Latin America

Sales of cider/perry remained negligible in Ecuador in 2021.

Demand for ready meals packaging rose at its most rapid rate for many years in 2020, as COVID-19 restrictions led to consumers spending more time at home and therefore eating more meals there. Dried ready meals, shelf stable ready meals, frozen ready…

COVID-19 had a positive impact on demand for sauces, dressings and condiments in 2020, as consumers were spending more time at home and therefore preparing and eating more meals and snacks there. This effect was particularly notable for chilli sauces…

A more business-friendly government, elected in 2021, could improve economic freedom. However, protests by indigenous factions have been violently suppressed. Economic performance is expected to be stronger than the regional average, whilst…

Grenada enjoys political stability, although its state finances have deteriorated as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Tourism accounts for a large share of exports and output, which is likely to lead to economic underperformance…

French subsidies help to maintain political stability on Guadeloupe, although the islands are prone to civil unrest against socio-economic conditions. Substantial reliance on tourism resulted in recession in 2020, caused by the negative impact of the…

Political instability has been partly to blame for a deterioration in peacefulness in Guyana, although efforts to tackle corruption are improving. The economy was the best performer globally in 2020, but major oil discoveries also raise the country’s…

The Netherlands maintains considerable clout over the affairs of Curacao, which is leading to growing calls for a full split from the European nation. Given that the economy is highly dependent on tourism and oil refining, it has suffered at the…

Charge cards are not significant in Peru, nor are they noted in Euromonitor International data.

Dependence on the Netherlands for fiscal support is a source of uncertainty for Sint Maarten. Crime rates are high and the country’s sovereign credit has been downgraded. Excessive reliance on tourism caused a severe recession, given the impact of…

In Guatemala, the direct selling channel continues to rely heavily on in-person interactions as e-commerce penetration remains relatively low. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on direct selling in 2020 due to government…

In 2022, retail value sales of grocery retailers recorded substantial growth. Inflationary pressures were a key contributor to this strong value increase, while volume sales growth decelerated compared to the previous year. Overall, increases in the…

Pharmacies in Guatemala saw robust year-on-year sales growth in 2022. However, when viewed in constant terms (i.e., adjusted for inflation), the sales growth rate slowed from the previous year. This can be attributed to the circumstances of the…

Prior to 2020, e-commerce in Guatemala had been experiencing steady growth over the years, but adoption rates remained relatively low. However, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a surge in e-commerce sales, particularly among more affluent consumers…

In 2022 retail in El Salvador rebounded. Stronger macroeconomic indicators and a full return to pre-pandemic lifestyles boosted consumer demand, especially among wealthier shoppers. However, high inflation, widespread informal retailing and a…

The retail sector in Guatemala continued to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, although at a slower pace than in 2021. Despite this, it still grew at a rate higher than inflation. The buoyancy of the retail sector was largely driven by…

Retailing in Honduras continued to recover in 2022 in the wake of the pandemic. The industry proved highly resilient despite inflation and high levels of poverty in the country. Modern grocery retailers continued to make inroads due to their…

Following low value sales in 2021, direct selling saw a positive boost in 2022, despite rising price points and inflation. The most positive aspect has been the strong recovery of beauty and personal care sales, the largest part of the category.…

Leading player Wal-Mart continued to invest in expanding Palí and Maxi Pali in 2022, opening new locations nationwide. Between January to September, nine stores in different parts of the country were opened: seven Palí stores and two Maxi Palí. The…

Following its acquisition by Grupo Unicomer, RadioShack reopened its stores in Costa Rica in 2022. The player plans to have 18 outlets within the country by the end of 2024. This moves shows the continued importance, opportunity and growth for…

While e-commerce sales saw significant growth in 2021, in 2022, growth was boosted even further, with strong double-digit value retail growth recorded. Online sales are well developed in Costa Rica in regional terms but remain immature in global…

Retailing in Costa Rica was challenged in 2022, with rising inflation and price hikes impacting consumer buying habits. In addition, high levels of unemployment in the country continued to impact household budgets, shaping purchasing decisions. This…

Retailing rebounded strongly in 2022 in a continuation of the previous year. The reopening of society and the resumption of pre-pandemic lifestyles were enabled by the rollout of vaccines and the waning of the virus, all of which reduced fears of…

Retailing in Paraguay maintained its bounce back in 2022 from the previous year after the market declined in 2020 due to the global pandemic. The full removal of COVID-19 restrictions and the rollout of vaccines facilitated a greater degree of…

The outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit direct selling companies hard as they were almost entirely dependent on their sales agents or distributors to generate sales. Restrictions on movement and socialisation stopped this model in its…

