Eastern Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine, and rising cost of living have exacerbated mental health concerns amongst Croatian consumers. As such, they are increasingly seeking dietary supplements and vitamins that boost their mood and reduce the symptoms…

Post-pandemic habits are driving the growth of dietary supplements in 2023. During COVID-19, sales of dietary supplements increased in Estonia, with consumers seeking products to aid immunity and remain healthy, and sales continue to be supported by…

Dietary supplements are expected to register a decline in volume sales in 2023. The boon from the pandemic is long over. Also, inflation and economic uncertainty leads to consumers cutting back on non-essential consumer health products. That being…

Growth in dietary supplements current value sales in 2023 is expected to be slower than in 2022, while the vast majority of categories are set to contract in volume terms for a second consecutive year. With Hungary experiencing the highest inflation…

Dietary supplements registered another strong performance in 2023, with double-digit growth in current value terms. Consumers have adopted healthier habits since the pandemic, and are keen to invest more in their health and immunity. Dietary…

In a similar vein to vitamins, dietary supplements saw positive performances in Lithuania in 2023. New consumption habits with regard to preventative health measures have added momentum to sales. However, sales have been somewhat dampened by the…

Dietary supplements are seeing a strong double-digit increase in retail value sales in 2023 as a result of rising unit prices amidst rampant inflation in the country. Volume growth, meanwhile, is driven by the health and wellness trend and people…

The popularity of dietary supplements continued unabated in 2023. Despite the easing of the pandemic, Poles remained keen to purchase such products in order to help boost their immune systems and to lead healthier lifestyles. Demographic trends, in…

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, consumers have become more informed, leading to continued benefits for dietary supplements. In 2023, combination dietary supplements dominate the market, accounting for a significant portion of overall value sales.…

Dietary supplements is set to experience decline in 2023 for two primary reasons. Firstly, the pandemic is over, and many Serbians are less concerned with protecting themselves against COVID-19. Secondly, because of the high rate of inflation and…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought spikes in retail volume and current value growth across most categories of dietary supplements in 2020 and 2021. Dietary supplements with immune system positioning saw particularly strong interest from…

The COVID-19 pandemic, conflict in Ukraine, and escalating living expenses have intensified mental health worries among Slovenian consumers. Consequently, many are searching for dietary supplements and vitamins that enhance their mood and alleviate…

Dietary supplements enjoyed strong retail volume and current value growth in the wake of the Coronavirus COVID-19) pandemic. However, as the threat of the virus eased and related restrictions lifted, the category experienced stabilisation. Consumers…

Consumers are increasingly health conscious and digestive health is among the top priorities for a number of reasons. Many Bosnians continue to live unhealthy lifestyles and eat poorly, which are negatively impacting digestive health. In addition, a…

Marketers are increasingly focusing on educating consumers about digestive health, utilising both traditional and digital platforms. Given the sensitive nature of digestive health issues, campaigns are designed to be empathetic and non-intrusive.…

Constipation remains one of the most common digestive problems amongst Croatians. For those suffering from constipation, laxatives are considered the easy, go-to solution, especially for those with reduced mobility or time constraints. Consumers are…

Digestive remedies is one of the smaller OTC categories in Estonia, encouraging less demand than vitamins and dietary supplements and analgesics, which most consumers use during periods of seasonal flu and colds. However, during 2022, the category is…

Digestive remedies is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023. Geopolitical tensions in the region have led to a significant increase in the number of immigrants from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, and this is expected to contribute…

While digestive remedies is poised to post robust growth in total current value sales in 2023, this is mainly due to substantial price hikes amidst persistently high inflation in Hungary. All categories are set to contract in volume terms, in part…

At the beginning of 2023, Latvians were still in the process of returning to normal professional and social activities, following the final removal of all pandemic-related restrictions. As a result, the digestive remedies category is still seeing a…

The digestive category is not very active within Lithuania. Despite this, in 2023, sales are returning to a pre-pandemic state. Proton pump inhibitors are gaining a share, which was lost by H2 blockers, with brands such as Nolpaza doing well in this…

Amidst significant unit price increases and inflation, digestive remedies is experiencing double-digit retail value growth in 2023, making a strong rebound following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and people resuming travel. Paediatric…

The return of consumers to their busy pre-pandemic lifestyles, together with their inherent stresses, led to a rising incidence of digestive problems in 2023. Busier workers had less time to maintain good dietary habits, with meals frequently…

An increasing number of Romanian consumers are suffering from digestive issues due to eating unhealthy food, certain foods such as saturated fats, or larger amounts than usual servings. The return to hectic lifestyles has also involved an increase in…

