Eastern Europe

In 2023, the menstrual care landscape in Poland recorded double-digit retail value growth and positive retail volume sales. The rising demand for menstrual care is linked to positive demographic trends, which have expanded the consumer base. The…

Despite the challenging economic climate, the demand for menstrual care products in Romania saw a steady increase in both value and volume sales throughout 2023. This growth can be attributed to a more educated and informed consumer base, which is…

Serbian women are generally quite conservative with regards to menstrual care. Sanitary towels remain the most popular product, whilst menstrual cups and reusable pads are available but remain a niche. Moreover, some consumers consider re-washable…

Menstrual care in Slovakia was affected by rising prices across all types of products in 2023, however retail volume growth witnessed steady progress. Consumers are widely accustomed to buying their favourite brands and switching to cheaper brands is…

In 2023, menstrual care saw growth in both volume and value terms in Slovenia, despite facing challenges from an uncertain economic environment and inflationary pressures. The impact of rising prices, particularly due to geopolitical factors such as…

With women spending more time on activities such as visiting fitness centres and travelling in the wake of the pandemic, there was greater demand for a range of menstrual care products, especially higher-value products, in 2023, which led to an…

In 2023, menstrual care experienced a decline in volume sales in Ukraine, primarily stemming from the departure of the female population from the country amid the ongoing war. While sales rose slightly in current value terms, this was primarily the…

As with womenswear, trends in menswear towards the end of the review period continued to reflect changes in consumer attitudes and behaviours stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the shift towards hybrid working due to the enduring…

In 2023, outbound tourism from Poland expanded significantly, while domestic tourism witnessed double-digit growth, significantly contributing to the increased demand for men's swimwear. The rise in international and domestic travel has spurred a…

Romanian men are putting more importance on their personal image and are willing to invest more in good quality apparel. This trend was reflected in a healthy growth rate in menswear in both value and volume terms in 2023. Nonetheless, inflation was…

The cost of living crisis towards the end of the review period, following on from the economic impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, had a significant effect on retail volume and current value sales of menswear in the Czech Republic. High…

Microwaves gained positive retail volume sales in 2023, driven by several factors. Firstly, these appliances were offered at significantly lower prices when compared to other major appliances, not impacted as significantly by price hikes during the…

Microwaves is enjoying steady volume growth as household penetration steadily rises. The category received a boost in 2022 following the surge of migrants from Ukraine. This was due to the huge numbers of people crossing the border into eastern…

Sales in microwaves remain in a slump which is expected to deepen further over the coming years. This is largely due to a widely held perception that food prepared in a microwave is unhealthy due to the loss of nutrients. On the other hand, the more…

Freestanding microwaves continued to dominate retail volume sales during 2023, with consumers tending to switch to built-in models when they remodel the kitchen or buy a new home. However, the housing market's slowdown has hampered demand for…

Significant price rises and a high penetration rate in Hungary resulted in volume decline in smartphones in 2023. Fewer consumers were able to replace their smartphone and chose to postpone their purchases until prices were more stable, or they…

Smartphones witnessed volume decline in 2023, which is partly due to high market saturation, but also due to the fact that there has not been any significant innovation recently to attract consumers. Consumers are consequently satisfied with their…

For the second year in a row, sales of smartphones are declining in retail volume terms in 2023. This is partly due to the fact that the category is reaching maturity. In the current economic context, Romanians are postponing large, non-essential…

Smartphones volume sales are declining for a second consecutive year in 2023. Supply side issues were problematic in 2022, with the global microchip shortage and rising overall production costs pushing up prices. In 2023, the volume decline is being…

Inflation and rising interest rates kept the Polish light vehicle market subdued in 2022; however, the next five years should bring it back on a moderate growth path. The electric vehicle fleet, albeit lagging behind Western European countries, is…

Insights and data on the traditional automotive sector and the mobility industry can help businesses examine how changing travel patterns will impact future consumer behaviour. Growing climate pressures and rising urbanisation rates are pushing…

Insights and data on the traditional automotive sector and the mobility industry can help businesses examine how changing travel patterns will impact future consumer behaviour. Growing climate pressures and rising urbanisation rates are pushing…

Nappies/diapers/pants in Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of hardest hit categories in tissue and hygiene as it is heavily impacted by the country’s declining population, thus creating a smaller potential consumer base. Low birth rates continue to…

Retail volume sales of nappies/diapers/paints in Bulgaria continued to fall in 2023, in line with the ongoing decline in the country’s birth rate which is reducing the overall consumer base. Indeed, the very low numbers of babies being born Bulgaria…

In line with rising price points, nappies/diapers/pants in Croatia recorded positive double-digit current retail value growth in 2023. Value sales also benefited from wealthier consumers increasingly demanding eco-friendly and higher-quality…

