Latin America

In 2023, increased socialising and the return to post-pandemic habits support the growth of several OTC categories. However, high inflation and a fluctuating exchange rate continue to create uncertainty. Inflation in Costa Rica was 8.27% in 2022, the…

In 2023, Colombians returned to their familiar routines, with increasing social activity and hectic lifestyles leading to an increase in cases of cold and benefiting most OTC categories. However, the opposite trend is being observed in vitamins and…

Consumer health in Chile experienced a notable slowdown in value growth in 2022 compared to the previous year's performance. In 2021, the pandemic-induced liquidity in the local market and the shift towards preventive habits among consumers drove…

Consumer health in Brazil is expected to close 2023 with double-digit growth in current value terms for the third consecutive year. While in previous years, the COVID-19 pandemic boosted demand for cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies, as…

Bolivia has managed to protect itself to a large extent from inflation by continuing to have a fixed exchange rate against the dollar. However, there has been challenges for the economy in 2023, with sharp falls in foreign currency reserves and this…

During 2023, Argentina was plunged into an economic crisis, with the rate of inflation soaring to more than 100%, one of the highest in the world. With the country already struggling to comply with the conditions of a loan package from the…

Consumer foodservice sales continued to grow significantly in 2023, but at a slower rate than seen in 2022. One of the key reasons for this growth was increased consumer appetites for dining out thanks to the elimination of pandemic-related…

Consumer foodservice in Mexico experienced healthy growth in 2023, filled with launches, collaborations, and innovations. Given the economic uncertainty experienced during the year, mainly driven by the lingering impact of 2022, consumers were more…

In spite of continuing rising prices in 2023, consumer foodservice registered an increase in constant value sales and there was also further opening of new outlets. However, profit margins were under strain, as costs also continued to rise and…

In 2023, the economic landscape has been marked by inflation, high interest rates, and increased unemployment. As a result, individual budgets have contracted, forcing consumers to focus on essential spending. Nevertheless, post-pandemic, there has…

Consumer foodservice in Brazil experienced a period of adjustment to reality in 2023. This followed a robust growth phase in 2022, driven by the ending of pandemic-related restrictions, as well as high inflation rates, mainly in the first half of the…

2023 was an extremely challenging year for consumer foodservice in Argentina, with skyrocketing inflation and steep price hikes throughout. Brands were forced to frequently raise prices, sometimes as often as weekly, to minimise losses. Consumer…

Consumer foodservice through standalone continued to represent the majority of sales in this category in 2023; however, consumer foodservice through travel saw the most significant growth in terms of both transactions and current value sales thanks…

Consumer foodservice through standalone in Mexico remained the leading location in 2023 across value sales, outlet numbers and transactions, due to the country's market type and urban development. This keeps standalone attractive for both national…

A virtual restaurant in an emerging concept. Also known as a ghost kitchen, cloud kitchen or dark kitchen, it is a foodservice business that serves customers exclusively by delivery or pick-up, with technology driving a lot of the operations. Some of…

In Chile and across Latin America, the security concern has taken centre stage, impacting many businesses nationwide, especially within consumer foodservice. A notable challenge that key players in this industry face is closely tied to the dynamics…

Consumer foodservice in Brazil is mostly dominated by independent operators, with independent players holding 98% share of foodservice outlets in 2023 overall. This demonstrates opportunities for expansion to national and foreign chains. Small…

Airports in Argentina are becoming increasingly attractive locations for consumer foodservice players, with growth driven by the ongoing recovery of both domestic and international tourism. Increased traffic is prompting airports to invest in…

In general, consumer electronics continued to be affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in the final year of the review period. There was a level of stabilisation in many categories in 2022 and 2023, especially those that had seen spikes in…

2022 into 2023 has been difficult for consumer electronics in Colombia, with a contraction in both volume and current value sales. Internal and external factors influenced shrinkage in many categories. Among the most significant was the fact that,…

In 2022, most pandemic restrictions were lifted, and a strong negative impact was seen on volume sales of consumer electronics in Chile, with decline set to continue in 2023, although at a slower rate. These declines have been caused by a fall in…

Retail volume sales of consumer electronics experienced an overall slight decrease in Brazil in 2022, primarily due to the global economic crisis, worsened by the war in Ukraine, and the zero-COVID policy in China. High inflation within Brazil also…

Consumer spending generally remained under pressure in Argentina during 2023. Suppressed commercial activity flowed from an even worse economic performance than what had been expected at the beginning of the year. The main issues include stubbornly…

Consumer credit has continued to witness robust growth in 2023, albeit at a moderated pace compared to the preceding two years. This growth encompasses both outstanding balances and gross lending, having already rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in…

Consumer credit is set to show continued consistent robust growth in gross lending in 2023, driven by improving employment and business performance, and wages that continue to recover in the wake of the pandemic. However, growth will encounter…

