Eastern Europe

Bleach was heavily used during the initial stage of the pandemic as consumers prioritised the effectiveness of bleach as they sought to removal any possible COVID-19 infection on surfaces. The pandemic was officially declared over in Croatia on 11…

Bleach was the only home care product that registered a fall in volume sales in 2023. The increasing array of other effective cleaning products dampened volume sales of bleach. In addition, consumers are increasingly concerned about the chemical…

Bleach is a traditional home care product in Georgia, that is widely known and used by locals. Price sensitivity has encouraged consumption of bleach in 2023 due to its low price per unit. Thus, bleach remains an attractive product among consumers…

While retail value sales were double-digit in 2023, bleach recorded a retail volume decline for the third consecutive year. Sales increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers having a heightened interest in hygiene. Bleach was recommended…

In 2023, while rising prices drove retail value sales, bleach recorded a retail volume decline. This decline can be attributed to consumers using home care detergents that feature disinfectant components with safer formulations. Consumers…

Bleach is a mature category with limited activity in Lithuania. It faces strong competition from colour safe laundry bleach and various surface cleaning options, which are widely available at different price points and constantly innovating. Bleach…

Bleach continued to see substantial volume sales falls in 2023, posting the deepest decline recorded across all of home care. Bleach suffers from drastically reduced population among local consumers, undermining demand. However, the category managed…

Retail value growth was double-digit in 2023, with sales driven by inflation and rising prices. However, following trends noted across the review period, retail volume sales declined. Rising awareness of the potential negative health effects…

Following the hike in demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumers embraced bleach as an effective tool against germs and the virus, there has been a readjustment in demand in the category. Thus, bleach resumed its pre-pandemic…

The bleach landscape in Serbia is small, with a few products available in retail, which is decreasing each year. Demand for bleach remained under pressure in Serbia in 2023 as consumers continued to abandon the category in favour of more…

Bleach is an uninteresting category which remains in a volume slump, which is only expected to deepen over the coming years. Consumers are increasingly perceiving bleach as old-fashioned and toxic, thus resulting in low demand. In turn, players are…

The growth of bleach in Slovenia is largely driven by inflation. However, the product area is witnessing a decline in volume terms as consumers increasingly prioritise eco-friendly alternatives due to heightened environmental awareness and…

Retail value sales recorded a double-digit increase in 2023, linked to rising inflation and high price points. However, the price increases caused consumers to adjust their budgets, having less disposable income to spend on products. As such, while…

Bleach in Ukraine saw a continued decline in terms of volume sales in 2023, primarily because of the intensifying competition coming from the emergence and expansion of home care home care detergents incorporating disinfectant components with safer…

The cost of a typical day in the sun on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast – the area that makes up what is now known as the fast-growing Bulgarian Riviera – remains far cheaper than most of its rival European resorts. This makes Bulgaria very attractive…

During 2023, strong value growth was recorded in booking in Croatia, with both booking offline and booking online recording robust double-digit growth rates, although somewhat predictably booking online was the big winner during the year. The regular…

Hungarians traditionally pay close attention to foreign exchange rates when planning trips abroad, particularly summer holidays, as fluctuations can cause travel expenses to increase significantly in a short period of time. This was the case…

In order to look at the trends in booking, we look at the overall trends in travel. Polish consumers are re-embracing the opportunity to travel again after the pandemic restrictions were lifted, and we are seeing strong trends in both domestic travel…

The dynamic sales growth that was recorded in bookings in 2023 was mainly the result of the strong interest that many local consumers have in placing early bookings when planning leisure travel. This boom in booking travel and tourism products and…

Consumer demand for outbound travel remains strong in 2023, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis, and this has enabled travel intermediaries to register a strong performance in terms of booking sales. Travellers are taking advantage of…

The cost of living crisis has not had a significant impact on Czech consumers' appetite for travel. Following the pandemic, Czechs are looking to travel abroad after two years of travel restrictions, when many consumers spent holidays at home. As…

Bottled water continues to be the most popular soft drink in Bosnia-Herzegovina and is expected to achieve moderate volume growth in 2023. A certain cohort of consumers are switching to bottled water from carbonates, as they look to be healthier, and…

Bottled water overall benefits from strong health and wellness trends, with consumers increasingly opting for bottled water's simple hydration and refreshment, particularly in restaurants. The category is rising steadily among health-conscious…

Bottled water is expected to register positive volume growth in 2023. Though tap water is of good quality in Croatia, bottled water is often purchased on-the-go, as well as by tourists. In addition, a certain cohort of consumers are switching to…

Functional bottled water registered by far the highest retail volume growth in 2023. A still small sales base and increasing demand drove the performance of functional bottled water at the end of the review period, while leaving room for further…

