Eastern Europe

Cooking ingredients is expected to register muted constant value and volume growth in 2023. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the meteoric rise in inflation and tightening monetary policy, all have a…

Cooking ingredients is expected to register moderate current value growth, but volume growth is expected to be minimal. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the meteoric rise in inflation and tightening…

In 2023, cooking ingredients and meals experienced robust volume growth alongside strong double-digit percentage increases in value terms. These achievements were largely driven by ongoing inflationary pressure and rising unit prices across all…

In 2023, the Polish market for packaged cooking ingredients and meals experiences significant growth and evolving consumer preferences. The ready meals category leads in terms of value, and to some extent in volume, with rigid plastics as the primary…

The performance of cooking meals and ingredients during 2023 was influenced by the impact of food price rises over the rate of inflation for many basic food products, which hiked the cost of living for consumers. The high cost of living had a…

The combination of rising prices and economic uncertainty is curbing demand for cooking ingredients and meals in Serbia. Local consumers are acutely aware of the increase in food prices, fuel and other goods, and are equally feeling the impact of…

Cooking ingredients and meals in Slovakia continues to feel the impact of rising unit prices in 2023, driving up value sales growth. As a result, Slovak consumers are becoming thriftier, allocating more of their budgets to essential expenditures such…

Increasingly busy consumer lifestyles are contributing to rising demand for convenience products that aim to reduce time spent cooking. Ready meals, spice mixes and sauces are thus all gaining in popularity. Ready meals are a great substitute for…

Two major forces are shaping the cooking ingredients category in the Czech Republic in 2023: high inflation and population increase due to the arrival of Ukrainian refugees. Within foodservice, prices are increasing, and many Czechs are instead…

After demand plummeted across all categories of cooking ingredients and meals over the course of 2022 as the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine interrupted supply chains, caused widespread financial hardship and motivated huge numbers of local…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) continues to rebound following the declines during the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow recovery in its aftermath. Unit prices have been driven up by inflation resulting in double-digit current value growth in 2023,…

Price sensitivity among Bulgarian consumers is a key factor influencing their purchasing decisions when it comes to cough, cold, and allergy (hay fever) remedies. As the minimum wage in Bulgaria is just under EUR400 in 2023, a significant portion of…

During the last couple of years, the flu season was virtually non-existent as a result of Croatians staying at home and, when venturing out in public, wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and frequently washing their hands. This…

Whilst the category continues to record growth in 2023, the particularly high growth level seen in the previous year could not be maintained. 2022 was a strong year for the category as consumers returned to their pre-pandemic lifestyles following the…

Analgesics is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023. Though there was widespread severe flu in early 2023, cough and cold remedies are not expected to benefit to a huge degree, as most of these patients were hospitalised or put…

Most cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies categories in Hungary are set to expand in volume terms in 2023 or record slower rates of decline than in 2022. Similar to the case with analgesics, the need for these products has been bolstered by…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in Latvia is registering moderate growth in 2023 as the category begins to stabilise post-pandemic. Retail value sales rebounded strongly 2022 after two years of decline, with lifestyles shifting back to…

2023 marks the year when the cough and cold landscape is set to lose its uplift due to COVID-19, returning to a level closer to that seen pre-pandemic. Sales have continued to benefit from harsh seasonal colds and the flu season of 2022-2023.…

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies is seeing slower growth in 2023 due to a shorter cold season caused by milder winter 2022/2023. The exception is antihistamines, which continues to grow at a solid rate due to high consumer demand amidst…

The majority of subcategories within cough, cold and allergy remedies recorded positive growth in retail volume terms in 2023. This was due, in a large part, to a return pre-pandemic lifestyles, which facilitated the spread of the influenza virus and…

Following the return to normality in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, with no more lockdowns or movement restrictions, there has been an increase in the spread of cold and flu viruses, as well as a widespread rise in issues caused by hay fever and…

Although the threat from COVID-19 is largely perceived to have past, many consumers continue to worry about how people will react if they sneeze or cough in public. Volume growth of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies is helping to drive the…

In Slovakia, cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies was characterised by very strong increases in retail volume sales of OTC remedies for sore throats, coughs and colds. The high demand was the result of extremely high morbidity throughout the…

During the past few years, Slovenia has experienced a virtually non-existent flu season due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This led to individuals opting to stay at home and, when going out in public, adhering to practices like wearing face masks,…

In 2022, cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies was marked by increases in demand for products to soothe sore throat and cough complaints. This development was a result of extremely high morbidity throughout the year. In the first half of 2022,…

