Eastern Europe

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…

The overwhelming optimism brought forth by end of the COVID-19 pandemic has been quickly hampered by a period of high inflation, rising energy costs and the war in Ukraine. Amid this climate, consumer electronics is witnessing a sizeable contraction…

Driven by rising unit prices and strong inflationary pressure, consumer foodservice continued to record double-digit value growth in 2023. The performance varied depending on the location; however, all categories managed to grow at a similar rate and…

The year 2023 marked the first complete year without any significant COVID-19 restrictions or social constraints. Locals compensated for the long absence of social gatherings, entertainment and events by spending more time outside of the house. This…

Consumer foodservice through retail was by far the most dynamic performer in terms of growth in outlet numbers in Poland in 2023. This was mainly due to the rapid development of counters offering hot and cold food and beverages in grocery stores…

Consumer foodservice through stand-alone saw a double-digit value sales increase in 2023. The domination of stand-alone is the strong, long tradition of opening stand-alone locations in the country. The scarcity of large retail malls, leisure areas,…

Retail locations registered the highest value growth, as retail locations continue to be sought after locations, due to their high footfall. Also, in 2023, the Eurovea shopping centre in Bratislava expanded its food hall and it is now the largest…

The Czech foodservice market saw growing numbers of operators in standalone locations downsize to smaller outlets in 2023. Most visible among independents, this trend was partly explained by the desire to reduce overheads and maintain or improve…

Consumer foodservice through all locations suffered heavy losses in 2022 following Russia’s invasion. More specifically, consumer foodservice through lodging and leisure locations witnessed heavy losses in 2022 due to several factors including the…

Most consumer foodservice categories in Bulgaria have either recovered or are nearing full recovery in 2023. With no movement or travel restrictions, despite new COVID-19 variants, the market could continue to develop uninterrupted in the year. The…

The high rate of inflation remained a topic of great concern to consumers and business owners in 2023, with Hungary recording one of the highest rates seen in the EU. Consumer foodservice outlets have been challenged with managing higher expenses for…

Consumer foodservice in Poland saw growth in total transactions and current value sales slow dramatically in 2023. This was partly due to the normalisation of consumption habits following the market’s rapid rebound from the negative impact of the…

The positive performance of consumer foodservice in 2023 was driven by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. However, high inflation was seen from the last quarter of 2022, coinciding with rising consumption of heat, gas and electricity…

While inflation remained high in 2023, government measures aimed at protecting the hospitality sector benefitted consumer foodservice. In particular, the reduced 10% VAT rate (from a previous 20%), which was introduced during the pandemic, was made…

Consumer foodservice in the Czech Republic saw growth in total current value sales and transactions slow sharply in 2023. This was partly explained the normalisation of demand following the impressive rebound that accompanied the easing of the…

Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine continued to be a major factor influencing consumer foodservice in 2023. Nonetheless, Ukrainian businesses showed unprecedented resilience while operating in challenging wartime conditions, including constant air raids…

In 2023, consumer health is no longer influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, as everyday life has normalized in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some categories, such as cough, cold allergy (hay fever) remedies, which were negatively impacted during the…

In 2023, the consumer health market in Bulgaria is set to see steady current value growth, with sales set to continue to fall at constant 2023 prices, though at a slower rate than in the previous year in both cases. Consumer preferences are shifting…

With high inflation as a result of the war in Ukraine, as well as the aftermath of COVID-19, prices have risen sharply, driving value sales growth in consumer health in Croatia. Volume sales, meanwhile, are beginning to return to their pre-pandemic…

Many OTC categories in Estonia, including cough and cold, experienced strong decline during COVID-19; however, sales are returning to their pre-pandemic performance in 2023 as viral illness are circulating more following the lifting of pandemic…

Consumer health is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high inflation is continuing to have an effect and consumers are expected to be highly…

While consumer health in Hungary is set to post robust growth in total current value sales in 2023, this is primarily due to inflationary pressures fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic, the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the…

Consumer health in Latvia continues to recover from the pandemic in 2023, with major categories seeing demand patterns rebalance as lifestyles shift back normality. Economic uncertainty is prevailing with inflation remaining high in 2023, a trend…

2023 marks the final year that the outbreak of COVID-19 impacts results. Product areas that gained sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic are returning to purchasing levels and behaviours seen before 2020. Similarly, those negatively impacted by the…

Despite higher standards of living in North Macedonia, economic challenges resulting in low disposable incomes remain, with the situation further exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine. This has led to double-digit inflation, which is increasing…

