Greece

Wireless speakers are the only growth area in portable players and also account for most volume sales. Low-cost Bluetooth-enabled speakers are especially popular among younger consumers and are mainly used to stream music via smartphones and…

Oats have emerged as an increasingly popular ingredient in chocolate confectionery among Greek consumers. Violanta, a player active in both sweet biscuits and chocolate confectionery, has capitalised on this trend by diversifying its product range…

In 2023, all product areas posted an increase in retail value sales, due to rising inflation and price hikes. The increase in price points and decline in disposable incomes resulted in consumers adapting their purchasing behaviours, with many…

Energy drinks remained one of the most dynamic categories in terms of growth in 2023. Even though consumption has been steadily growing for several consecutive years, the landscape has yet to hit maturity and continues to grow. Factors that are…

Nuts and seed-based spreads are much loved by Greek consumers who try to follow a healthy lifestyle, as these spreads have a very high nutritional value. People include these spreads on their breakfast or as ingredients to make healthy recipes, such…

The energy crisis and high inflation continues to impact staple foods in 2023. Consumers are trying to save money either by reducing the amount of products they buy or switching to more affordable options, including private label. Retailers are…

The lifting of pandemic restrictions has boosted sales of Jeans in Greece in 2023, while unusually low temperatures in May and June prolonged the jeans-wearing season (usually, sales begin to decline in mid-spring, when local consumers switch to…

Breakfast cereals have witnessed strong price inflation in recent years and this trend remains prominent in 2023. Many Greeks are opting to make their own cereals instead of buying packaged cereals, guided by a plethora of easy recipes available…

The increasing awareness of the link between high sugar consumption and obesity, especially amongst children, has shed light on the importance of reducing the sugar content of highly calorific foods, including snacks. Indeed, growing awareness of the…

Across the review period, innovation was strong on the cheese category. Until recently, Greek law mandated the pasteurisation of milk for health reasons. However, a new legislation framework across the review period allowed cheese production from raw…

Due to high airport fees at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (AIA), Ryanair shut down its Athens base in October 2022. The airline withdrew two aircraft between October 29th to March 31st, leading to a reduction of scheduled…

While overall wearables are expected to register a decline in volume sales, smartphones are expected to register volume growth. Sales of activity bands and activity watches are expected to register significant volume decline, as consumers migrate to…

Planet Foods, the pioneering Greek start-up specialising in plant-based ice cream with an authentic ecological footprint, has made a powerful entry into the Greek ice cream market. Despite being operational for only two years, the company's rapid…

The government scheme, Recycle, Replace Appliances, was launched in Greece in 2022, offering up to EUR500 subsidies for replacing old refrigeration appliances by upgrading to more energy-efficient models. This scheme has contributed to huge growth in…

While freestanding microwaves claimed the lion's share in 2023, the share of built-in microwaves was growing faster than freestanding. Kitchen design trends favour built-in appliances, while the low penetration of built-in models creates more…

Debit cards continue to dominate the Greek financial cards and payments landscape, showing further growth in 2023. They are growing in terms of the number of cards, volume and value of transactions, and increasingly accounting for smaller, everyday…

Unlike most other OTC categories, in which marketing activities targeted not only the pharmaceuticals community, but also consumers, this was not previously the case in eye care. Companies would reach out to doctors and to chemists/pharmacists in…

Despite the potential impact of price increases across various snack categories, chewing gum in Greece has exhibited considerable resilience. The typically low price point of chewing gum has ensured that its products remains an accessible purchase…

Excluding hair care and baby wipes, the baby and child-specific category registered volume decline in Greece in 2023, with current value growth resulting from unit price rises. Volume decline can be attributed to falling birth rates, leading to…

Following Olympia’s EUR50 million investment in Public, which left Olympia owning 98% of the Public-Media Markt venture in Greece and Cyprus, the Media Markt stores have been rebranded Public + home and specialise in white appliances. Consequently,…

Dishwashers recorded a strong increase in retail volume sales during COVID-19. As consumers spent more time at home, due lockdowns and ongoing working from household, many used their dishwashers more, resulting in devices being replaced. Furthermore,…

Following the recovery from COVID-19, in 2022, consumers moved spending towards services above goods, leading to a decline in sales of consumer appliances. In addition, spending on consumer appliances was heightened during the outbreak, with home…

The sports drinks landscape posted an increase in retail volume during 2023, as sales continued to recover from the losses it saw during COVID-19. However, slow growth is driven by inflationary pressures and the impact on disposable incomes, given…

The price of coffee has increased in both the off and on trade, leading more consumers to replace takeaway coffee with their home creations. While a significant part of the Greek population would have a takeaway coffee daily, the decline in…

Olive oil is generally the preference of Greek consumers as they consider it more nutritious and healthier than vegetable and seed oils. Following the negative impact of inflationary pressures in 2022, the Greek olive oil industry has experienced new…

