North America

Small local grocers were becoming more popular in Canada in 2023, as they offered convenience, variety, and fresh products to urban consumers leading ever more hectic lifestyles. Small format stores allow retailers to adapt to changing consumer…

Small local grocers experienced positive growth in current value terms in the US in 2023, although it was one of the lower growth channels within grocery retailers, and decline continued in value terms at constant 2023 prices. Small local grocers in…

From 2023, vape stores in Quebec are unable to sell flavoured products. They can only sell tobacco or flavourless e-vapour sticks. Volume sales of E-vapour products have declined by up to 70% in this region following the introduction of these…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in the US saw dynamic current value growth in 2023. There was a clear winner in this year, as nicotine pouches outperformed the rest of the category by a wide margin, and made a big splash in…

While overall inflation in Canada has eased somewhat in 2024, food inflation remains high, impacting snacks as a product area as a whole. Sugar confectionery, gum, and sweet biscuits have been among the hardest hit areas. Additionally, historically…

Entering 2023, consumers continued to face a tense economic environment, causing constrictions in discretionary spending. Notably, consumers are bracing themselves against the constant threat of recession. As the US Federal Reserve has continued to…

Post-COVID-19, more Canadians have resumed work outside of the home and begun partaking in social and outdoor activities again. This has led to a decline in retail volume sales of soft drinks, except in the case of impulse-driven, single-serve…

On-trade volume sales of soft drinks in the US are set to continue to grow in 2023. Much of the country has returned to somewhat normal operations, particularly during the busy summer months in terms of on-trade consumption of beverages. Higher rates…

There has been an increasing shift towards smaller formats in the packaging of soft drinks among Canadian consumers. This shift can be primarily attributed to the convenience offered by smaller packaging, like fitting easily into bags or cup holders…

PepsiCo Beverages North America recently made another significant step on its sustainability journey by replacing plastic rings with paperboard packaging for carbonates multipacks in North America, starting from 29 August 2023. This was for both…

2024 has seen a return to normalised growth for spectacles in Canada, following a strong 2023, which has been benefitting from the tailwind of consumers returning to workplaces and engaging in out-of-home activities after public COVID-19 safety…

In 2024, spectacles in the US is set to post mid-single-digit current value growth, with increases across all categories. Unit prices are expected to see slower increases as the inflated economic environment has stabilised in the US. Volume growth is…

Spirits continued to show healthy growth in 2023, driven by strong performances in categories like tequila, vodka, and non-alcoholic spirits. The increasing demand for high-quality and innovative products fuelled significant new product development…

2023 was a difficult year for spirits. Despite experiencing a period of high growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, the category faced an increasingly challenging environment due to both consumer and industry dynamics. Supply chain issues and rising…

Sports drinks saw overall positive growth in retail volume sales in 2023. With the pandemic behind them, the everyday lives of Canadians have become more mobile. As such, sports drinks benefit from increased outdoor activities and gym training…

After being impacted by record-high inflation in 2022, sports drinks has continued to see prices pushed in 2023, with high single-digit growth expected in off-trade unit prices in nominal terms. This price growth is in line with much of the soft…

Sports nutrition suffered from the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Canada in 2020. Access to key distribution formats for sports nutrition products, such as gym/fitness centres and specialist retailers, was heavily affected as…

Sports nutrition is one of the most exciting and fast-moving categories in the consumer health industry, with double-digit current value growth expected to continue in 2023. It experienced a modest decline in 2020, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.…

Sportswear registers healthy growth in 2023, building on significant gains from the previous year. Growth moderates as consumer demand transitions back to standard drivers after the pandemic years, where athleisure and sportswear were favoured for…

In the face of peaking inflation rates and declining consumer confidence in 2022, sports apparel and footwear outperformed the broader apparel and footwear industry. This trend has extended into 2023, with sportswear displaying remarkable resilience…

In 2023, Canada faces the challenge of record-high food inflation, with the nation experiencing the highest food inflation rates in years, as evidenced by soaring food prices despite a general decline in overall inflation. This price surge…

Similar to 2022, 2023 is set to be a challenging year for staple foods. While most of the supply chain issues from the pandemic have subsided, commodities still present an issue, some to more elevated levels, due to the persistence of the war in…

While strong foodservice growth continues to fuel starchy roots, retail volumes are fluctuating. Notably, potatoes continues to see declining retail demand, signifying a longer road to recovery than previously hoped for. Disruptions to the harvesting…

Store cards is recording only low growth in Canada in 2023, for several reasons. A glaring limitation lies in store cards’ narrowed reward horizons, compounded by a restricted usability across disparate retail chains. This inherent constriction has…

As in so many cases, perhaps the biggest story for store cards in the US in 2023 has been the twin forces of high inflation and high interest rates. While inflation has crept down over the course of 2023 in the US, the price increases that have…