New payment technologies continued to arrive in modern grocery channels in Bolivia at the end of the review period. Consumers demand in-person shopping options that incorporate more of the ease and convenience of online shopping. In a market where…

Pharmacies remained a leading format within non-grocery retailers in Bolivia at the end of the review period. Farmacorp, the leading non-grocery retailer, continued to invest heavily in expansion to reach, according to the company, all regional…

Before the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, e-commerce purchases of goods were largely made via foreign websites, such as Amazon or other similar sites. However, with the development and strong promotion of domestic e-commerce…

The country continued to emerge out of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2022. With the relaxation of restrictions on movement and socialisation, shoppers returned to physical stores, driving the ongoing recovery of sales in categories that were…

Beauty and personal care remain the main category in direct selling with brands like Belcorp and Natura posting positive growth in 2022. The use of personalized recommendations and innovative products at affordable prices is supporting development.…

Beauty and personal care brands, including players such as Avon, continued to represent the largest part of the direct selling business. In 2022, these players were able to leverage their longstanding relationship with consumers, using their solid…

Reduced price initiatives continue to gain momentum in the Dominican Republic as inflation squeezes consumer expenditure. Price sensitivity has been an issue since the pandemic with Dominicans looking for more affordable options. The number of…

The reduction in spending power in Argentina and the rise of prices in Uruguay have impacted the results of some of the key players in grocery retailers. The exchange between Uruguay and Argentina has traditionally been strong, with a long-standing…

Non-grocery retailers posted a strong rise in current value growth in 2022 supported by a rebound in demand as consumer lifestyles shifted back to greater normality post-pandemic. Inflationary pressures have undoubtedly pushed up retail prices, but…

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, restrictions on travel and socialising heavily impacted certain non-grocery retailers, as consumers were confided to the household. With the risk of COVID-19 reducing, the government has lifted restrictions on…

While higher retail prices and lower spending power led to more conscious consumption in 2022, special promotional days provided a welcome boost to value sales throughout the year. Black Friday hosted between the 24 and 27th of November was such an…

The make-up of e-commerce in Uruguay and the current retail environment has resulted in third party merchants holding considerable value share in the channel. Beyond those third party merchants, grocery retailers have a strong share. Henderson &…

Consumers were impacted by high inflation and rising prices in 2022 and increasingly opted to reduce their spending or seek out promotional deals to budget effectively. Dominicans sought out retailers and channels that offered the greatest return on…

Inflation and ongoing price increases significantly impacted the retail industry in 2022. High price rises led to changing consumer behaviours, with a drop in demand as many were looking to delay significant purchases, reducing and adapting their…

The channel did not see any important changes in the last couple of years of the review period, with no new brands entering the market or announcing their intention to do so. This meant that the existing players continued to gain ground, using new…

Grocery retailers continued to see dynamic growth in 2022, with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions supporting economic activity and boosting consumer confidence. Furthermore, while many consumers remained price sensitive in 2022, spending was…

According to the Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas y Censos (INEC), consumer appliances and electronics experienced a reduction in prices over 2022, when compared to 2021. This was in part due to a normalisation of production thereby ensuring there…

Historically, online spending by Ecuadorians has been primarily focused on services and entertainment. However, consumption patterns in this area changed dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, with people increasingly choosing to purchase…

Retail in Ecuador posted strong growth in current value terms in 2022, building on the strong recovery posted the previous year. With COVID-19 fears subsiding and most of the remaining restrictions being lifted locals and foreign visitors were more…

Sustainability and environmental concerns are becoming increasingly important in Brazil’s home care market – from the production chain to the disposal of the products after usage. According to Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer:…

Mexicans continued to focus on maintaining high levels of household hygiene and sanitation in 2022, helping to drive demand for home care products in this year. Furthermore, in line with the global trend of purchasing more green products, Mexicans…

In 2020, with home seclusion and strict COVID-19 measures in place, sales of laundry care, and therefore also its packaging unit volumes, suffered as consumers felt they did not need to do their laundry as regularly, given they were going out a lot…

Columbians heavily prioritised maintaining high levels of hygiene in their homes and surroundings during the pandemic to try and minimise the possibility of contracting the COVID-19 virus. This was reinforced by a number of international and national…

After the insecurity created by the pandemic and social distancing measures imposed in Brazil over 2020-2021, 2022 was the first “normal” year in the country following the emergence of COVID-19. The local workforce returned to the office and the…

With the advance of Brazil’s vaccination programme over 2022, outdoor activities and social gatherings were resumed on a regular basis for most local consumers. After close to two years of home seclusion, the population was eager to spend time…