Nappies/diapers/pants experienced a decline in volume sales in 2023, primarily attributed to the decreasing birth rate in the country. With fewer births, there is reduced demand for baby care products, including nappies, diapers, and pants. Economic…

The sales of nappies, diapers, and pants in Georgia are strongly influenced by birth rates. Over the review period, there was a significant decrease in the birth rate in the country, and this trend continued into 2023. Consequently, while the volume…

In 2023, nappies/diapers/pants in Hungary recorded double-digit retail value growth, driven by rising price points. However, retail volume declined, with strong inflationary pressure leading consumers to reduce purchases. In addition, the ongoing…

Nappies/diapers/pants in Latvia witnessed a notable decrease in volume sales in 2023, primarily attributed to the diminishing birth rate in the country. Economic factors, evolving social trends, and changing demographics collectively contributed to…

In 2023, the nappies/diapers/pants category experienced a decline, mirroring the overall negative trend in demography. With the category reliant on a specific consumer base, the contraction in population size directly influenced the downturn in…

In 2023, nappies/diapers/pants in North Macedonia is under pressure from declining retail volume growth. The falling birth rate is directly influencing sales, as fewer babies are born in the country. The migration of younger adults is also an issue…

In 2023, nappies/diapers/pants in Poland recorded positive retail value sales, driven by rising price points. As such, despite these positive results, retail volume sales declined. The falling birth rate is negatively impacting sales opportunities in…

The persistently high inflation rates in 2023 prompted Romanian consumers to adjust their purchasing behaviour, adopting a more cautious approach towards nappies/diapers/pants. With the economic landscape presenting challenges, consumers sought…

Nappies/diapers/pants in Serbia faces challenges from demographic and economic factors. The birth rate in Serbia continued to slow in 2023, reaching 0.5%, according to official national statistics, which was on a par with 2022 levels. The government…

Demand for nappies/diapers/pants in Slovakia was negatively affected by rising prices and lower birth rates in the country, which resulted in retail volume decline in 2023. Some consumers chose to make products last longer and made fewer purchases to…

The nappies/diapers/pants product area experienced a decline in volume terms in Slovenia in 2023, attributed to factors such as declining birth rates and the increasing popularity of eco-friendly nappies designed for multiple uses. Modern consumers…

Nappies/diapers/pants continue to be negatively impacted by declining birth rates in the Czech Republic in 2023 which led to a decline in volume sales. Disposable pants, however, benefitted from having a natural composition and low environmental…

The decline in the nappies/diapers/pants category in Ukraine in 2023 can be attributed to the dual impact of a declining birth rate and children leaving the country due to the ongoing war. The diminishing number of births directly contributed to…

In 2022, though there was double-digit growth in current value sales, growth in constant value sales

Croatia has largely recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the boost in summer tourism supporting sales growth in non-grocery retailing. Tourism is an important part of the local economy, but the pandemic restrictions had stifled visitor numbers…

Despite steep price hikes resulting from the dramatic and prolonged spike in inflation, overall current value sales growth for non-grocery retailers in Estonia in 2022 was only slightly stronger than that recorded in 2021. Demand in all channels was…

Georgians shifted back to in-store shopping behaviours following the removal of pandemic restrictions. Many consumers chose to prioritise retail shopping in shopping malls and high streets as lifestyles shifted back to normality. Non-grocery…

Consumers continued to move back offline in terms of non-grocery retailers. As the threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and related retail and consumer movement restrictions eased, consumers were more willing and able to return to visiting…

Lithuania implemented strict lockdown measures until the spring of 2022, which meant that only essential stores were open for consumers. However, as summer arrived, there was a noticeable increase in traffic to offline stores, indicating a growing…

In 2022, though there was healthy growth in current value sales, constant value sales fell. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact, with the resultant energy crisis leading to soaring inflation and dampening volume sales. With such economic…

As COVID-19 fears subsided and restrictions were eased some non-grocery retailers saw a boost to sales, but especially those channels related to activities outside the home. For example, with consumers starting to travel home and abroad again there…

Non-grocery retail is seeing robust double-digit growth in 2022, stimulated by the return to out-of-home lifestyles following the era of the pandemic restrictions. This is also notably supported by the ongoing economic recovery in Slovenia. Inflation…

The pervasive smoking habits in Bulgaria exert a considerable negative effect on the sales of NRT smoking cessation aids. Bulgaria has one of the highest smoking rates in the European Union, with a significant portion of the population addicted to…

In keeping with the trend witnessed throughout the review period, total volume sales of NRT smoking cessation aids have continued to contract in 2023, with all categories set to post negative results in this respect. This is partly explained by the…

According to Euromonitor statistics, around 30% of the Polish population smoke tobacco, with a higher proportion of smokers found amongst men. While this represents a significant improvement compared to figures from the 1990s, mortality from diseases…