While retail volume growth is expected to be positive for bottled water in 2023, it is one of the weaker performers among soft drinks in 2023. Volume growth through foodservice channels is also significantly lower than for other soft drinks, though…

The sales volume of both carbonated and still bottled water experienced a significant decline in 2023. This trend can be attributed to two primary factors. Firstly, notable price increases for bottled water forced consumers to re-evaluate their…

Despite a return to on-the-go consumption following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, off-trade volume sales of bottled water declined in 2023. Economic uncertainty is heavily impacting sales, while the outbreak of COVID-19 negatively impacted…

Bottled water is generally seen as a more “premium” niche in Lithuania, due to the high quality of the tap water in the country. This means that consumers do not typically add bottled water to their shopping lists as a necessity and, in this sense,…

Tap water in most parts of the country remains suitable for human consumption and in certain areas is of excellent quality despite ongoing concerns about overall environmental pollution. However, as health and wellness trends continue to impact soft…

2023 was another turbulent year for bottled water in Poland. Rising inflation and the increasing cost of materials had a strong impact on bottled water unit prices. As prices rose, the demand for bottled water declined in comparison to the last year.…

In 2023, the main drivers of growth for the bottled water landscape were consumers' reluctancy to drink tap water and the tradition of mineral water in the country. Nevertheless, the declining purchasing power in 2023 was reflected in a slowdown of…

Bottled water in Serbia experienced a volume sales recovery in 2023, driven by the return to pre-pandemic lifestyles, with consumers embracing on-the-go water consumption. Functional bottled water witnessed the fastest volume sales growth, attributed…

The demand for bottled water continued to suffer during 2023, as unfavourable weather conditions and weak purchasing power negatively impacted volume consumption. This was mostly visible in retail, as foodservice saw a late and slow recovery from the…

The bottled water category continues to grow in 2023, with demand patterns normalising after the fluctuations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On-trade volumes have surpassed pre-pandemic levels as this channel is back to operating normally…

The demand for bottled water has remained stable, with moderate-to-minor changes in the review period. For example, in 2022 and during 2023 there have been slight increases in consumption. Even with high inflation and increases in prices in the last…

Sales of bottled water suffered heavy losses in retail volume terms in 2022 as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with a huge section of the population fleeing the country in search of safety. Nonetheless, bottled water saw a more modest…

Consumer demand for breakfast cereals remains stable in 2023, despite the challenges posed by population decline in the country, which is limiting the potential consumer base. The shift towards healthier eating is driving volume growth, as…

Although a relatively small category in Bulgaria, breakfast cereals is reporting solid growth in retail volume and current value terms in 2023, due to the rising importance of health. Players are keen to develop healthier options, as with Dr Oetker's…

Whilst the rising production and logistics costs of 2022 have eased, breakfast cereals prices continue their upward trajectory in 2023 as retailers seek to maintain high margins, with no government system to keep them in check. The category still…

Hot cereals witnessed the fastest growth in retail volume and current value terms in 2023. Consumers consider hot cereals to be healthier and more nourishing than RTE cereals, as they contain beneficial vitamins. With the adoption of healthier eating…

In 2023, breakfast cereals has maintained steady volume growth, aided by some moderation in unit prices. The category's enduring strength continues to stem from the prevailing convenience trend, as modern consumers place a premium on the ease and…

Like other companies across packaged food in Hungary, breakfast cereals manufacturers have adjusted their packaging strategies in 2023 in an effort to better navigate soaring inflation and the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. Most notably,…

In 2023, breakfast cereals in Latvia is experiencing stagnation, primarily due to health concerns among parents regarding sugar intake for children. In addition, the static number of children in Latvia limits the potential for market growth. The…

The main consumers of breakfast cereal in Lithuania remain children; however, RTE cereals do not have a good reputation among parents in the country and they are not perceived as a healthy option for breakfast due to their high sugar content. Brand…

Muesli and granola and hot cereals are the two largest breakfast cereals categories whose performance tends to influence the overall performance of breakfast cereals in North Macedonia. Due to the moderate volume growth of these two cereal types,…

In 2023, breakfast cereals in Poland is experiencing substantial growth, primarily fuelled by an increased consumer focus on health and wellness, the appeal of ready-to-eat products, and rising disposable incomes. As health consciousness rises,…

The growth in the volume sales of breakfast cereals in 2023, despite significant price increases, can be attributed to reduced price sensitivity among mostly higher-income urban professionals. This demographic group, committed to a healthy lifestyle,…

In spite of continuing high inflation, breakfast cereal is expected to register healthy constant value and volume growth. With consumers leading increasingly busy lives, they appreciate the convenience of breakfast cereal. Breakfast cereal is also a…

With the lifting of pandemic restrictions and the restoration of consumer mobility, Slovaks are now leading more hectic lifestyles, spending less time at home and opting for breakfast at home less frequently than in 2021 or 2022. This, coupled with…