Greece

The presence of store cards remained negligible in Greece during 2022. No major interest in launching products in this category of the financial cards has been shown by any of the country’s financial cards issuers. In particular, the unfavourable…

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…

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…

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…

AgriFarm has recently unveiled its latest product line: vegan snack bars crafted from legumes. These come in three novel flavours, namely, roasted vegetables with thyme, Greek herbs with oregano, and Mediterranean with tomato, olive, and basil. The…

The cessation of the pandemic and the subsequent transition back to normality have played a significant role in accelerating snack consumption in Greece. As people are spending more time outside their homes, they are leaning on the convenience of…

Halva, a traditional Greek product rich in nutrients, is witnessing a rapid rise in popularity in 2023. Traditionally associated with fasting periods, halva has transcended this limited role to become a staple in the Greek diet. This shift can be…

Though retail volume growth is slowing for snack bars overall in 2023, snack bars have steadily gained favour among consumers in Greece, marking a rising trend towards healthy and convenient, on-the-go food options. Oat-based bars, in particular,…

Computers and peripherals are expected to be the worst performing consumer electronic in 2023, with double-digit volume decline. Part of the decline is related to surge in spending on computers and peripherals during the early days of the pandemic,…

The picture is expected to be bleak for consumer electronics in 2023, with overall volume sales expected to fall. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the significant rise in inflation and tightening monetary…

Headphones is expected to register double-digit volume growth in 2023 and is expected to be the best performing consumer electronic in 2023. This growth is solely driven by increased volume sales for TWS earbuds, with volume sales expected to fall…

Several factors contribute to an expected significant decline in home audio in 2023. Continuing elevated inflation is reducing consumer purchasing power. In addition, during the early pandemic, there was a surge in spending on home audio, as people…

Home video is expected to register minimal volume decline in 2023. Several factors are expected to cause the negative performance. Continuing inflation is resulting in lowering purchasing power. Also, there was a surge in sales of big-ticket items…

Imaging devices are expected to register further volume decline in 2023. Continuing advances in smartphones cameras leading are leading to continual decline in imaging devices, to the extent that some smartphones can meet the imaging device needs of…

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…

There is expected to be a decrease in volume sales of smartphones, which is by far the most popular mobile phone, in 2023. Continuing inflation and rising price sensitivity is persuading many consumers to put off upgrading their smartphone. That…

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…

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…

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…

Given the strong increase in tourism flows, lodging, travel modes and foodservice had almost fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels by 2022, although this was not the case for intermediaries. Even though value sales in intermediaries posted a strong…

Retail value sales of lodging (destination) continued to post strong retail value growth in Greece, driven by luxury and upscale hotels, which have already recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Alongside the growth of luxury and upscale hotels, there has…

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…

Tourism flows are showing a strong increase in 2023 on both a domestic and international level. Despite the impact of inflation on disposable incomes and travel prices increases, consumers are not willing to cut down on their spending as they seek to…

Upon the lifting of all COVID-19 related regulations, including the compulsory use of face masks, social distancing rules and compulsory self-isolation, there has been a surge in illness which has been a major contributor to sales growth 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 May 2022, Greece lifted all COVID-19 related regulations. This included the compulsory use of face masks and social distancing rules, and although use of face masks remains fairly high in Greece compared to other European countries, it appears…

Dermatologicals has seen demand weaken in the post-pandemic period. While certain COVID-19 related habits, such as the use of hand sanitisers, remain relevant and people in Greece continue to use them much more than they did in the past, this is a…

Digestive health has recovered its status as a key growth driver in dietary supplements, with probiotics amongst the best performers in the Greek market. Demand was growing rapidly prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, but the pandemic led to growth…

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…

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…

Herbal/traditional cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies has posted very strong growth in 2022 and in 2023 as the category has benefited from the surge in respiratory illness that was seen in Greece in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 in line with the…

The retail prices of all NRT smoking cessation aids product types have been subject to significant hikes in 2022 and 2023 and this has led to strong growth in value in those years. The penetration of NRT smoking cessation aids in volume terms remains…

The re-opening of schools and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, such as compulsory use of face masks in schools, is leading to strong growth for multiple categories within paediatric consumer health. For example, sales of lice/anti-parasitic…

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…

Alongside the re-opening of gyms and the increase in the number of people engaging in sporting activities since the pandemic being growth drivers for sports nutrition, the category also appears to be appealing to a different consumer group. Consumers…

Vitamin C and vitamin D have posted dramatic increases in sales since the onset of the pandemic. Consequently, in 2022, sales already started to show signs of decline due to maturity. Vitamin D, which is the largest category, witnessed losses in 2022…

The over-promising claims that weight loss supplements have been making through the years are affecting the category’s performance. Consumers have been losing their trust in the efficacy of weight loss supplements and this is affecting sales. Despite…

The wound care category has been subject to price hikes in 2022 and 2023 in the context of high rates of inflation and hikes in production and transport costs. Wound care is not subject to the same regulatory framework as other OTC products and,…

The low birth rate in Greece is a challenge for retail volume sales of baby food. While the price hikes in 2022 and 2023 meant that baby food is set to record a positive current retail value growth, parents are finding it difficult to afford. As…

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…

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…

Increasing product costs, rising energy prices, and inflation led to price rises across all dairy products in Greece. This has impacted consumer behaviour, hindered volume demand and limited purchases in line with reduced disposable incomes. There…

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…

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…

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,…

Inflation and increased prices of milk resulted in price hikes in yoghurt. This led to consumers turning to private labels, being unable to afford branded options. As a result, private label gained a significant market share, occupying the second…

Although state finances are improving and political stability has returned, Greece continues to have an issue with corruption. Economic development is set to slow further, but inflation has also fallen markedly, but high unemployment remains a…

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,…

The ready meals category is not as strong in Greece as in other Western countries due to the fact that Greek households still remain fairly traditional, with families eating primarily home cooked meals instead of buying packaged ready meals. This…

Protein is perhaps the most popular ingredient consumers currently look for in almost any packaged food in the Greek market. With the increasing interest in regular exercise and sporting activity after the outbreak of COVID-19, Greek consumers have…