Greece

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…

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…

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…

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…

During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021, commercial charge cards experienced a significant downturn in sales. The lockdowns, decline in tourism (a key driver of the Greek economy), general reduction in business activities, and restrictions on…

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…

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…

The Greek financial card and payments market experienced robust growth in 2022, fuelled by post-pandemic recovery and the impact of inflation. This growth trend persists into 2023, albeit at a slower pace, attributed to the positive economic outlook…

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,…

In 2023, gross lending in the primary category of other personal lending is experiencing a slowdown in growth due to inflation and reduced disposable incomes. Rising prices, coupled with stagnant salaries, have instilled a sense of insecurity in…

The growth of gross lending in consumer lending for 2023 is moderate and slower than what was anticipated a year ago. Factors such as surging inflation, an escalating energy crisis exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine (with its effects…

A post-COVID-19 return to business travel and events such as christenings and weddings benefited apparel accessories in 2023, with a notable increase in volume sales of ties. Belts, too, are benefiting from a return to office work and socialising and…

Inflation and the cost of living crisis affected the performance of apparel and footwear in Greece in 2023, with price increases resulting in substantial current value growth across all categories. Volume sales increased, too, post-COVID-19; however,…

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…

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…

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…

Discounting activities have been gathering pace in footwear as players deploy this strategy to clear out accumulated stock gathered during the pandemic, and to mitigate declines in volume sales as a result of inflationary pressures which are…

Extremely high inflation levels, resulting in price increases across most consumer goods, have directly impacted household purchasing power and led to changes in consumer behaviour. Within hosiery, consumers have become more price-sensitive,…

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…

The impact of hikes in production and transport costs is leading to price increases across menswear in Greece, which was visible in mid-2022 and continues to influence category performance in 2023. Amid the cost of living crisis, which is taking its…

The fast pace of modern life in Greece is forcing consumers to look for quick and easy meal solutions. As a result, the demand for frozen fries is on the increase, driving sales of frozen processed potatoes. Frozen fries are a quick cooking option…

In 2023, retail volume sales of processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat remained in decline due to inflationary pressures. Since 2022, increases in the cost of raw materials, shipping costs, labour wages and energy have led to substantial…

Despite the energy crisis and rising inflation, pasta is witnessing robust volume and current value growth in 2023. Pasta is a relatively cheap staple food that is used to make a variety of dishes and with the cost of living crisis still in play,…

Although inflation is beginning to ease in 2023, average unit prices remain high, and local consumers have been forced to reduce spending on non-essential items, including apparel and footwear. Many consumers are trading down to cheaper brands of…

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…

A mild winter in 2023 led to only modest volume growth for product areas such as jackets and coats and jumpers. However, temperatures were unusually low in late spring, with the summer season starting later than usual. This impacted sales of summer…

Cooking ingredients and meals continues to battle with high prices in 2023, which are impacting consumer’s buying habits, although inflation is lower than in the previous year. Amid this improved economic climate, retail volume sales have made a…

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…

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…

The high cost of living remains an issue for Greeks in 2023, with many consumers being forced to restrict purchases to just the bare essentials. Retail volume sales of sauces, dips and condiments category remain dampened by this trend, although there…

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 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…

Rising inflation and the decline in disposable incomes negatively impacted hot drinks' performance in 2023. Significant increases in price across hot drinks and high inflation led consumers to be increasingly price-sensitive, with sales driven by…

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…

Tea is yet to be a mature landscape in Greece, and as such, it has been attracting investment, with new players and launches seen during the review period. However, in 2023, the cost of living crisis resulted in a slowdown in development. The decline…

There is a very high penetration of private label within bottled water. As such, leading companies are focusing on their brands and forming strategic partnerships with key retailers to produce private label water. This offers opportunities for…

Compared to the European average, sugar free products have a very high share of Carbonates in Greece, and penetration is still growing. Sugar free is strong in Cola, while other soft drink options have strong room for growth, and both domestic and…

There was a lack of developments and investment in the concentrates landscape in 2023, which negatively impacted performance. As a result, sales have continued to decline for another consecutive year. Concentrates is challenged by being viewed as a…

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…

Largely driven by the health trend, chilled Juice has been favoured over the review period, with consumers appreciating the higher nutritional value compared to ambient Juice. However, moving into 2023, ambient Juice had a better performance; the…

RTD coffee has a very low penetration in Greece, largely due to strong competition from fresh coffee. The strong coffee culture in the country, and the wide availability of specialist coffee shops means that takeaway coffee prices are very…

The penetration of RTD Tea sales in supermarkets remains low, and the bulk of the retail volume is derived from the impulse channel. As impulse purchases drive consumption, RTD tea is less impacted by the cut in consumer spending that is challenging…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…