Eastern Europe

Food preparation appliances are maintaining positive volume sales in 2023, supported by consumers’ focus on healthy diets and lifestyles. Many households remain interested in upgrading their food preparation appliances due to the focus on preparing…

Cordless mixers and blenders are yet to be popular in the Czech Republic, with many consumers preferring traditional models; not only because they are more affordable, but out of habit. Manufacturers will continue to offer cordless models, set to be…

The briefing examines how the food, beverages and tobacco industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of food, beverages and tobacco output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports,…

The remarkable sneaker/trainer boom that Hungary is currently witnessing showed no signs of slowing down in 2023 as the huge numbers of sports footwear enthusiasts among the local population continued to prefer sneakers and trainers, especially…

The ongoing fluctuations in global temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns have instigated notable shifts in consumer behaviour. With the occurrence of an unusually cold spring and warm autumn in 2023, Polish consumers have adjusted their…

After the 2021 rebound, volume sales of footwear continued to increase in both 2022 and 2023. As Romanians are going out more often than before for work, leisure or travelling, their demand for footwear is also on the rise. This rise in demand is…

Across footwear, sneakers (trainers) and children’s footwear are projected to see the steepest increases in unit prices over 2023, although the demand for sneakers continued to gain traction. Heeled shoes and boots have seen significant increases in…

This briefing examines how the forestry, wood and paper industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of forestry, wood and paper output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry…

Consumers have returned to wearing fragrances with social contact largely back to normal levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After a solid recovery from the pandemic in 2021, retail volume growth declined in 2022 and 2023 as consumers were confronted…

Fragrances in Bulgaria was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and whilst sales have begun to bounce back, overall volume and value sales have yet to be restored to 2019 levels. The lifting of all pandemic restrictions during 2022 resulted in…

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were few differences between sales growth trends across premium fragrances and mass fragrances. However, since volume sales of premium fragrances dropped sharply in 2020 during the early stages of…

In 2023, fragrances in Estonia recorded double-digit retail value growth, driven by the premium segment. While retail volume growth was positive in all areas of premium fragrances, mass fragrances declined, with mass fragrance sets/kits recording…

It was a positive year for fragrances in Georgia in 2023, with similar healthy volume growth both for premium and mass fragrances, though volume growth was lower than the previous year. Price sensitive consumers, especially in the mass segment, opted…

Mass fragrances experienced double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 due to significant price hikes, although growth remained lower compared to premium fragrances due to the price sensitivity of the target customer group for these products.…

Fragrances in Latvia registered a much slower performance in 2023 compared to previous years. Although fragrances are considered a staple item for the majority of consumers, demand weakened for several reasons. Economic uncertainty remained strong in…

In 2023, sales demonstrated another outstanding year in Lithuania with strong double-digit retail value growth and strong retail volume growth in all areas, bar men's mass fragrances and mass fragrance sets/kits.

Overall , it was a muted picture for fragrances in North Macedonia in 2023, with both constant value sales and overall volume sales falling. Continuing high inflation and population decline dampened value sales. Premium outperformed mass, with volume…

Although retail volume growth stalled in 2023, fragrances witnessed robust current value growth across all categories in Poland in 2023, driven by rising prices. Evolving consumer motivations were seen for fragrances post-COVID-19. Beyond seduction…

In 2023, fragrances in Romania continued to experience current value growth, although volume sales maintained their declining trend. This phenomenon was attributed to consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for fragrances, resulting in fewer…

Fragrances in Serbia in 2023 showcased stable performance but encountered notable challenges. A significant development was observed with drugstore chains like Dm introducing low-cost fragrances within their product offerings. Similarly, the…

Premium fragrances recorded high single-digit current value growth in 2023, with retail volume sales being notably slower and impacted by stubbornly high inflation. Mass fragrances declined in in both retail value and volume terms, with economic…

In 2023, the ongoing return to socialising outside the home both at work/school and whilst doing activities had a positive impact on the performance of fragrances in Slovenia. Fragrances are considered an essential accessory by Slovenians, and the…

Fragrances saw further current value growth in the Czech Republic in 2023, with volume sales falling as consumers paid higher prices but left with fewer items in their shopping baskets. The overall positive performance was driven by premium…

In 2023, the fragrances category was recording strong growth, albeit following a sharp downturn in sales a year earlier, when sales shrunk by around half. The fragrances performance has begun to recover as life has normalised in some parts of Ukraine…

In 2023, full-service restaurants continue to recover from the devastating losses registered during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the strong double-digit value growth is largely the result of rising unit prices and inflation. For a growing number…