Within apparel and footwear, childrenswear was the least affected by COVID-19 and lockdowns, so the high growth recovery rates seen in apparel for adults are not as evident in childrenswear in 2023. Widespread and ongoing economic uncertainty is…

Inflation and regular price increases have significantly affected the baked goods category in 2023. Amid rising costs, bakeries suffered a significant drop in revenues, meaning price increases were essential as most players could not absorb the…

In 2023, credit cards are experiencing growth in terms of the number of cards, volume, and value of transactions. After a prolonged period of recovery from the Greek financial crisis of the previous decade, credit cards have found a stable position…

The consumption of cream has decreased, with prices increasing, leading consumers to reduce their purchases. In addition to high price points, consumers have turned to healthier options, so they are looking for alternative creams that are better for…

The key growth driver in sleep aids in terms of ingredients is melatonin. The variety and availability of products based on melatonin increased dramatically at the end of the review period. The launch of Procter & Gamble’s ZzzQuil Nature made a…

Within OTC digestive remedies, the penetration of herbal/traditional products is growing rapidly. This is because there is significant value growth potential for manufacturers as the premium positioning of herbal/traditional products allows for…

Inflation is a key factor influencing the consumer health market in Greece, with price hikes being seen across most categories. Even though increases in prices vary by brand, most products have been subject to hikes. This has not had the same effect…

In 2023, inbound tourism is enjoying a strong recovery in Greece, with the number of trips expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. There is much optimism, even though bookings in the first quarter were somewhat…

In 2022, the government scheme 'Recycle, Replace Appliances' was launched, offering subsidies if consumers replaced old split air conditioners and upgraded to more energy-efficient ones. This contributed to huge growth in sales of split air…

Pasta has seen demand rise as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. As a staple product that can be stored and cooked easily, even by novice cooks, pasta saw great sales growth during the lockdown period and continued to benefit even after the easing of…

Sugar has become a key focus of consumer health concerns on the back of increasing publicity around the role of excessive sugar consumption in the development of a range of health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Sugary…

The shortage of both second-hand and new cars that started in 2021 remains a key obstacle to sector performance. During 2022 and 2023, delivery times for new cars exceeds 6 months, reaching even a year in many cases. The lack of both new and…

The health and wellness industry continues to grow in importance post-pandemic as consumers become more aware of the negative health impact of processed foods, seeking healthier foods and beverages from a range of claims such as natural, organic,…

Due to the increase in price points, general inflation, and consumers' lower disposable incomes, the demand for butter has decreased. Consumers have looked to make butter last longer, to purchase cheaper varieties or simply remove the product from…

Value growth in hair care appliances was driven by air styling brushes in 2023, a relatively new category in Greece, posting a strong increase in growth. The value increase also benefited from the entry of Dyson products, which have a retail price…

Players are capitalising on the particularly strong demand for healthy ready meals as these combine the desire for a nutritious meal with convenience and consumers’ now entrenched habit of consuming ready meals whilst at work. At the end of 2022, new…

Plant-based milk is rising in popularity; the consumer base is widening with a growing number of people shifting to plant-based diets for reasons of health and wellness, in addition to avoiding products with lactose. As seen with vegan cheese,…

In 2023, open-loop pre-paid cards have seen a mild increase in the number of cards, transaction volume, and transaction value. This uptick is part of the general momentum in card transactions driven by the proliferation of digital wallets,…

The experiences of the COVID-19 crisis led consumers to feel that products such as hot drinks should not only satisfy thirst and need, but also provide elements to boost the functioning of their immune systems and help with their health. This has…

2022 was a challenging year for milk production due to high price points. In particular, fodder got much more expensive, and livestock farmers could not feed their animals, leading to a higher proportion of being slaughtered. As a result, the number…

Although washing machines are appliances of high priority and will therefore be replaced immediately if they stop working, the replacement of functioning washing machines was postponed by consumers in 2022 and 2023. This was due to households gaining…

Other hot drinks posted a steep retail volume decline in 2023, aligned to the cost of living crisis and lower disposable incomes. As such, consumer purchasing changed, and many focused on essentials, with other hot drinks lacking commodity status. In…

Air fryers is a dynamic category in consumer appliances, posting the strongest growth in retail volume in 2022 while continuing to witness an increase in penetration in 2023. More players have entered the landscape, and the increase in competition…

The penetration of freestanding cookers is steadily decreasing year-on-year as trends in kitchen design are unfavourable to these products. Freestanding growth derives solely from replacement purchases and small models targeted at students. The…

The prices of most products in food preparation appliances were subjected to hikes, driven by rising inflation, and an uplift in costs for transportation and manufacturing in 2022. While transport and shipping costs were beginning to normalise, price…