With Canadian consumers increasingly interested in different food options, healthier choices, and more adventurous recipes, the image of trucks and stalls only offering fast food is disappearing. Stalls have innovated and introduced new items to…

A significant portion of street stalls/kiosks consists of food trucks and street vendors that primarily operate in urban environments with ample foot traffic. In light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, nationwide lockdowns, expanded…

While 2022 saw an easing of retail volume declines for sugar and sweeteners, at-home demand continues to fall in 2023. The category is being increasingly influenced by a combination of health trends as well as economic pressures. Despite continuing…

Sugar confectionery in Canada is experiencing a deceleration in value growth during 2024. This slowdown can be attributed to two key factors. Firstly, a significant rise in sugar confectionery prices has led consumers to seek alternative sweet…

Sugar confectionery saw retail volume and current value growth throughout the pandemic, and this trend is set to continue in 2023. Sugar spun in new and unique ways has caught the imagination of consumers of all ages with a sweet tooth. Viral trends…

Sunscreen experienced robust growth in 2023, following a surge in demand driven by travel in the previous year. While volume growth normalised after the travel-driven spike in 2022, sunscreen sales continued to soar, primarily led by value due to…

Sun care maintained solid retail volume growth and dynamic current value growth in the US in 2023. Sun protection in particular has surged in popularity in recent times, emerging as a highly coveted category in the realm of beauty and personal care.…

Sunglasses in Canada resumed value growth in the first months of 2024 after experiencing a decline in 2023. This decline was primarily attributed to a normalisation of sales following a robust travel-induced recovery in 2022. Additionally, consumers…

Following the relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions, sunglasses in the US showed signs of recovery in 2021, and surpassed the pre-pandemic (2019) level of current value sales in 2022. This resurgence was fuelled by a return to outdoor…

Supermarkets players in Canada faced some notable challenges in 2023, such as rising prices, a potential recession, high levels of uncertainty, and supply chain disruptions. These factors continue to test the loyalty of Canadian consumers, many of…

Although supermarkets recorded positive growth in the US in current value terms in 2023, it posted near flat growth at constant 2023 prices. As such, inflation, rather than a higher number of units sold, was behind much of the value gain. In current…

In 2023, retail value grew on the surface care landscape due to inflation-driven price increases. These rises challenged volume sales, leading to an overall retail volume decline, further driven by consumers using fewer products as they transitioned…

Impregnated wet wipes in the US witnessed price-driven value growth in 2023, while consumers reduced frequency of disinfecting and sanitising. According to the results of Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2023,…

Over half of Canadian consumers recycle items and reduce food waste, while nearly 60% are wary of their environmental impact. This has led 35% of consumers to identify as Zero Wasters, creating opportunities for industries as almost half of these…

Recycling and reducing food waste is well-established in the USA, creating a strong opportunity for Zero Waste product development, while implementing the Can Be Recycled claim would be welcomed by locals. There is a solid opportunity for industries…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars, and fruit snacks are experiencing a deceleration in value growth in 2024. Inflationary pressures are impacting certain products, such as sweet biscuits and dried fruits. However, the most significant factor hindering…

While volume sales of sweet biscuits declined in 2022, inflationary pressures gave private label a jump in share in 2022; trends which are set to be maintained in 2023. Although more consumers have moved to shopping in discounters, some have moved to…

Sweet spreads, often criticised for their high sugar content in products such as chocolate spreads, jams, preserves, and nut- or seed-based spreads, are undergoing a transformation. Companies are actively working to change the perception that these…

A salmonella outbreak in 17 states in 2022 was linked to The JM Smucker Co’s production facility, resulting in massive recalls for the leader in sweet spreads. The company’s positioning not only as a B2C player but also as an ingredient supplier for…

Although PET jars still lead packaging in chocolate spreads, glass jars have been gaining unit volume share in this category. Glass jars are considered more environmentally friendly than plastic packaging as they are recyclable and can be reused.…

While nut- and seed-based spreads, such as peanut butter, continued to be predominantly packaged in PET jars in the US in 2023, flexible plastic continued to gain pack type share, as they are increasingly adopted by prominent players such as Jif.…

In 2023, tea continues to benefit from being perceived as a healthy beverage with many benefits, such as boosting immunity or supporting digestive health. As health awareness rises, more consumers are reducing their coffee consumption and…

Tea is not the only beverage facing supply chain challenges. However, when compared with some other beverages in the US, tea is relatively better off, as it has not been affected by harvest issues, like coffee, nor is it heavily reliant on aluminium…

Despite the easing inflationary environment in 2023, certain product areas within the Canadian tissue and hygiene market continue to witness price boosts. On average, lower price increases are observed in Canada compared to the US. The inflation rate…

After a year of high inflation and volume declines in 2022, 2023 saw an improving macroeconomic environment, with 2023’s average inflation rate of around 3% much softened from 2022’s 8%. Unit price increases came through in early 2023, with…