Eastern Europe

Apart from electric air fresheners, all other air care products witnessed a decline in retail volume terms in 2023. In the face of rising costs of living, consumers are choosing to economise and cut down on unnecessary purchases, which includes most…

Most air care subcategories performed positively in retail volume and value terms in 2023 due to consumers' growing desire for a cosy atmosphere and a pleasant home ambience. However, the increase of the landscape related to home air care - such as…

Air care was one of the few categories that did not suffer from sharp price growth in 2022, but prices caught up in 2023, impacting demand in the year. However, air care overall still managed to achieve positive volume growth due to tourism as sales…

Overall, air care performed well in terms of volume growth. However, the standout performer in 2023 was liquid air fresheners, which in spite of significant price rises, also registered double-digit percentage volume growth. The strong performance…

Air care in Georgia faces moderate volume growth in 2023, with current value growth stimulated by rising retail prices. As in other categories, modern retail is the main catalyst for rising consumption of air care products in Georgia. Indeed, air…

While retail value sales were double-digit, retail volume sales declined in areas such as gel air freshers, car air fresheners and spray/aerosol air fresheners. Sales were negatively impacted by rising inflation and reduced consumer spending power.…

In 2023, gel air fresheners saw strong growth rates in both retail value and volume. These fresheners are crafted with formulations designed to impart a longer-lasting fragrance, distinguishing them from other formats and appealing to consumers…

Price inflation has softened in 2023, providing a welcome relief for consumers. Air care registered double-digit current value growth and steady volume growth reflecting the significance of this product area. Spray/aerosols is the main category in…

Air care overall recorded a decline in volume sales growth in 2023 as current value sales rose in response to rising unit prices. Inflationary pressures and diminished disposable personal incomes prompted many consumers tend to trade down to…

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, many consumers are spending more time at home, with hybrid working becoming increasingly common. The rise in home offices has increased the demand for air care products, including scented candles, liquid air…

Romanian consumers remained very attached to their homes, and there was still a large part of the population that worked from home (or in a hybrid work system). In general, consumers are placing a higher importance on having a pleasant environment at…

Rising price points led to double-digit value growth in 2023, while growing prices encouraged some consumers to purchase less and shift to private label goods. In addition, branded players focused on deals and discounts to retain sales. Despite these…

Air care is managing to achieve small positive volume gains, while value sales are supported by the price hikes which are affecting home care overall. Indeed, air care attracts consumers who are keen to try new formats and scents and move from the…

Inflation is a driving force behind the growth of air care products in value terms in Slovenia. With rising unit prices, consumers are adopting a more cautious approach to their spending habits, leading to a decline in volume sales. Although…

Candle and electric air fresheners became increasingly popular among Czech consumers in 2023, as many looked for cheap but highly convenient products. This helped air care to record positive retail volume growth during a time of rising price points.…

Car air fresheners showed the highest (and only positive) volume sales growth within the overall category of air care in 2023, with the rise primarily linked to the surge in the number of cars in Ukraine. The imposition of martial law has prompted…

In 2023, retail volume sales of air treatment products fell in Hungary, recording a decline. The country's most popular air conditioner type, split air conditioners, saw significant double-digit growth in 2022, with sales bolstered by the support of…

With Poland witnessing rising average temperatures, air conditioning devices are becoming more popular. Recent years have seen temperatures reach very high levels, with at least one heat wave sweeping for the country every summer, causing discomfort…

Air treatment products is the winner in 2023, showing the strongest retail volume growth across the consumer appliances categories. This growth is being stimulated by a rising number of heatwaves in the country and increasingly crowded (and hot)…

The growth of air treatment products slowed down significantly in 2023, notably due to reduced sales of air purifiers. These were top sellers during the outbreak of COVID-19, benefiting from a heightened interest in health and hygiene. As such, in…

Passenger numbers have continued to recover in 2023, albeit failing to achieve pre-pandemic levels. Although there are no longer any COVID-19 related travel restrictions still in place which could impede travel, including airline travel, there are…

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…

The low cost carriers category looks set to record faster growth in current value sales than its full service counterpart in Hungary in 2023. This is partly because due to their focus on offering more affordable fares, leading low cost operators such…

Air passenger traffic levels in 2023 demonstrate that consumers remain eager to travel, despite skyrocketing ticket prices. That said, the higher ticket prices, resulting from higher costs for operators, more robustly support value growth, while…

