Eastern Europe

Butter and cooking fats are declining in volume terms due to growing health awareness. Considerable publicity in the media is raising awareness about the unhealthy effects of butter and fats. Health experts identified butter as one of the key…

Butter consumption in the Czech Republic was challenged following the surge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This decrease in retail volume continued in 2022, with the significant increase in prices impacting sales, but in 2023, we expect the…

In June 2022 Ukrainian dairy manufacturers were granted duty-free exports to the EU for one year. This was extended for one more year in 2023 as part of ongoing efforts to support Ukraine’s economy while it continues to cope with the impact of…

In 2023, cafés/bars continue to recover from the significant declines recorded in the channel at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020, recording strong double-digit value growth in the year. Growth can be attributed to the growing interest…

At the start of 2023, operators of cafés/bars were in an upbeat mood as 2022 had delivered relatively good results despite soaring energy prices and costs. The prolonged high levels of inflation and diminishing consumer purchasing power proved…

Specialist coffee and tea shops and cafés were the strongest performers within cafés/bars in Poland in current value growth terms in 2023. While both saw trade slow sharply as the cost-of-living crisis made consumers inclined to rein in discretionary…

The total elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 continued to impact results in 2023, with socialising driving visits to bars and cafés. However, inflation remained high in 2023, and while sales increased, there were reduced growth rates for…

Bars/pubs registered very healthy double-digit constant value growth in 2023, in spite of high inflation. There were also a significant number of openings. The introduction of a permanent reduced 10% VAT rate bolstered the sector. That being said,…

Bars/pubs in the Czech Republic saw growth in transactions and current value sales slow sharply in 2023 as inflationary pressures continued to drive up alcoholic drinks prices and weaken purchasing power among consumers. Because it is much cheaper to…

Within cafés/bars, bars/pubs experienced a rebound in activity levels in 2023 due in part to the shortening of curfews in most of Ukraine’s regions. Curfews were enforced all around Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion, but their duration was…

Poland has become a strategic powerhouse for FMCG industries in Eastern Europe in the past two decades, and especially during the current geopolitical climate. The cannabis market is still in its infancy in Poland; however, a range of factors sets a…

The Czech Republic has a high acceptance of cannabis due to the long-standing tradition of cannabis cultivation and usage in the country. Cannabis legislation has been an issue since the 1990s, when there was an early attempt at legalisation. As it…

This report examines the global car rental industry, providing analysis on market sizes, brand and company shares, growth trends over the review period and prospects over the forecast period. The report also considers the major trends shaping the…

Overall, volume sales are expected to stagnate in 2023, with the most popular cola carbonates expected to see volume sales fall slightly. Carbonates are a mature product area, with little room for further growth, and added to this, the population…

Carbonates in Bulgaria is witnessing notable shifts in 2023 due to persistent inflationary pressures impacting consumer spending habits. The rising cost of living has led consumers to curtail expenditure on non-essential goods, fostering a heightened…

Carbonates is expected to register only marginal volume growth in 2023. Carbonates are a mature product area, with little room for further growth, and added to this, the population continues to decline. Some consumers are also switching to other…

Reduced sugar cola carbonates demonstrated the fastest retail volume growth in 2023. As more consumers become health-conscious and aware of the potential negative effects of excessive sugar consumption, there is a growing demand for healthier…

Carbonates is expected to register healthy retail volume growth and even higher volume growth through foodservice channels. Foodservice in particular is buoyed by an increasing number of tourists, as well an influx of immigrants from Ukraine, Russia…

Regular cola carbonates, as a product area, experienced a more moderate decline in sales volume than non-cola carbonates in 2023, despite significant price increases. This can be attributed to the enduring popularity of cola flavour among consumers…

Off-trade volume sales stagnated in carbonates in Latvia in 2023, with a slight decline noted in retail volume as sales were challenged by rising inflation and increased price points. This led many consumers to reduce their spending on…

Carbonates continues to face challenges, due to the majority of drinks in the category deemed to be unhealthy due to their high sugar content. Added to which, the current economic conditions mean consumers are prioritising essentials over…

In 2023, carbonates achieved minimal off-trade volume growth as consumer demand was significantly impacted by the negative image that carbonates has gained amongst increasingly health conscious consumers, largely, though not entirely, due to the…

In 2023, retail volume sales of carbonates fell back into decline. Carbonates was still recovering from the sharp price increases caused by Poland’s sugar tax in 2021, when high inflation caused further price shocks for consumers. Although unit price…

Carrying the stigma of being unhealthy, off-trade sales of carbonates continued to decline in 2023. However, the on-trade channel has continued to record a positive performance, recovering from the impact of COVID-19, with consumers enjoying their…

As prices rise and disposable incomes decline, Serbians are reassessing their daily purchases, notably reducing consumption of non-essential items like carbonated beverages. Health-conscious consumers are shifting towards healthier alternatives and…