Operational and raw material costs have soared in 2022-2023, pushing up the average price of meals prepared in full-service restaurants. The escalation in menu prices has often surpassed 30% in contrast to recent years. This price differential seen…

While full-service restaurants in Poland continued to post growth in current value sales in 2023, this was primarily due to price hikes imposed to offset rising costs amidst stubbornly high inflation. Transactions declined slightly as falling…

The results of full-service restaurants in 2023 were impacted by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022, leading to a rise in eating out and consumers returning to the foodservice experience. However, high inflation continued to impact results,…

In spite of continuing high inflation, full service restaurants registered double-digit constant value growth. The announcement that the reduced 10% VAT rate, which was introduced during the pandemic, was going to be permanent, boosted the sector.…

In keeping with the trend evident across the wider Czech foodservice market, full-service restaurants experienced a dramatic slowdown in current value sales and transactions in 2023 as soaring inflation continued to place upward pressure on menu…

Full-service restaurants saw a partial recovery in 2023 but sales remained well below 2021 levels as many operators continued to struggle due the difficult conditions in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. Their higher menu prices compared to…

The briefing examines how the furniture industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of furniture output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry costs, industry profitability and…

Store-based fashion retail is heavily concentrated in city-centre commercial areas or shopping malls. Diminished footfall, because of both growing e-commerce penetration and hybrid working arrangements following the COVID-19 pandemic can support…

The briefing examines how personalised healthcare market is evolving. The report also provides insights on the countries most ready to use personalised healthcare services, and the potential impact on the pharmaceuticals and medical sectors.

The transportation industry is undergoing a paradigm shift away from fossil fuels amid growing global pressures to reduce carbon emissions. The report assesses the market for EV batteries and essential metals such as lithium and cobalt and points out…

The gardening market in Poland proved to be more resilient than other categories in 2023, with high single-digit growth in current value terms. In a challenging macroeconomic environment, characterised by high inflation and a contracting housing…

Gardening registered double-digit growth in current value terms across all categories in 2023, with more consumers becoming aware of the available products on the market. Retailers have been offering an increasingly diverse array of products, both in…

Gardening registered strong growth in current value terms in Ukraine in 2023 despite economic challenges. With decreasing purchasing power impacting households, many turned to planting gardens as a practical and cost-effective way to supplement their…

Muted performance for general merchandise in 2023

General merchandise stores saw declining sales in Hungary in 2023, due to the low levels of activity in the category. It is also well consolidated, with Ecofamily (Napcsillag Kft) holding just under half of all brand share. Indeed, Ecofamily has…

In 2023, general merchandise stores recorded strong current value sales growth. Much of this stemmed from the strong performance of variety stores, which in keeping with its performance throughout the review period, recorded high double-digit growth…

In 2023, general merchandise stores in Romania were represented in totality by variety stores. However, variety stores is an underdeveloped retail channel, which remains unfamiliar to most local consumers. Variety stores have never really developed…

TEDi Betriebs sro, with a majority of standalone outlets, remained the leading player in general merchandise stores in 2022 and was followed by Tchibo Slovensko. The latter focuses on marketing and promotions and runs weekly discounts on a limited…

General merchandise stores in the Czech Republic, which comprises department stores and variety stores, experienced weaker value growth in 2023. Department stores in Czech Republic continue to lose appeal among locals. As it stands, there are…

General merchandise stores in Ukraine is dominated by variety stores, which continued to weather the challenges of trading during a full-scale war better than many other types of retailers in 2023. This was mainly because their offer of wide ranges…

Natural decrease and negative net migration will drive depopulation in Georgia in most years up to 2040. Rapid ageing will be illustrated by extreme growth in 70+ cohorts, impacting consumer trends and placing further pressure on state resources.…

This briefing provides a global perspective of the key trends occurring in cities over 2018 -2023. It goes on to provide forecast data and insights for cities over 2024-2040, covering areas such as the economic, population and consumer spending…

The briefing takes a global perspective of the key trends occurring in cities over 2016 to 2021. It goes on to provide forecast level data and insights for cities over 2021-2040, covering areas such as the economic, population and consumer spending…

The global recession of 2020 was milder than expected with global real GDP in 2020 contracting by 3.6%. The global economic outlook has substantially improved since the end of 2020. Global real GDP growth in 2021 is expected to be 5.3%. The global…

The global economic outlook has improved since Q1 2021. Global real GDP growth in 2021 is now expected to be the fastest in more than 40 years, at 5.8% (a 0.5 percentage points upgrade relative to the Q1 forecast), followed by 4.5% growth in 2022 (a…