Retailing

Following strong retail value growth in 2022, home products specialists in Portugal continued to grow in 2023. The Portuguese continued to look for solutions to improve their homes, looking at DIY and decoration options, while pet shops, superstores,…

After enjoying growth during the pandemic, home products specialists recorded a decline in current value sales in 2023 as Swiss consumers returned to pre-pandemic activity and purchasing behaviour. This was to be somewhat expected in a mature and…

Home products specialists are focusing more on sustainability. This is a reaction to consumers becoming increasingly demanding and wanting to reduce their carbon footprint. Consumers are becoming more aware of the wider impact of their purchasing…

With inflation still being very high, overall home improvements registered a fall in constant value sales in Turkey in 2023, as consumers cut back on spending, due to reduced purchasing power. There were also no opening of outlets. Homewares and home…

Hypermarkets in Belgium experienced a flat performance in 2023 with no perceptible growth in current value terms. This was mainly due to competition from discounters and supermarkets which offered consistently lower prices. This became especially…

Hypermarkets continued to face strong competition from discounters in Denmark in 2023 as many consumers looked to save on their grocery shopping due to the financial impact of higher energy prices and increasing interest rates. However, as…

Inflation rates drove retail value sales of grocery retailers in Portugal in 2023, with hypermarkets showing positive value growth despite losing competitiveness to smaller concepts such as supermarkets and discounters. Although hypermarkets offer a…

Despite, or rather because of, average price increases, grocery sales and thus sales through grocery retailers, including hypermarkets, declined in Switzerland in 2023. Local consumers remained highly price sensitive and prioritised essential…

Hypermarkets was the most dynamic grocery retailers category in current value terms in 2023. Although people are spending less on the extra services that were installed in hypermarkets over review period (eg prepared meals, cobblers etc) they are…

After discounters, hypermarkets were the best performing grocery channel in Turkey in 2023, in terms of value growth. With inflation still high, hypermarkets registered both a double-digit percentage increase in current and constant value sales.…

Retail e-commerce in Belgium saw a more muted performance in 2023, compared to the previous two years. This was linked to the impact of inflation, with many shoppers preferring to visit physical stores to seek out the best promotions and offers, as…

E-commerce in Denmark saw a return to growth in current value terms in Denmark in 2023 even as consumers continued to return to in-store shopping and the economic situation resulted in many consumers trying to limit spending. Although the rate of…

In 2023, retail e-commerce in Portugal recorded single-digit retail value growth. After a substantial uplift in sales during COVID-19, the landscape recorded a slowdown during 2022. This continued into 2023, with the channel losing share to offline…

E-commerce enjoyed a boom during the pandemic as many local consumers spent significant amounts of time at home for work and leisure and reduced spending on events, entertainment and shopping in-store. As a result, growth was more moderate in 2023.…

Consumers are increasingly shopping online for their groceries with the return to busy lives away from the home leaving less time for grocery shopping. Growth was seen from both pure players and traditional store-based grocery retailers which have…

While retail e-commerce in Turkey registered an increase in both current and constant value sales in 2023, it was not one of the stronger performing retail channels. This was because with appliances and electronics continuing to be the most popular…

Retail in Belgium saw only modest growth in current value terms in 2023. This was mainly due to inflationary pressures, in the light of still rising food prices, which placed a strain on household budgets. With consumers remaining pessimistic about…

The retail market in Denmark saw stagnation in current value terms in 2023. The Danish economy is doing well compared to many other countries and has seen low unemployment and a declining rate of inflation. However, consumers continue to face…

Retail in Portugal in 2023 continued to record positive retail value growth despite consumers' loss of purchasing power. High inflation rates, combined with the return of tourism, bolstered retail value growth, which was particularly high for…

Retail sales in Switzerland in 2023 saw minimal current value growth, which was solely driven by price increases. Paradoxically, this was also one of the main limiting factors on demand. Substantial increases in the cost of living made local…

Retail in the Netherlands saw positive growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was largely reflective of the impact of inflation and price rises rather than an increase in consumption. Many channels actually reported declining volume sales in…

