is now subsiding after several years of dynamic performance during the pandemic years. Retail volume and current value sales are now substantially higher than pre-pandemic…

Vitamins is set to record negative results in volume and current value terms for the second year in a row in 2023. While overall consumption of these products in Hungary surged during the early stages of the pandemic due to increased…

Vitamins are expected to register a decline in volume sales in 2023. The boon from the pandemic is long over and in particular vitamins that claim immune boosting benefits are seeing a significant decline. In fact, volume sales are even lower than…

Vitamins recorded strong double-digit growth during the pandemic as consumers purchased products to strengthen their immunity and boost their general health. However, with restrictions lifted and consumers resuming their usual daily activities,…

The pandemic has encouraged several consumer behaviour changes in terms of the purchasing and consumption of vitamins. Croatians are now taking preventative health more seriously and vitamins and supplements are being taken by those who never…

Consumers in Bulgaria are becoming more health conscious, seeking ways to boost their immune systems, improve their energy levels, and maintain general wellbeing. Already prominent prior to the pandemic, the health and wellness trend received a…

Vitamins is witnessing one of the highest growth rates within consumer health in 2023, thanks to robust consumer demand driven by health and wellness trends. Vitamin intake and supplementation is gaining importance in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with…

The Vilnius in Lithuania report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

Video games hardware experienced remarkable growth in 2023 in Ukraine, largely driven by the rebound in imports compared to the previous year, resulting in the resurgence of leading companies like Sony Ukraine TOV. Notably, Sony Ukraine TOV witnessed…

Video games in Romania continued to experience dynamic current value growth in 2023. On the one hand, the improving technological infrastructure in the country and the rising popularity of gaming across all age groups were key positive factors. On…

Robust sales continue for video games in Poland in 2023, showing ongoing resilience despite inflationary pressures. That said, economic uncertainty has resulted in consumers becoming more selective in their purchases, prioritising value and quality.…

Foods vending was the most dynamic performer within vending in Ukraine in current value growth terms by some distance in 2023. While this was partly due to high inflation and the ongoing emergence of sales from a relatively low base, its strong…

Following the pandemic, vending in the Czech Republic witnessed strong growth as consumers resumed their lives outside of the home. The deteriorating economy and rising cost of living brought an end to this in 2023. Sales in vending machines have…

Vending was one of the better performing retail channels in Slovakia in 2023, with current value sales increasing. Convenience and on-the-go consumption drove consumer demand. While hot drinks continued to be the most popular product sold through…

In 2023, vending in Romania showcased positive retail value growth, benefiting from the elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. This led consumers to return to office work, with free movement outside of the home, enabling the recovery of…

In 2023, vending recorded strong sales in current value terms. Vending value sales are being driven by the increase in the number of vending machines offering drinks and snacks, as well as the technological replacement of hot drink machines with…

Sales in vending were being supported in Hungary in 2023, due to the number of vending machines increasing. Vending is seen as a beneficial model for retail, as it does not require a cashier to serve the customers, thus cuts down on labour and…

Vending in Bulgaria performed strongly in 2023, registering double-digit value growth, as well an increase in constant value sales, despite continuing high inflation. Convenience and on-the-go consumption drove consumer demand. While hot and soft…

Following a spike in sales during the outbreak of COVID-19, demand for robotic vacuum cleaners has lowered in 2023. The war in Ukraine and rising energy prices only accelerated this decline, with the product suffering from not being viewed as a…

Vacuum cleaners continue to benefit from consumers’ higher standards of health and hygiene, as enhanced by the era of the pandemic. As such, keeping a clean home has become a high priority, supporting both volume and value sales of vacuum cleaners.…

Vacuum cleaners witnessed a recovery in 2023, as inflationary conditions eased slightly. Despite the essential status that vacuum cleaners have in virtually all Polish homes, the high inflation that swept across Europe during 2022 put pressure on…

Cylinder vacuum cleaners remained the largest category among vacuum cleaners in 2023. Most consumers in the country own a powerful cylinder vacuum cleaner at home, with many using them sparingly when wanting to do a complete and thorough cleaning of…