The consumer health industry in Poland registered a decline in constant value terms in 2023, following the static performance of the previous year. This was against a backdrop of rising inflation, exacerbated by the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine,…

Despite ongoing economic instability and the high rate of inflation, the consumer health market in Romania is witnessing steady growth in 2023. Notably, it is the categories of vitamin and dietary supplements, cough, cold and allergy (hay fever)…

The second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023 saw declining demand for many areas of OTC healthcare. This was linked to high inflation and the related decline in disposable incomes. Consumers have turned away from buying non-essential products…

Consumer health in Slovakia is affected by changes in purchasing behaviour as a result of the fading Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the effects of the war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis amid high inflation. However, the issue of high…

Due to the war in Ukraine, increasing energy and production costs, and the ongoing impact of COVID-19, prices have inflated significantly in Slovenia. This has been the primary reason for high current retail value growth in 2023. Levels of retail…

In 2022, consumer health in the Czech Republic was challenged by medicine shortages, which, to some degree, continued in Q1 2023. The lack of some medicines in the Czech Republic and throughout Europe was caused by the disruption of global supply…

The initial optimism of early 2022 was abruptly dampened by the end of the year, and this has persisted throughout 2023. The sharp rise in borrowing costs coupled with a decline in disposable incomes due to high inflation has compelled Hungarians to…

In 2023, Poland’s inflation rate remains in double-digits and many households are experiencing a deterioration in living conditions. The uncertain macroeconomic situation, high interest rates and the depreciation of real incomes has caused a slowdown…

Consumer lending in Romania for the year 2023 portrays a nuanced landscape influenced by several key factors. The confluence of increasing interest rates, high inflation, and the geopolitical context shaped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has…

The cost of living crisis continues to shape consumer lending in 2023. With double-digit inflation still in play, consumers are paying much higher prices for goods and services in the Czech Republic. Card lending is rising as consumers struggle with…

In 2024, contact lenses and solutions in Poland experienced a subtle yet significant shift influenced by demographic and lifestyle factors. The country's inflation slowdown contributed to a marginal increase in average unit prices within the…

While contact lenses and solutions in Romania is set to expand in volume and current value sales terms in 2024, growth rates are anticipated to fall below those witnessed in 2023. This is mainly explained by stubbornly high inflation, which continues…

2023 was not a good year for convenience retailers in Bulgaria. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in convenience retailers, as prices tend to be higher than in other grocery retailers. In addition, there is a degree of…

Convenience stores continued to be affected by price hikes in Hungary in 2023. Whilst inflationary pressures have had effects across retail, we see some specific spikes and falls.

Convenience stores recorded slower value dynamics than overall retail in 2023. Higher prices in this channel stimulated a consumer shift towards discounters and supermarkets. The situation in the market favoured retail chains that can afford to offer…

The high growth for convenience retailers in 2023 in Romania, was driven by rising interest in proximity shopping. Price growth over the level of inflation limited consumers' purchases to basic food items. Reduction of purchasing power due to…

2023 was not a good year for convenience retailers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in convenience retailers, as prices tend to be higher than in other grocery retailers. As such both constant and current…

Convenience retailers in the Czech Republic are suffering amid retail price increases as locals are searching for the best value and price when shopping. When it comes to price, convenience retailers are unable to compete with larger retailers and so…

Convenience retailers in Ukraine continued to prove more successful than other grocery formats in weathering the challenges brought about by the Russian invasion in 2023. Offering a relatively limited range of day-to-day essentials, they were well…

2023 was a year of stable, modest retail volume growth and strong double-digit retail value growth in current terms for cooking ingredients and meals in Bosnia and Herzegovina as high inflation and subsequent significant unit price growth all of…

Most product areas within cooking ingredients and meals maintained positive value, despite a decline in volume. This decline can be attributed to the significant inflation experienced in the previous year, the resulting growth in retail prices, and…

After declining in 2022, overall retail volume sales of cooking ingredients and meals in Croatia are set to increase moderately in 2023. This recovery is partly explained by the gradual easing of inflationary pressures linked to the global recovery…

Cooking ingredients and meals continued to expand in both volume and value terms in Estonia in 2023. This is attributable to the popularity of food and cooking blogs that promote products, Estonians spending less time on cooking, and a greater focus…

2023 is offering a more promising outlook for cooking ingredients and meals in Georgia than was seen in 2022, when the industry suffered from soaring costs across packaging, raw materials, and logistics. A standout in this scenario is the edible oils…

Retail sales of cooking ingredients and meals in Hungary registered buoyant growth in current value terms in 2023. However, this was due to massive inflationary pressures, rather than any huge upturn in demand. With Hungary having been added to the…