Greece

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.

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Health and beauty specialists saw current value growth in Greece in 2023. Players in the channel are working hard to differentiate their offers and adapt to evolving market trends. The Body Shop launched a store in Athens that is sustainably designed…

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,…

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…

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…

Overall inflationary pressures eased in Greece in 2023, compared to the inflation spikes seen in 2022. However, despite this improving economic environment, inflation remains high on home care products. Such pressures derive from the rise in energy…

Home insecticides is another category which is being impacted by price hikes, driven by high costs for manufacturers and inflationary pressures. Whilst players have aimed to absorb their own costs as much as possible, especially in light of the…

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 home products specialists channel registered current value growth in Greece in 2023. During the year, Leroy Merlin, the third largest brand in home products specialists overall, inaugurated its first Naterial store, a showroom that offers the…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

The hypermarkets channel saw value sales rise in Greece in 2023. Hypermarkets are evolving into small shopping centres. Their construction with escalators, their huge parking lots and the variety of products on offer are reminiscent of a shopping…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Despite laundry care remaining in a negative volume slump, value sales remain supported by the higher prices in the category, as the notable players are big global names. Indeed, Procter & Gamble Hellas SA and Unilever Hellas SA are the top two…

2023 saw dramatic rises in living costs resulting from soaring inflation and price hikes for food and energy, with consumer purchasing power squeezed considerably. Greeks had to reduce their spending on foodservice and prioritise essential purchases.…

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…

Strong price increases in supermarkets as a result of inflation was the biggest factor influencing the performance of mass beauty and personal care in Greece in 2023. Many local consumers selected shopping destinations based on offers and discounts…