Eastern Europe

With the pandemic being declared over by the World Health Organisation in early 2023 most consumers have now returned to their old lifestyles and behaviour. The rising mobility of the population has helped to drive strong demand for wireless speakers…

Portable players continue to grow in Czech Republic, although retail volume sales are driven exclusively by wireless speakers. E-readers continued to be substituted with smartphones and tablets, with volume sales continuing to decline. Czech…

In January 2023, the previously separate pockets - accommodation, hospitality and leisure - were consolidated; therefore, the charges associated with these sectors are now aggregated and considered together. Also, in order to expedite the use of…

Against the backdrop of double-digit inflation in Poland, employees are increasingly interested in non-wage benefits that can help mitigate the rising cost of living. Many companies are responding to this pressing need by expanding the range of…

Pre-paid cards are experiencing significant growth in 2023, encompassing a surge in the number of cards in circulation, the volume of transactions, and their overall value. This surge is primarily attributed to the remarkable growth potential…

Pre-paid cards continued to perform well in 2023, with the number of cards in circulation rising steadily and transaction values registering double-digit growth. Digital solutions are performing well in pre-paid cards with Revolut, for example, using…

Value sales of premium and luxury cars grew by 8% to total PLN25 billion in 2023 due to rising demand from higher-income consumers, with expenditure proving resilient despite wider macroeconomic headwinds. Premium and luxury cars offer exceptional…

Retail current value sales of premium and luxury cars rose by 3% in 2023 to reach RON4.3 billion, aided by augmented demand from affluent buyers despite macroeconomic challenges. Wealth determines the degree of demand that exists for premium and…

Premium beauty and personal care continued to advance sales and has faced uninterrupted growth since the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant unit price increases have fuelled sales as inflation remains stubbornly high in Bosnia and Herzegovina.…

Premium beauty and personal care recorded a strong performance in 2023, despite the high inflation and economic instability in the country. Bulgarian consumers showed an increased interest in premium products, with strong double-digit value growth in…

The long-term premiumisation trend continued to have an influence on sales across numerous categories of beauty and personal care during 2023. The segment of the local population that can easily afford premium products remains quite small, although…

In 2023, the premium beauty and personal care landscape in Estonia showcased strong growth, with retail value growth above mass beauty and personal care products. As consumers become increasingly educated about the ingredients in skin care, premium…

With inflation easing in 2023, premium beauty and personal care in Georgia performed well, registering higher value growth than mass. Increasing numbers of tourists, as well as newly-arrived Russian immigrants also contributed to growth. That being…

Premium beauty and personal care saw dynamic growth in current value terms in 2023 despite the challenging economic environment and soaring inflation. Consumers of premium beauty personal care products were more accepting of price increases due to a…

The premium segment represents a relatively small proportion of beauty and personal care in Latvia. Nonetheless, in value terms, premium products are growing at almost twice the pace of mass products. Consumer preferences for premium products is well…

In 2023, premium beauty and personal care sales recorded very strong double-digit retail value growth, with purchasing power improving compared to the previous year. In the ongoing pandemic aftermath, many consumers were keen to treat themselves to…

Performance was muted for premium beauty and personal care in North Macedonia in 2023. Inflation continued to be high and rising costs hit profit margins. With this backdrop, current value sales of premium beauty and personal care products increased…

Premium beauty and personal care saw another year of dynamic double-digit current value growth in Poland in 2023, although from a lower base than the mass segment. The momentum of the premium segment was higher than the mass segment, and in fact…

Premium beauty and personal care experienced a third year of double-digit current value growth in Romania in 2023; albeit at a lower rate than seen in the previous two years. This continued strong performance was tied to the loyalty consumers often…

Premium beauty and personal care in Serbia continued its impressive ascent in 2023, characterised by stable double-digit growth in retail value sales. This upward trajectory was predominantly underpinned by a strategic price increase strategy adopted…

Premium skin and sun care in Slovakia recorded strong growth in 2023 despite challenging inflation. Over the review period, premium skin care has established a solid position among Slovak consumers. There has been a gradual increase in premium brands…

In 2023, some of the best performing categories in beauty and personal care in Slovenia were those with a relatively high proportion of premium brands, notably skin care and fragrances. The products in these categories are increasingly seen as…

Premium beauty and personal care continued to see strong current value growth in the Czech Republic in 2023, moving even further beyond pre-pandemic levels. Rising average unit prices were key to growth during the year, driven by the high rate of…

During 2023, there was a strong recovery in premium beauty and personal care value sales after the steep decline registered a year earlier, with a particularly dynamic performance being seen in demand for dermocosmetic products. Consumers were…

Consumer demand for processed fruit and vegetables remains stable in 2023, with robust levels of consumption across all categories. While consumer demand for shelf stable fruit is stalling, sales of frozen fruit and frozen processed vegetables…

