Eastern Europe

The world is rapidly evolving due economic, political, geographic and climate changes. This is contributing to a change in consumer’s habit and behaviour as they try to keep pace with these newer developments. Deeper understanding of these changes…

The global economy is facing weaker growth and increasing fragmentation, as a result of rising geopolitical tensions, especially due to the war in Ukraine and the US-China strategic rivalry. Protectionism, industrial policy and a focus on resilience…

The global energy crisis has had far-reaching implications for consumers, businesses and entire economies, highlighting the importance of the global energy transition and boosting energy efficiency, while creating opportunities for innovation and…

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…

Depopulation is set to continue in North Macedonia up to 2040 due to natural decrease and negative net migration. As ageing occurs, consumer trends will be impacted and state resources will experience further pressure. Skopje will continue to be the…

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…

A recent study revealed that Romania has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, estimated at around 30%. This high smoking rate has a positive impact on the performance of NRT smoking cessation aids, as a significant number of smokers are…

Although smoking prevalence and the number of smokers in Slovakia have been falling gradually, they are still considered high, compared to other European countries. In December 2022, the Slovak government approved an action plan, with a focus on…

The cost of smoking increased substantially in the Czech Republic in 2022, compared to 2021. Alongside rising costs of tobacco products and health concerns, more people are looking to quit the habit. As a result, smoking prevalence among the adult…

As an essential, everyday product consumer demand has remained relatively stable for oral care products in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In retail volume terms, more robust categories stagnated or declined moderately while niche oral care categories…

Due to the influence of social media, the popularity of teeth whitening at home is gathering pace in Bulgaria and this is contributing to the positive development of oral care in Bulgaria. The desire for a youthful, confident smile fuelled the demand…

During 2023, major players in oral care such as Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble undertook various initiatives designed to spread awareness about the importance of maintaining optimum oral hygiene. These campaigns targeted both children and…

Oral care in 2023 showcased strong growth in Estonia, with double-digit retail value growth and positive, double-digit retail volume growth in areas including denture care, power toothbrushes and electric toothbrushes. Growing consumer education and…

Oral care in Georgia registered moderate value and volume growth in 2023, with the essentialness of oral care supporting volume sales. Toothpaste continued to account for most value sales and also was the best performing product. Within oral care,…

Oral care in Hungary is witnessing a surge in demand for therapeutic toothpaste, particularly in the realm of implant-friendly, gum-protecting and sensitivity-relieving variants. This increase in demand can be attributed to the ageing population and…

Oral care has become an important part of daily personal care routines in Latvia over the review period. Growing dentist bills and the fashionable trend for healthy teeth and fresh breath has driven sales of oral care products in 2023. Oral…

In 2023, oral care in Lithuania recorded double-digit retail value growth, driven by rising price points. Due to ongoing inflation, manufacturers and distributors extended price growth through 2022-2023. As such, retail volume care struggled in…

Though there was double-digit growth in current value sales in oral care in North Macedonia in 2023, both constant value and volume sales fell. Continuing high inflation, as well as a declining population, dampened value sales. As such, with…

Oral care maintained solid retail volume and current value growth in Poland in 2023. Its comparatively strong performance within overall beauty and personal care is unsurprising, as recent studies reveal that many Poles still lack adequate oral…

While oral care saw little movement in Romania in retail volume terms in 2023, it demonstrated a significant current value growth trajectory, similar to that seen in 2022, due to continued price rises. Volume growth was observed for non-essential…

In 2023, oral care in Serbia continued to experience consistent volume growth, building upon the momentum seen in previous years. While the volume sales growth mirrored that of the previous year, the notable increase in value sales was primarily…

Tooth whiteners outpaced growth in Slovakia’s oral care category, in both retail volume and current value terms. Despite the rising prices seen in 2023, consumers did not lose interest in home whitening kits and whitening strips. The reason behind…

The oral care category continued to see positive growth in Slovenia in 2023, with consumers switching to cheaper products. Private label gained significant ground in oral care during 2023 as the rising cost of living in Slovenia forced many consumers…

Oral care saw current value growth in the Czech Republic in 2023. Toothpaste was amongst the few personal care categories that did not see a strong shift towards the cheaper alternatives provided by private labels at the end of the review period. The…

During recent years, people have typically been taking more care of their dental health, which has been having a positive impact on sales of oral care as well as the development of the category. Toothpaste and manual toothbrushes generate the bulk of…

In 2023, other dairy is witnessing very strong growth in current value terms, mainly as a result of the rising unit prices amidst inflationary pressure. Despite the higher prices, consumer demand is fairly stable resulting in moderate retail volume…

In 2023, chilled dairy desserts and chilled snacks started to see consumption recover after the previous year’s decline, whilst other categories remain in decline. Current value growth was driven by further inflation and price growth, especially at…

Despite the growing importance of health and wellness, the price hikes, and general economic instability, both coffee whiteners and cream are witnessing healthy growth in 2023. When it comes to coffee drinking in Croatia, tradition always outweighs…

Other dairy continues to be a sizeable product area, largely supported by the popularity of cream and fromage frais and quark. In 2023, it is expected to register minimal constant value growth and moderate volume growth. In 2023, chilled desserts is…

Cream continues to be the largest product area in terms of volume sales in 2023, with the bulk of cream sales accounted for by sour cream, which is a traditional product in Georgia. Sour cream is frequently paired with traditional Georgian dishes…

The international price of raw milk decreased in 2023, which resulted in a slight price compensation for sour cream and other dairy products. Besides, in order to break sanctioned inflation, the government introduced a new anti-inflation tool, which…

Due to the economic uncertainty in the country, most other dairy categories are showing a drop in volume sales in 2023, especially chilled and shelf stable desserts as they are not perceived to be essential items. Decline is also attributable to the…

Other dairy registered static retail volume growth in 2023 as reasonably consistent demand was seen in the most important other dairy categories of cream, fromage frais and quark and chilled snacks, where the traditional product sureliai holds sway.…

Other dairy is witnessing robust growth in 2023 thanks to rising unit prices, as a result of inflationary pressure, coupled with relatively stable and uninterrupted consumer demand for products in this particular category. The prevalence of home…

As the popularity of home cooking rises, spurred by lessons learned during the pandemic and ongoing inflation in Poland, Poles are increasingly preparing meals at home. This trend is expected to drive sales of dairy products often used as…

Other dairy is seeing value growth driven by price hikes associated with elevated costs, while volume is in a slump due to consumers’ weakened purchasing power in the inflationary context. Cream is the most important subcategory in other dairy, thus…

The return to pre-pandemic lifestyles is encouraging on-the-go consumption of other dairy products. Retail volume sales of chilled dairy desserts and chilled snacks are both benefitting from this trend, since they are considered good snacking…

Other dairy registered relatively modest growth in retail volume terms in 2023, following the declines of the previous two years. High unit prices, combined with a slowly recovering foodservice industry, following the easing of pandemic restrictions,…

Mlekarna Celeia is a leading player in the category with a wide range of products for adults and children. Zott’s Monte brand is also performing well, launching new products with no added sugar, attracting more health-orientated consumers. Private…

As the situation around COVID-19 began to resolve in 2022, people were returning to work. However, the war in Ukraine caused inflation, with the price of raw milk rising, hampering growth. Since products such as desserts, fromage frais and creams are…