Israel

While overall retail volume sales of air care continued to decline in 2023, this trend was mostly driven by the larger spray/aerosol format, as an increasing number of consumers are moving away from these products due to concerns over the impact of…

As the weather is getting warmer in Israel, consumers are forced to replace their air conditioners more often. As a result, demand for air conditioners and cooling fans remains constant. Furthermore, many consumers replace their air conditioners…

Airlines have rebounded strongly in 2023 with sales seeing a full recovery in current value terms while passenger numbers are expected to come close to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year. With the pandemic declared over by the World Health…

Alcoholic drinks saw volume sales rise in Israel in 2023 despite the fact that there was a large increase in the prices of alcohol. In January 2023, the tax on alcohol increased along with the increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), by 5.3%.…

The return to normal lifestyles out of the home is driving retail volume and current value sales of analgesics in 2023. Adults and children alike are more exposed to common colds and viruses requiring pain relief. Children in school are no longer…

Seasonal sales in 2023, were impacted by unfavourable weather conditions, leading to limited and delayed consumer purchases of apparel accessories. 2023 saw unfavourable weather, with an extremely hot winter 2022/2023 leading consumers to delay…

Apparel and footwear is set to record mid-single digit growth in current value terms in 2023, which translates to a decline in constant terms driven by the challenging economic and political environment that have seen Israeli consumers limiting their…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Israel are those notably affected by macroeconomic factors in 2023, with a notable rise in import costs and concurrent increases in essential family expenditures such as housing, food, and gas. Additionally,…

Appliances and electronics specialists in Israel continued on a pattern of normalisation in 2023, aligning with the global trends of correction after the surge in sales seen during the pandemic lockdowns, as consumers focused on creating the optimal…

Away-from-home (AFH) tissue and hygiene saw current value growth in Israel in 2023, boosted by price rises. The latter part of the review period did, however, see some channels experience notable challenges, which dampened demand for AFH tissue, in…

Overall, baby and child-specific products saw current value growth in Israel in 2023. As local consumers become more aware of the potential negative impacts of over-exposure to the sun on skin health, the demand for sun protection products continues…

All of the players in baby food have increased prices during 2023, despite the price-sensitivity of consumers. Companies have increased prices due to high inflation, rising costs of shipping and raw materials. In addition, the decreasing value of the…

In July 2022, the Price Control Committee declared that bread should be removed from price controls. The move required the approval of the Ministry of Economics, which was not forthcoming due to the fear that this would cause price increases for…

Bath and shower saw double-digit current value growth in Israel in 2023. The importation of such products was eased by the reform of regulations relating to cosmetics imports, which came into effect on 1 April 2023. The goal of the reform is to…

The beauty and personal care market remained relatively stable in Israel in 2023. While there were no dramatic upheavals, the market felt the impact of the rising cost of living, with a stronger shift towards mass products in most categories. In…

Beer saw volume sales increase slightly in Israel in 2023. Growing interest in craft beer remained a very strong trend in the market. While it has been adversely impacted by the Israel-Hamas War, immediately prior to the outbreak of the war the craft…

The pandemic resulted in a surge in demand for bleach, as local consumers rushed to purchase home care products associated with the elimination of dirt, viruses and bacteria as part of heightened hygiene concerns.

Booking is set to see a full recovery to pre-pandemic sales levels in current value terms in 2023. However, a major factor driving value growth in both leisure and business bookings has been inflation driven price increases.

At the end of 2021, a new law went into effect requiring a deposit of ILS0.3 for all bottles of 1.5 litres and above. This had a direct impact on prices of water in 2022, as 1.5 litres is a very popular size for water bottles. After the tax on…

In November 2022, Unilever increased the prices of cereal for retailers. These increases went into effect over the succeeding three months. In May 2023, Osem announced a price rise for its products, including cereals, by an average of 4.7%. In May…

Butter in Israel had a very high customs tax of 126-140%. This made importing butter unviable for players in the category, except for specific importers allowed to import small amount without the customs tax attached. In 2019, the country started to…

There was a price increase for raw milk in the Israeli market in 2023. After prices rose for consumers in supermarkets, suppliers also increased prices for restaurants. In May 2023, Tnuva announced a 4.6% price hike for dairy products that are not…

In 2023, growth in the number of medical cannabis patients slowed significantly in Israel. In the first half of the year the number of medical patients grew by only 1,500; meanwhile, in 2021 monthly growth averaged 2,400, while in 2022 it was 1,220.…

The tax on all sweetened beverages was removed at the end of March 2023, as a result of opposition from the ultra-Orthodox community. The Ministry of Health required retailers to lower prices within three days of the tax being removed, with the…

Cat food is expected to see current value growth in Israel in 2024. Despite the continued rise in the cost of living towards the end of the review period, local consumers are continuing to purchase premium foods and products for their cats. Locals…

