Greece

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…

Hair care registered current value growth in 2023, driven largely by price rises. The two key categories of standard shampoos and conditioners and treatments saw volume sales decline, despite current value growth. For shampoos, price rises were…

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…

General merchandise stores saw continued current value growth in Greece in 2023. Many brands continue to invest heavily in traditional advertising, such as through television, since it still manages to target consumers aged above 40 years old who…

High inflation in 2023 led to declining disposable incomes, in turn slowing down domestic spending in foodservice, despite the year marking a post-pandemic return to normal. While Q1 began with improved performance in terms of sales per outlet, the…

During the pandemic, the main channels for premium fragrances, department stores and beauty specialist retailers, suffered the biggest losses, while home seclusion and limited opportunities for going out and socialising dampened demand. However,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

People are putting more and more emphasis on animal welfare and some brands are incorporating that mindset into their product lines and marketing. For example, Pet City, the leading chain of pet shops and superstores in Greece, attaches great…

Dishwashing is booming in value growth, driven by price hikes caused by increased costs for manufacturers and inflation overall. On the other hand, volume remains stable, albeit at low growth rates. This is because many dishwashing products are…

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 discounters channel saw an upward trend in Greece throughout the review period, which continued in 2023. The challenging economic conditions and high rate of inflation prevailing towards the end of the review period served to bolster consumer…

Direct selling saw sales fall significantly in Greece in 2023. Since direct selling requires not only sales and interpersonal skills, but also strategic thinking, Oriflame decided to start blogging about how people can use direct sales techniques to…

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…

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…

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…

A chronically declining category, hair removers and bleaches has seen an uptick in sales in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this increase can be attributed to increased willingness amongst consumers to socialise.

2023 was very positive for deodorants in Greece, as both core deodorant categories, roll-ons and sprays, recorded strong growth in volume terms. This can be attributed to the increased use of deodorants due to a changing climate and higher inbound…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Convenience retailers witnessed growth in Greece in 2023 as more and more people visited their stores for their daily purchases. This trend started during the COVID-19 crisis, when consumers procured essential goods from nearby stores, and now it has…

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…

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…

Inflation continued to negatively impact consumer foodservice in Greece in 2023, yet to reach its peak in terms of effect. Lingering post-pandemic effects helped to curb drops in footfall despite huge declines in disposable incomes amid steep price…

2022 saw strong growth in inbound tourist flows for Greece, driven by lifted pandemic-related restrictions and the recovery of recreational travel. However, in 2023 there was a decline in inbound tourism, thanks partly to cost hikes in flights and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

As the category hardest hit by COVID-19 due to the closure of department stores and beauty specialist retailers, limited social occasions and mask-wearing, colour cosmetics recorded current value growth in Greece in 2023 but has still yet to return…

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…

The market for cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Greece saw a decline in volume sales in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. While the largest product area, fine cut tobacco, has proved to be more resilient than cigarettes,…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in Greece posted a decline in 2023, following the sluggish performance of the previous year. This occurred within the context of rising levels of health awareness in the country, which had a negative impact on…

As the appeal of cider/perry in Greece remained limited among the domestic population, the category’s performance was fairly flat in 2023, with only a marginal drop in total volume sales. Retail volume sales dropped moderately while on-trade volume…

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…

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…

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…

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…

There has been a growing demand for high-quality customer service when owners go shopping for their cats, with people increasingly looking for treatments and services as well as food and products for their beloved pets. Pet City, which is the leading…

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…

Since mid-2022, inflationary pressures and the decline in disposable incomes have had an impact on Cannabis product consumption in Greece. On the one hand, the cost of living crisis is taking its toll on consumer spending on Cannabis products. These…