The demand for carbonates was negatively impacted by a cool early summer and cold weather in spring 2023. A further decrease in off-trade volume sales can partly be attributed from the recovery of the on-trade channel, which caused a shift in the…

Carbonates is growing steadily in volume terms and is the best performing category, as reduced-sugar products gain ground due to healthier lifestyles. Consumers are now more aware of the negative health effects of sugar and are seeking to lower their…

Substantial inflation experienced in 2022 and 2023 resulted in Czech households facing a tough economic situation, exacerbated by the rising cost of living. Rising prices of products caused Czech consumers to be wary of their expenditure and reduce…

Sales of carbonates suffered heavy losses in 2022, although there were several factors that prevented heavier losses and which have helped to support a return to growth in 2023. First, sales were supported by the presence of the core target audience…

Cat food in Bulgaria is expected to continue increasing in both volume and value sales in 2024. This is partly due to growth in Bulgaria’s pet cat population, though the primary drivers of volume sales remain pet humanisation, rising awareness of the…

The trend in cat food in Hungary of offering variations for picky cats is becoming more prominent, especially with the increasing ownership of cats, which has reached over one third of Hungarian households. As the cat population is growing…

Similar to their canine counterparts, cat food in Poland is expected to register a surge in premiumisation in 2024. An improving economic picture, with inflation easing significantly, and real wages rising, is expected to enable this transition. As…

Cat food in Romania is expected to see a return to positive growth in retail volume terms in 2024 as easing inflationary pressures render such products more affordable to the cat-owning population. In addition, the number of cats in the country will…

The cat food category in Slovakia is feeling the pressure from a slowdown in household cat ownership in 2024. Pet abandonment is on the rise with some Slovaks postponing their decision to get a new cat altogether due to rising costs. Retail volume…

The influx of cats that migrated with Ukrainian refugees helped cat food in the Czech Republic to continue to see healthy retail volume and current value growth in 2022 and 2023, despite the worsening economic situation caused by the war in Ukraine…

Cat food is set to see strong current value growth in Ukraine in 2024. In Ukraine, there is a relatively low penetration of industrial pet food with the majority of people still feeding their cats non-prepared food. However, those owners who do feed…

Only commercial charge cards are available in Hungary in 2023, with personal charge cards no longer available. Moreover, commercial charge cards are only offered to top corporate executives and senior managers and there are no indications that this…

The post-pandemic return to normal lifestyles is helping to revive the charge card category, with transactions rising alongside the recovery in travel. Nevertheless, charge cards issued by banks continue to be infrequently utilised and the number in…

Charge cards experience sluggish growth due to rising inflation and a low economic performance, leading companies to optimise expenditures by reducing spending limits. However, charge cards lack digital options that are flourishing in other card…

The most common type of charge card in the Czech Republic is commercial fleet cards which are offered to top corporate managers. Charge card transactions continued to rise by double-digits in 2023, due to the bounce back in corporate spending, as…

Despite the demographic challenges present in Bosnia and Herzegovina, consumer demand for cheese remains stable. One reason for the rising consumer interest in cheese is that these products are seen as an economical and nutritious source of protein,…

The consumption of cheese rose marginally in 2023 after two years of decline caused by a shift back towards out-of-home entertaining and travelling in the post-pandemic era. Foodservice sales grew significantly and are exceeding pre-pandemic levels…

Lactose-free varieties have gained popularity at the expense of standard cheese in 2023. While this is partly due to the well-established tendency towards rising health awareness among the population, many consumers have also become more willing to…

After the growth spike seen in the Eastern European cheese market in 2020, as a result of more home cooking due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 2021 sales increase slowed to 2% in real value terms, with a 3% CAGR expected in the overall…

Cheese is expected to register muted constant value growth, but healthy volume growth in 2023. A significant number of newly-arrived migrants from Ukraine, escaping from the war, is also expected to increase volume sales. However, inflation is…

Butter expected to register healthy current value growth, but minimal volume growth. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high inflation is continuing to have an effect and consumers are expected to be…

Following high double-digit price growth in 2022, the slight price decrease in 2023 positively influenced the retail volume growth of this market. However, cheese remains a product that is considered a non-basic food item by many, and as such, it is…

Volume sales of cheese are experiencing stagnation in 2023 due to its high price, which peaked in 2022 as a result of the rising cost of logistics and energy. Inflation pressure is improving in 2023; however, economic uncertainty prevails. Consumer…

Cheese recorded stagnant retail volume growth in Lithuania during 2023, although value growth was still exceptional in current terms as the impact of high inflation boosted unit prices and value sales significantly, albeit at a slower pace than…

In the face of rising prices, cheese consumption remains stable in retail volume terms as this product range remains a popular item in everyday cuisine. Its versatility is a key reason for such high demand, as it can be used in preparing various…