Eastern Europe

Steep unit price increases of bread and the rising demand for convenience have driven growth in frozen baked products in 2023. Consumers are increasingly opting for frozen baked goods which have a longer shelf life and allow them to have fresh bread…

Retail sales of baked goods continued to decline in 2023 in the face of the still-elevated rate of inflation, which impacted the cost of living and caused consumers to rationalise their spending. This translated into a movement away from packaged…

During 2023, demand for bread continued to increase in Ukraine as government efforts to regulate the price of bread ensured that many of the products in the category remained affordable for the majority of Ukrainians. Indeed, the low average unit…

The Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure,…

In 2023, rising inflation continued to negatively impact consumer demand and curbed retail volume sales of bath and shower products in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The volume sales decline seen in body wash/shower gel dented the performance of the entire…

As inflation remained relatively high in 2023, many consumers turned towards private label for their bath and shower needs. Brands like Balea from dm and Cien by Lidl captured the interest of price-conscious consumers most affected by the…

Demand for hand sanitisers continues to decline significantly over the course of 2023 as the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer behaviour continued to decline. As the sanitary situation has improved and the pandemic has officially come to…

In 2023, bath and shower in Estonia recorded solid double-digit retail value growth, while retail volume growth was positive in body wash/shower gel, hand sanitisers, intimate washes, intimate wipes and liquid soap.

Bath and shower registered both moderate volume and constant value growth in Georgia in 2023. Body wash/shower gel was the best performing product in terms of value and volume growth, outperforming other products significantly. That being said, bar…

High inflation and declining purchasing power significantly influenced consumer purchasing decisions when it came to bath and shower products in 2023. The discounted pricing strategies of retailers such as Lidl and Aldi proved successful with these…

2023 was a slightly better year for the bath and shower category in Latvia. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for soap has remained robust with many consumers continuing the habit of frequent hand washing. That being said, the ongoing…

In 2023, sales in bath and shower in Lithuania showcased strong results, with double-digit retail value growth.

It was a dismal year for bath and shower in North Macedonia in 2023, with both constant value and volume sales falling. Inflation continued to be high and the continuing rising costs cut into players’ profit margins. A declining population also led…

Bath and shower maintained growth in both retail volume and current value terms in Poland in 2023, with growth across all categories except hand sanitisers, sales of which continued to normalise after the peak of the pandemic. Bar soap saw one of the…

Bath and shower showed a positive performance in Romania in current value terms in 2023. However, this growth was purely due to inflationary price rises, as volume sales continued to decline, after the boost to sales and stockpiling seen in 2020, in…

Bath and shower in Serbia experienced robust growth in 2023, propelled by a significant surge in retail value sales attributed to high price growth. This inflationary trend notably impacted shower gels, where consumers encountered a plethora of…

Competition is intense among grocery retailers and drugstores in Slovakia. However, with an increasing number of discounters being established in the country these players are increasing value share. Lidl reached a total of 153 stores in 2023, which…

Bath and shower in Slovenia witnessed a slight return to volume growth in 2023, despite the weaker economic conditions. In 2023, household budgets came under further pressure due to persistently high inflation, with many consumers choosing to…

Baby and shower saw modest current value growth in the Czech Republic in 2023. Competition is traditionally intense amongst grocery retailers and drugstores, and consumers are strongly driven by promo deals and lower price points. The impact of…

While there was certainly a strong element of recovery from the decline seen a year earlier, the 2023 growth in the bath and shower category in current value terms was also a result of rising unit prices in this year. However, the performance also…

The Batumi in Georgia report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

In 2023, beauty and personal care in Bosnia and Herzegovina achieved strong current value growth primarily as a result of rising unit prices. Inflation remained high even though it had slowed relative to 2022. Consumer demand was relatively unchanged…

In 2023, beauty and personal care in Bulgaria performed noticeably better than in 2022. The relatively high inflation, especially in the first half of the year, led to significant growth in current value terms, with double-digit increases across most…

The ongoing effects of the War in Ukraine continued to have a negative effect on the Croatian economy throughout 2023. Exports to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine were on hold throughout the year, while consumer spending remained under pressure across…

In 2023, the beauty and personal care landscape in Estonia recorded positive retail value growth, somewhat driven by increased price points. However, inflation was not as high as in 2022, which led retail volume growth in areas such as skin care,…

It was a positive trading year for beauty and personal care in Georgia in 2023. Inflation decreased significantly and resulted in both healthy constant value and moderate volume growth. Population growth also supported the increased volume sales,…

Hungary's beauty and personal care market witnessed several notable trends in 2023 with these reflecting evolving consumer preferences and demographic shifts. First, the ageing population played a significant role, driving demand for specialised…