The increasing prevalence of charge cards issued by non-bank entities in 2023 is significantly impacting the usage of charge cards. The convenience and security offered by digital wallets pose a threat to credit card usage. The rapid growth of…

The government has removed customs taxes for certain imported cheeses, such as soft cheeses with a fat percentage over 5%. Previously, these cheeses were taxed at ILS8.04-13.21 per kg. The customs tax is mainly set to be removed in two stages. Half…

Childrenswear has faced various headwinds. The several increases in interest rates and high inflation, which averaged at around 4.3% in 2022 and 2023, compounded by the political turmoil revolving around the government’s contentious judicial reforms,…

Chocolate confectionery is set to see current value growth in Israel in 2024. The price of cocoa and sugar have increased in recent months, driving up value sales in the chocolate confectionery market. In May 2023, Diplomat increased the prices of…

Cider/perry saw volume sales fall in Israel in 2023. As the cocktail trend grew in the local market, the RTD trend grew as well. Local consumers who want to have a lighter drink typically opt for RTDs as the market is growing and becoming more…

Cigarettes saw a significant increase in volume sales in Israel in 2023. The outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War in October 2023 led to an increase in smoking, with more than one survey seeing a notable increase in the frequency of smoking amongst…

Cigars and cigarillos saw volume sales rise in Israel in 2023, while smoking tobacco also saw volumes increase. Smoking tobacco dominates category retail volume sales in Israel, with fine cut tobacco remaining a popular, more affordable alternative…

In 2023, prices have continued to rise in the packaged food and beverages market, and this has impacted coffee as well. This has largely been due to the high rate of inflation, with rising costs of transportation, energy and raw materials, and…

Colour cosmetics registered double-digit current value growth in Israel in 2023. The cosmetics imports reform that came into effect on 1 April 2023 means that importers and manufacturers no longer need to get a licence for cosmetics products that…

As occurred in 2022, laptops is the only computers category in Israel projected to expand in retail volume terms in 2023. Thanks to growing consumer appreciation for their portability, these devices continue to gain popularity at the expense of…

The tax on all sweetened beverages was removed at the end of March 2023, with the Ministry of Health requiring retailers to lower prices within three days of the tax being removed. The removal of the tax led to the lowering of prices in the…

Overall, the consumer appliances market in Israel was navigating political uncertainties in 2023, while embracing change through regulatory reforms and an emphasis on energy efficient technologies. After the big surge in sales with the COVID-19…

In 2023, the growth of consumer lending in Israel experienced a notable slowdown, continuing a trend observed over recent years. The outstanding balance in card lending saw a decline, significantly influenced by rising inflation and the increasing…

Consumer electronics in Israel is set to record another solid performance in volume terms in 2023, with growth expected to be up marginally from 2022. Together with a rapidly expanding population and sustained growth in the number of households in…

After a strong recovery in 2022, consumer foodservice operations in travel locations experienced decline in 2023 due to the Israel-Hamas War. International travel to and from Israel significantly decreased as a result of the war, as did domestic…

The consumer foodservice market in Israel was very uncertain in terms of security, economic conditions and political unrest in 2023. At the end of 2022, there was considerable hope for the restaurant market, after the significant declines seen during…

Consumer health is expected to register a healthy pace of current value growth in 2023. After a successful vaccination programme in 2021, society opened up quickly in Israel. With society returning to greater normality in 2023, common illnesses are…

In 2023, the Bank of Israel implemented a significant benchmark interest rate hike. This resulted in a sharp increase in mortgage payments, impacting individuals who hold mortgages and loans. The aggressive interest rate hikes have escalated mortgage…

Big grocery retailers continued to expand their reach by opening convenience stores in Israel in 2023, targeting urban customers in a highly competitive environment to enhance accessibility and cater to the evolving needs of city-dwellers. This move…

The cost of living continues to rise in Israel, and economic uncertainty is leading to wariness about investing in the domestic economy. Inflation reached the highest levels since 2008 in January 2023. Electricity prices rose by 9% in August 2022,…

The normalisation of consumer lifestyles has hastened the return of common coughs and cold in Israel, with a notable uplift in schools. In April 2022, the mask mandate was removed, aside from specific locations such as hospitals and medical clinics,…

In early 2023, the Israeli government is set to mandate Discount Bank to divest its credit card business, Visa Cal, aiming to enhance competition within the credit card market. This move will introduce a new player to the credit market, fostering a…

Increases in the prices of supervised and non-supervised dairy products in 2022 and 2023 have had a strong impact on categories. Higher prices have constrained retail volume growth potential amid high inflation and the rising cost of living in…

In 2023, Israel experienced a notable surge in debit card usage as more individuals opted to pay with credit cards instead of cash. The number of debit cards in circulation increased remarkably. Furthermore, the volume of transactions using debit…

Deodorants witnessed dynamic current value growth in Israel in 2023. After many companies reduced their use of discounts and increased prices at the end of 2022, the price rises were felt strongly in the final year of the review period. Unilever…