In the early months of 2023, a challenging macroeconomic climate, coupled with low consumer confidence, high interest rates to curb demand and soaring inflation, as well as political uncertainty, resulted in a marked deceleration in the issuance of…

Historically, when a consumer applied for a bank loan, the commitment was typically honoured until the debt was fully repaid because the process of making a change was costly and time-consuming. In 2020, Chile introduced the Financial Portability Law…

In June 2023, the percentage of households carrying outstanding debts in Brazil rose by a 0.2 percentage point, reaching a total of 78.5%, the highest level since November 2022. Among these households, 18.5% considered themselves heavily burdened…

While the Buy Now, Pay Later mechanism is still in its early stages in the country, new companies are emerging with innovative models, such as GOcuotas. Despite being relatively small, GOcuotas is experiencing remarkable growth, boasting an annual…

Mexico's consumer appliances sector has encountered significant challenges in 2023, though has managed to register positive growth overall in terms of volume sales. Yoelle Rojas, director of the Nuevo León Electrical Appliances Cluster (Clelac),…

Consumer appliances in Colombia encountered moderate growth in 2023, marking the lowest volume growth in the past six years. Major appliances suffered a decline in volume sales, impacted by multiple factors, including reduced purchasing power among…

Consumer appliances in Chile is witnessing a normalisation of demand in 2023 following several years of fluctuating growth rates. The first two years of the pandemic resulted in a surge in sales for many categories due to prolonged home seclusion.…

Consumer appliances in Brazil reflect macroeconomic effects observed since 2022, especially in the beginning of the year. Since 2022, increased consumer indebtedness has led to growing price-sensitivity and budget constraints, especially towards…

Argentina grappled with an economic downturn in 2023, largely triggered by the worst harvest in over a decade due to a historic drought spanning 2022-2023. The agricultural sector, a linchpin of the local economy and accounting for over half of…

Sugar confectionery packaging, which recorded a decline in its unit volumes when the pandemic hit Mexico in 2020, recorded increasing sales for a third year since then in 2023, continuing its strong post-pandemic recovery. Sugar confectionery in…

Flexible plastic is widely utilised as the primary packaging material in confectionery packaging in Colombia due to its versatility, which allows for various shapes and sizes, accommodating a diverse range of confectionery products. Flexible plastic…

Chocolate confectionery packaging continued to record strong growth in Brazil, helped by a surge in both consumption of and demand for chocolate products, particularly premium and high-quality options. Brand owners have been investing in attractive…

Flexible plastic continued to lead sugar confectionery packaging in Argentina in 2023, thanks to providing advantages such as excellent barrier properties, which protect sugar confectionery from external factors such as light, air, and moisture,…

Concentrates displayed a modest resurgence in off-trade volume sales following a decline in 2022, primarily propelled by decreased demand for powder concentrates. The tap water crisis, attributed to poor water quality due to high sodium content in…

In 2023, concentrates experienced significant growth due to a notable rise in the country's average temperatures driven by El Niño at the year's onset and later in the year. This heightened heat sensation prompted increased hydration needs and thirst…

After returning to pre-pandemic lifestyles, consumption occasions have witnessed certain changes in Mexico. With increasing numbers of consumers venturing out of their homes, the convenience provided by RTD concentrates has become increasingly…

Powder concentrates witnessed a slowdown in the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The product was becoming obsolete, with younger generations of consumers put off by the lack of convenience as it needs to be prepared before consumption. In…

Powder concentrates saw a very interesting trend emerge in 2023 as a discernible dichotomy developed as the demand bifurcated into two significant product segments: fruit-based concentrates that are tailored to the needs of those who are using the…

Concentrates has continued to grow in retail volume and value terms in 2023, with both liquid and powder concentrates seeing healthy gains. Growth has been much stronger in current value terms, however, which is largely due to an inflation-driven…

Persistent inflationary pressures in the country have affected the concentrates category, especially powder concentrates that also saw an increase in the cost of raw materials over the review period. Players largely absorbed these higher production…

Powder concentrates continue to experience a decline in volume as consumers' increased mobility away from home has reduced at-home consumption occasions. The growing demand for fresh fruit for natural juices is supported by data from the National…

As Chilean families see an increase in their incomes and new products emerge in competing categories, concentrates, often regarded as a budget-friendly option, are generally losing popularity. Powder concentrates, the primary format in the category,…

Concentrates is a category that was historically able to leverage and increase sales during times of crisis, as a cheap substitute for juice. Therefore, the scenario of high inflation Brazilians have faced in 2023 seemed to be an indicator of strong…

In 2023, volumes sales are expected to register further volume decline. Consumers prefer the convenience of RTD options and also perceive concentrates as being a staid, old fashioned product area, with little innovation. As such, concentrates are…

Trading down has become more common in concentrates during the review period, with a consumer switch to carbonates prompted by the "Precios Cuidados" government price control programme, which saw several leading brands sold at a discounted price.…