In 2023, beauty and personal care in Latvia registered strong double digit current value growth for the second consecutive year. Price inflation was less severe compared to 2022 supporting a mild recovery in consumer purchasing power, although much…

In 2023, beauty and personal care in Lithuania saw positive retail value growth, driven by price inflation and a heightened demand for products following a return to socialising post-COVID-19. While inflation was present, price increases were lower…

It was a muted picture for beauty and personal care in North Macedonia in 2023. Inflation was still high, though it eased somewhat. However, measures to contain inflation took their toll on consumption. As a result, while beauty and personal…

After rapidly changing circumstances in recent years, beauty and personal care in Poland experienced a certain level of stabilisation in 2023, with slow retail volume growth and dynamic current value growth. A major challenge for players was to…

Although beauty and personal care saw only low growth in volume terms in Romania in 2023, strong growth was seen in current value terms. Rising inflation, the pandemic, and the danger of war in Ukraine all led to changes in consumers’ priorities,…

In 2023, beauty and personal care in Serbia witnessed a notable shift driven by inflationary pressures, leading to price increases across all product areas. While value sales experienced growth primarily due to these price hikes, volume sales saw a…

Beauty and personal care in Slovakia registered strong current value growth in 2023 underpinned by soaring inflation which triggered price increases across all categories. The Slovak economy has remained somewhat resilient despite significant…

In 2023, beauty and personal care faced challenges as the Slovenian economy slowed and consumers became more price sensitive. Discount shopping reached an all-time high driving greater momentum in volume sales. With consumers adopting this frugal…

The war in Ukraine derailed the economic recovery of the Czech Republic and further disrupted the growth of real wages. GDP fell slightly in 2023, mainly reflecting a decline in household consumption amidst deteriorating consumer sentiment and a high…

In 2023, beauty and personal care was showing signs of recovery following a significant decline in 2022. Many companies were able to restore the disrupted logistics from 2022 and were operating at full capacity again in 2023. Despite the positive…

While HDPE bottles and folding cartons remained the two biggest pack types in Polish beauty and personal care packaging in unit volume terms in 2022, squeezable plastic tubes was third biggest and was also continuing to record rising unit volumes in…

After seeing a growth spike in 2021, facial care product packaging continued to see strong growth in 2022. This can be attributed to the increasing beauty consciousness among consumers, evolving preferences for personalised skin care routines, the…

One significant trend observed in beer in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2023 was the challenge posed by market saturation and escalating prices. As consumer preferences continued to evolve, the product area faced a decline in overall demand, particularly…

In 2023, beer consumption in Bulgaria decreased resulting in a decline in off-trade volume sales. Bulgarians spent more time out of the home and increased their level of domestic and foreign travel, thus lowering at-home beer consumption. The…

In 2023, beer sales in Croatia saw a marginal increase in total volume sales, primarily attributed to the positive impact of tourism on on-trade consumption. However, off-trade sales, largely reliant on local residents, experienced a decline due to…

On-trade sales of beer collapsed in 2020 as Coronavirus (COVID-19) led to the closure of bars, pubs and restaurants. While off-trade sales continued increasing, picking up some of the lost on-trade sales, the size of the on-trade decline as well as…

The year 2023 was neither the best nor the worst year for beer sales in Estonia. Following the post-pandemic recovery in 2022, 2023 saw a reconsideration of consumer purchasing habits, especially in the face of economic slowdown. Consumers were more…

In 2023, the volume sales of beer in Georgia continued to grow, albeit at a slower pace compared to previous years. This growth, although more stable, was underpinned by both an increase in domestic production and a rise in imports. The Horeca…

Beer saw volume sales fall significantly in Hungary in 2023. Brewers held high expectations of restoring volume sales back to pre-pandemic levels during the year. However, these efforts fell short, and the beer market experienced a decline at the…

Volume sales of beer decreased in 2023 due to strong price inflation which forced consumers to cut back on consumption. In the difficult economic climate, consumers switched to wine, RTDs, as well as spirits for mixing drinks. On-trade volume sales…

The year 2023 was a challenging for beer in Lithuania where volume sales in the both the off-trade and on-trade declined. Retail sales of beer fell into decline due to price inflation and concerns regarding the economy. On-trade beer volumes started…

Beer consumption slowed in North Macedonia over 2023 although total volume sales held steady. With inflation remaining well above normal levels, current value sales grew in double-digits with high prices across all beer categories. The off-trade saw…

Sales of beer declined in 2023 in on- and off-trade volume terms as high inflation and rising living costs restricted consumer purchasing power. With money being tight many consumers were forced to focus on basic necessities and therefore they were…