The loan repayment moratorium for vulnerable borrowers, including credit card owners, to cope with the negative economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was extended to the end of 2022, but was not renewed in 2023. Meanwhile, high interest…

The number of personal credit cards in circulation has been falling over the review period. Due to the high interest rates on credit cards, some consumers are paying off balances and closing credit card accounts. This trend can also be linked to the…

The growth in credit card transactions is slowing down as a result of persisting inflation and escalating consumer prices, prompting a return to higher levels of budget-consciousness and financial uncertainty. Economic instability has led to reduced…

Debit cards are generally preferred to credit cards in the Czech Republic. In 2023, debit card transaction growth is being driven by the decline in cash transactions and the growing number of point-of-sale (POS) terminals in retail stores. In 2023,…

After dairy packaging unit volumes grew at their fastest rate in almost a decade in 2020, with COVID-19 the main driver of this, with slightly above-average growth also being seen in 2021, sales continued to increase in 2022. Cheese, one of the main…

PET bottles witnessed an increase in pack type share within dairy packaging in 2022. This was because PET bottles are lightweight and shatter-resistant, ensuring both cost-effective transportation and reduced risk of breakage. The material's barrier…

Dairy products and alternatives continues to enjoy strong double-digit growth in current value terms, driven by significant unit price increases across all dairy categories. The inflationary pressure which began back in 2022 continued throughout…

The dairy and alternatives category in Bulgaria has been severely impacted by high inflation rates against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the country’s political crisis. Dairy prices increased enormously in 2022 and continued to grow slightly…

The dairy products and alternatives category is on course to experience limited growth in retail volume and current value sales in 2023. The unstable economic climate is hindering retail volume sales with the increase in fuel prices and the war in…

Dairy products and alternatives is expected to register healthy volume and more moderate constant value growth in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the meteoric rise in inflation and tightening…

Dairy products and alternatives is expected to register healthy current value growth and more moderate volume growth. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high inflation is continuing to have an effect and…

With inflation at over 25% in the first quarter of 2023, Hungary experienced the 10th-highest food-related price increase in the world. The high unit price in dairy products and alternatives was bolstered by the international price increase of raw…

A sharp rise in price inflation as a result of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine led to higher costs in energy, logistics, animal feed and key food ingredients in 2022, which translated into significant price increases for dairy and alternatives.…

Negative overall retail volume growth was recorded across dairy products and alternatives in 2023 as the industry saw falling demand as a result of high inflation and significant unit price increases at a time of significant increases being seen in…

Dairy products and alternatives is witnessing a slowdown in retail volume growth and strong current value growth in 2023, amidst strong inflationary pressure and rising unit prices of dairy products. Production costs have remained high since the…

In 2023, the Polish dairy industry experienced a significant downturn as milk prices steadily declined since January. Dairy corporations reduced purchase prices by an excess of 30-40 grosz per litre, a trend that would persist for most of the year.…

The performance of dairy products and alternatives in 2023 remains under the impact of still-high inflation and the pushed up costs of living which significantly affect a large part of the population in Romania. In fact, 2023 witnesses a continuation…

In 2023, daily lifestyles returned to greater normality in terms of freedom of movement after the COVID-19 pandemic. Busier consumer lifestyles out of the home underpinned an increase in on-the-go consumption and the return to foodservice outlets.…

Thriftier shopping habits continued to impact retail volume sales of dairy products and alternatives in 2023. Despite the implementation of government measures aimed at reducing the impact of energy prices on Slovak households, the rate of inflation…

The health and wellness trend is driving the development of dairy products in Slovenia. Fat free or no added sugar products are popular and will likely remain a trend for the first few years of the forecast period. Cheese and yoghurt are perceived as…

The price of raw milk in the Czech Republic increased in 2022, with the war in Ukraine impacting prices in the supply chain. However, the price of raw milk began to decline at the beginning of 2023, with a higher level of cattle in the country…

Sale of dairy products and alternatives in Ukraine are being significantly impacted by the war and inflation in 2023. Besides the loss of consumers and territories, the market also faces other obstacles including consumers downtrading to cheaper…

With the merger of Takarékbank and MKB Bank, a new financial service provider was formed, MBH Bank. MBH Bank leads in the personal and commercial segments, including current accounts and debit cards, and is especially dominant in smaller towns and…

Debit cards have been gaining importance as a payment method in Poland since the COVID-19 pandemic, when many consumers switched to cashless transactions as a way of minimising the risk of coming into contact with the COVID-19 virus. In 2023, the…

Online payments have seen a significant surge in popularity, continuing through 2023, with an increasing number of e-commerce transactions being finalised through online payment methods. Electronic direct transfers and ACH (Automated Clearing House)…