The consumption of processed fruit and vegetables in Bulgaria increased slightly in 2023, mainly due to the growing need for convenience amid busier lifestyles and rising urbanization. Furthermore, the growing number of people living alone is driving…

Within processed fruit and vegetables, frozen variants are expected to see the strongest current retail value sales growth in Croatia in 2023. The popularity of these products can be attributed to many factors, including their long shelf life, which…

Shelf stable fruit and vegetables is enjoying strong growth volume growth in 2023, as Estonians spend less time canning fruit and vegetables at home. Shelf stable tomatoes is witnessing the highest demand, since these are more frequently used in…

In 2023, shelf stable fruits and vegetables retained their position as the leading category within processed fruits and vegetables, in volume terms. Positive growth was also witnessed in shelf stable fruits and vegetables, primarily due to strong…

Shelf stable vegetables in Hungary has continued to witness steep unit price hikes in 2023 due to inflationary pressures fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic, the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the devaluation of the forint.…

The year 2023 marks a period of stagnation for the processed fruit and vegetables category in Latvia, with volume growth dropping to minimal. While the market is gradually recovering from the severe price inflation experienced in 2022, new economic…

Processed fruit and vegetables are not popular as Lithuanians prefer to consume fresh and home-made products rather than processed alternatives. Some preserved vegetables such as pickled products are very well received during the cold season, which…

Consumer demand for processed fruit and vegetables remains stable in North Macedonia in 2023 due to the influence of the burgeoning health and wellness trend in the country. Younger consumers, in particular, are increasingly opting for processed…

In 2023, Poland is seeing a significant expansion in processed fruit and vegetable offerings as players cater to growing consumer demand for convenience, health-conscious options, and varied flavour profiles.

The volume decline experienced by the category in 2023 can be primarily attributed to the surge in the average unit price at the shelf, driven by persistently high inflation and an overall rise in food prices that outpaced inflation. The enduring…

Processed fruit and vegetables is expected to be one of the better performing food staples in 2023, registering moderate volume growth. Consumers’ busy lifestyles supports volume growth. While growing fresh produce is a long-established tradition in…

In 2023, processed food, in general, experienced a slight boost due to a challenging year in agricultural production. A cold spring adversely affected or significantly delayed plant growth in gardens, compelling consumers who traditionally relied on…

Processed fruit and vegetables are recording further growth in 2023. The main factor underpinning this positive performance is the rising demand for products that offer convenience as many consumers have less time to go shopping for fresh food on…

Retail volume sales of processed fruit and vegetables continued to decline in 2023. This was due in a large part to the still-elevated rate of inflation, which impacted the cost of living and caused consumers to rationalise their spending. Consumers…

2023 witnessed a robust recovery for sales of shelf stable fruit and vegetables in Ukraine after the category fared better than most other categories of packaged food during 2022. Retail volume sales of shelf stable fruit and vegetables declined over…

Due to their robustness and long shelf life, metal food cans remain the dominant pack type in shelf stable fruit and vegetables, in which shelf stable vegetables account for the bulk of demand. However, alternatives to metal food cans, including…

Metal food cans remained the most popular packaging type for processed fruits and vegetables in 2022, driven by their strength in the largest retail unit volume category of shelf stable fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, the use of glass jars in…

Metal food cans continue to be the main packaging format used in both shelf stable meat and shelf stable seafood in Poland. Canned seafood, particularly fish, is a low-acid meal ingredient or solution that rapidly promotes the growth of microbes if…

Despite another low retail unit volume decline in 2022 in line with greater mobility outside of the home, demand for processed meat and seafood packaging remained above pre-pandemic levels, driven by urbanisation in Romania. With consumers’…

Spiralling energy costs have led many small local grocers in Hungary to reduce the amount of refrigeration and freezer space in their stores in 2023. The same trend has been observed among convenience stores chains like Coop, Real and CBA. As a…

Processed seafood recorded a favourable sales performance during 2023 as the category rebounded from the severe sales declines that were recorded over the course of 2022, the result of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine in February of that…

Processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat achieved minimal retail volume in 2023, although current value growth remains robust. Consumer demand has slowed down due in part to the country’s negative population growth. Rampant inflation has…

While current retail value sales of processed meat see double-digit growth in 2023, volume decline is attributable to higher unit prices, with the increasing cost of raw meat, animal food, energy and transportation being passed on to the consumer.…

In 2023, processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat in Latvia is recording a rise in volume sales, despite economic uncertainties and health concerns, particularly regarding smoked meat products. Nonetheless, after a phase of post-pandemic…

Volume sales of processed meat, seafood and alternatives are seeing further decline in 2023 as economic uncertainty is impacting consumers’ consumption patterns in the year. Packaged meat products are not perceived to be essential items, therefore…