Low cost carriers remained the largest category of airlines in Romania in 2023 in terms of both value sales and passengers carried as it recorded stronger growth in passenger numbers than full service carriers, although full service carriers recorded…

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…

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…

Inflation and rising prices of most products, coupled with an increasing cost of living in 2023, negatively impacted consumer confidence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, a negative demographic trend affecting the country contributed to the…

Alcoholic drinks in Bulgaria was heavily influenced by price increases in 2023, due to the prevalence of high inflation. The second half of the year saw inflation start to fall, but this had little impact on retail prices, which continued to rise in…

Despite strong growth in unit prices, alcoholic drinks marked positive volume growth in 2023. It is clear that Croatians are tired of social distancing and need to vent out. With COVID-19 measures all but gone, the number of events spanning across…

In 2023, sales of alcoholic drinks in Estonia experienced a pause following the hectic pandemic and post-pandemic periods. The local economy's underperformance added pressure on consumption. However, cross-border trade with Finland and Latvia…

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…

A combination of forces shaped the market for alcoholic drinks in Hungary in 2023. People were happy to break free from any COVID-19 related restrictions and live their social lives as they used to be. This was paralleled by the large pent-up demand…

The Latvian economy began to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, but witnessed further instability from the geopolitical problems caused by the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, alcoholic drinks reaped the benefits of the eased pandemic…

Alcoholic drinks saw steady growth in total volume terms in 2022. After the turmoil seen during the pandemic, sales began to stabilise in 2022 as COVID-19 fears subsided and restrictions were eased and consumers began to return to their old…

While unit prices of most other consumer goods saw double-digit percentage growth rates, in line with inflation, the unit prices of alcoholic drinks saw more moderate growth since many of the major brands are of domestic origin and were able to limit…

Sales of alcoholic drinks declined both in off-trade and on-trade volume terms in Poland in 2023. At the same time, alcoholic drinks saw strong growth in total current value terms. This was the result of a significant increase in the prices of…

Alcoholic drinks witnessed steeper volume sales decline in 2023 as the high costs of living in Romania encouraged consumers to make cutbacks on these beverages. The price of food continued to rise in line with the stubbornly high inflation rate,…

As COVID-19 fears subsided in 2022 there was a strong desire among many Serbian consumers to start socialising again with this helping to stimulate on-trade volume growth with sales fully recovering after the significant decline seen during 2020.…

Alcoholic drinks, as a product area, in Slovakia experienced the impact of weakened purchasing power among Slovak consumers in 2022. However, the price growth in the industry was relatively slower compared to other sectors. This can be attributed to…

Alcoholic drinks has recovered to pre-pandemic sales levels in volume and value terms, with consumption rising following the abolishment of social and travel restrictions. Horeca establishments were open without any limitations in 2022 enabling…

Adults in the Czech Republic consumed lower quantities of alcoholic drinks in 2023 due to the difficult economic climate and the growing preference for beverages with lower alcohol content. High inflation and the rising cost of living hindered…

Glass bottles continued to be the dominant pack type in the Polish alcoholic drinks market in 2022, continuing to fight off the stiff competition from metal beverage cans. This is because the reputation of glass bottles is very high in Poland. Glass…

As Romanian consumers have more financial resources available, they are willing to explore and invest in higher-quality and more sophisticated alcoholic drinks. Consequently, this places pressure on producers to make sure the packaging of their…

Analgesics achieved strong double-digit growth in 2023 amidst stable consumer demand and rising unit prices caused by inflation. Systemic analgesics is outperforming topical analgesics in 2023, a trend that has been prevalent throughout the review…

The analgesics market in Bulgaria has reached a mature stage, characterised by steady growth and well-established product offerings. This maturity is evident in the consistent demand for pain relief solutions driven by factors such as an ageing…

Growth of analgesics in 2023 can be mainly attributed to the full recovery of daily activity post pandemic. The main contributors here were the full operation of manual labour intensive industries (predominantly construction), a stronger flu season…

Sales of analgesics return to their pre-pandemic performance in 2023. After the pandemic, seasonal colds and flus circulated more in the country as consumers socialised more without wearing masks, and sales of analgesics have returned to their usual…

Analgesics is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023. High inflation is continuing to have an effect and consumers are expected to be highly price sensitive and prioritise value for money. That being said, inflation is easing in…

As consumption patterns continue to stabilise following three years of pandemic-induced disruption, the majority of analgesics categories in Hungary are projected to contract in volume terms in 2023. Rates of decline in most look set to be modest,…