Ukraine’s population will plummet in 2021-2040 as a result of millions leaving the country in 2022-2024, following the commencement of the war, triggering a demographic crisis in the country. At the same time, natural increase will remain negative…

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…

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…

The dynamic performances recorded across all categories of travel and tourism in Romania during 2023 represented the continuation of the strong recovery that began in 2021 and developed over the course of 2022. This was mainly result of the…

The resumption of travel is a key factor in 2023, along with the associated evolution in consumer behaviour since the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns made people realise how important it is to achieve a healthy work-life balance, along…

The Hungarian travel market has performed positively on the whole in 2023. Inbound, outbound and domestic trip numbers have increased strongly and come closer to their pre-pandemic levels, with diminishing concerns about COVID-19 and the ending of…

Outbound tourism flows recorded a strong performance in Croatia during 2023 despite the impact of high inflation and the cost of living crisis on the discretionary spending of local people. In general, Croatian consumers are still hungry for leisure…

Tourism flows have rebounded strongly during the post-COVID-19 recovery of travel and tourism in Bulgaria, with no travel restrictions being in place in 2022 or 2023. Leading scheduled, low cost and charter airlines have also increased their number…

The briefing examines how transport and storage industry performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of transport and storage output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry’s costs,…

This report examines e-commerce usage and revenue share from e-commerce in different industries and countries. The e-commerce index helps to better understand which industries are leading and identify key success factors. The briefing also analysis…

In 2023, there was a surge in the popularity of traditional toys that appealed not only to children but also to adults in Ukraine, particularly in the construction category. This surge was primarily fuelled by the relaunch of LEGO Ukraina TOV in…

Traditional toys and games in Romania maintained double-digit current value growth in 2023, with increases seen across all categories. Premiumisation remains a key trend in Romania, but traditional toys and games is a category which is still flooded…

Traditional toys and games in Poland maintained healthy growth in 2023, despite the landscape being shaped by inflation and geopolitical uncertainties which have influenced consumer spending habits overall. Despite these challenges, the category…

The challenging economic climate has significantly impacted consumer behaviour in Romania when it comes to watches. Some consumers, whose budgets have been constrained by inflation, have opted for more affordable products or delayed their purchases,…

For traditional and high-end watches, brick-and-mortar retailers remain the preferred distribution channel in Poland, with jewellery and watch specialists accounting for the large majority of sales in 2023. The tactile experience of seeing and…

In 2023, toys and games in Ukraine witnessed a significant increase in value, with video games hardware emerging as the primary driving force behind this growth. Several factors contributed to this notable upswing. Firstly, there was a discernible…

Toys and games in Romania experienced dynamic current value growth in 2023, with double-digit increases seen for both traditional toys and games, and video games. Growth was due to improving living standards and changing consumer lifestyles, as well…

Toys and games in Poland maintained robust sales in 2023, in part driven by the significant growth of online games and subscriptions. This surge is largely due to the increasing shift towards digital platforms in general, as consumers engage with…

The toys and games industry sees positive growth, although with setbacks due to Coronavirus. In traditional toys, long-term opportunities lie in licensing and categories combining play, education and skill-building experience. Broader exposure to…

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 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…

2023 saw robust growth in domestic tourism trips and outbound departures as rising demand continued to be driven by the realisation of pent-up demand following the total removal of COVID-19 restrictions from March 2022. With local consumers taking…

Domestic travel is recovering at a faster rate than inbound tourism in Poland. In 2023, Polish consumers are seen to be eager to book stays in domestic tourist resorts, go on city breaks, and travel to visit family or friends and, at the same time,…

Growth in the number of outbound departures from Hungary in 2023 looks set to be well down on the previous year. This is mainly explained by the ongoing normalisation of travel flows following the strong rebound over 2021-2022 that resulted from 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…

The National Statistical Office and the Ministry of Tourism data suggest a significant increase in tourism flows as the post-COVID-19 recovery of travel and tourism in Bulgaria continues. There are no remaining active travel restrictions in place…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…