According to research, 36% of Serbian citizens admit that they do not care enough about their diets, and this causes digestive problems, with 43% complaining of indigestion, heartburn, and other digestive problems. Indigestion and heartburn are the…

The return of international travel to pre-Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels and the resumption of hectic lifestyles boost the demand for digestive remedies. More and more consumers are keen to resume their pre-pandemic travel norms, regardless…

Constipation remains a prevalent issue among Slovenian consumers, leading them to increasingly find natural methods of alleviating symptoms. These methods include adopting healthier and more balanced eating habits, engaging in regular physical…

Digestive remedies received a fillip in 2022 as international travel continued to return to pre-Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels. Despite the high inflation rate in the country and globally, Czech consumers and their counterparts in other…

Direct selling registered a fall in constant value sales in 2022, as double-digit inflation caused by the energy crisis stemming the war in Ukraine dampened volume sales. In fact, direct selling was the worst performing retail channel in 2022, as…

Direct selling registered a fall in current value sales in Bulgaria in 2023. Both high inflation and a shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

Direct selling exceeded pre-pandemic sales in 2022 as the channel sought to recover from the severe impact of restrictions on selling door-to-door. However, much of the current value growth in 2022 was driven by higher retail prices as inflation took…

Growth in direct selling current value sales in 2022 was up significantly on 2021. While this was partly because spiralling inflation caused unit prices to rise, the improvement was primarily explained by reduced concern about community transmission…

Although value sales through direct selling are low in Georgia, they showed a slight increase in 2022. There is a shift away from this channel due to growing competition from online players, which provide a greater assortment of products and the…

Direct selling saw a slump in Hungary in 2023, caused by a confluence of factors. Direct selling is mostly driven by beauty and personal care direct selling in Hungary, which had previously seen a rebound after the notable declines during the time of…

Health and beauty direct selling continued to dominate retail value sales in 2022, especially through beauty and personal care products. Traditionally, direct selling in Latvia is a well-known channel for beauty products. Moreover, health and beauty…

Before the pandemic, direct selling vendors were making efforts to improve their digital presence by providing both social media communication and e-commerce services in order to meet the demands of their customers and remain relevant. This shift to…

In 2022, though there was healthy growth in current value sales, constant value sales remained unchanged. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to soaring inflation and dampening sales somewhat. That being…

In 2023, direct selling registered marginal growth in retail value sales. After a decline in 2022, direct selling returned to positive if marginal growth. The cost-of-living crisis proved beneficial for the industry as more people sought to be hired…

The decline of direct selling in 2023 in Romania was a continuation of the results noted in 2022. Much of this decline was due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, which began in March 2022, and resulted in a strong uplift of consumers in…

Although direct selling saw dynamic growth in current value terms in 2022 this was actually barely above inflation levels. In 2021 direct selling in Serbia started on the path to recovery from the hit it took during the first year of the COVID-19…

Direct selling in Slovakia registered a further fall in both current and constant values sales in 2023. A shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

Direct selling is seeing positive growth in 2022, albeit below the level of inflation. The category took a hit during the era of the pandemic, when restrictions on person-to-person contact severely dampened value sales, and 2021 only saw a modest…

Direct selling in the Czech Republic experienced a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when physical outlets were closed. With online retailers still underdeveloped, direct sellers were able to absorb some of the retail needs of Czechs.…

The mass exodus of refugees from Ukraine in 2022 following the Russian invasion took a particularly heavy toll on direct selling. This was because a high proportion of those who left were women, who not only represent this channel’s main target…

Discounters in Bulgaria were the best performing grocery retailers in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and prioritised value for money. As such, discounters registered a moderate increase in constant value sales.…

Discounters continued to be a big trend in Hungary in 2023, with three giants holding all share. Namely, Lidl (Lidl Magyarorszag Kereskedelmi Bt) holds over half of all brand share, followed by Aldi (Aldi Magyarország Élelmiszeripari Kereskedelmi Bt)…

Discounters recorded double-digit value sales growth in 2023. Discounters are successful thanks to convenient locations and a wide range of goods, including groceries, clothing, electronics, household items and beauty and personal care in one place.…

Strong, double-digit retail value growth for discounters in Romania in 2023 resulted from heightened footfall driven by rising inflation. As bills rose, consumers were forced to reevaluate their spending habits, including migrating to other channels…

Discounters in Slovakia were one of the better performing grocery retailers in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and prioritised value for money. As such, discounters registered an increase in current value sales,…

High inflation has led to a much weaker economy in 2023, with the increased costs of living benefiting discounters in the Czech Republic. As household spending tightened, price became the overriding factor when purchasing most household goods. Czechs…