Retail registered both an increase in current and constant value sales in 2023. The Turkish economy improved somewhat in 2023, as significant interest rates hikes and significant currency devaluation dampened inflation. However, inflation remained…

Small local grocers in Belgium registered only modest growth current value terms in 2023. Moreover, this was largely due to inflationary pressures, with the number of outlets continuing to decline. With players facing rising operating costs, these…

As life returned to normal in Denmark in 2023, consumers continued to shop more in stores and small local grocers benefited from this development. However, small local grocers also faced growing competition from the major chains and especially from…

Small local grocers in Portugal continued to lose competitiveness in 2023; the consequence of strong inflation rates, increasing costs and the growing competition from larger players. For example, it is easier for supermarkets to implement deals,…

Small local grocers recorded moderate current value growth in Switzerland in 2023, mainly driven by price increases as a result of energy, production and supply chain costs. These retailers are struggling to compete with larger retail chains that…

Small local grocers are increasingly trying to find ways to compete with supermarkets and other modern grocery retailers in what has been a tough economic environment. Small local grocers often struggle to achieve economies of scale with even many of…

There was a further contraction in outlets of small local grocers in Turkey in 2023, as increasing numbers of operators were unable to compete with other formats, in a climate of rising inflation and rising costs. It is extremely difficult for small…

Supermarkets in Belgium recorded modest growth in current value terms in 2023. However, this was mainly due to inflationary pressures, with rising input costs leading to price rises increases across the channel. Such outlets also suffered from…

Supermarkets continued to face strong competition from discounters in Denmark in 2023, as many consumers looked to save on their grocery shopping due to the financial impact of higher energy prices and increasing interest rates. On the other side,…

In 2023, retail value growth was double-digit for supermarkets in Portugal. During the outbreak of COVID-19, supermarkets experienced a temporary increase in sales as consumers stockpiled goods – however, this placed pressure on retailers to ensure…

Although supermarkets saw modest declines across all metrics in 2023, the channel remained Switzerland's leading grocery retail channel in current value terms due to the significant store network across the country. By comparison, the number of…

Despite the increasing competition from hypermarkets and discounters, supermarkets remains by far the largest grocery retailers category in the Netherlands, with it continuing to expand its footprint in 2023. Competition in supermarkets is still…

In the last two years of the review period, a noticeable trend in supermarket chains in Turkey involves a strategic reallocation of shelf space within their outlets. There has been a deliberate reduction in the variety of items related to clothing…

Vending in Belgium saw a flat performance in current value terms in 2023, as inflationary pressures weighed on household spending. With wallets being squeezed, consumers switched to channels offering better value-for-money. This was in spite of an…

Vending continued to see positive growth in Denmark in 2023. However, this was largely a correction as the category saw a strong decline during the COVID-19 crisis. The fact that consumers are once again spending more time outside and exercising,…

Vending in Portugal in 2023 saw strong retail value growth, fuelled by the positive performance of the tobacco industry. Vending is the most important channel for the tobacco industry and represented 35% of the total volume of cigarette sales in the…

Post-pandemic, consumers in Switzerland began to spend much more time outside of the home for work and leisure activities, boosting demand for on-the-go products sold through vending machines. In 2023, this trend continued, but growth was more…

Grocery retailers are coming under pressure and have seen their turnover threatened by decreasing volume sales and increased competition from other grocery players and other players. As a result, they are looking for other ways to invest and increase…

Value sales continued to be modest for vending in Turkey in 2023. There are a limited number of vending machines, mainly located in the underground stations in Istanbul and Ankara, with snacks and soft drinks being the most popular products sold…

Apparel and footwear specialists saw current value growth in 2023. Inflation and continued price increases have been driving more and more consumers into the second-hand market, which is gradually gaining ground in Greece. Recently, the Bulgarian…

Following Olympia’s EUR50 million investment in Public, which left Olympia owning 98% of the Public-Media Markt venture in Greece and Cyprus, the Media Markt stores have been rebranded Public + home and specialise in white appliances. Consequently,…

Convenience retailers witnessed growth in Greece in 2023 as more and more people visited their stores for their daily purchases. This trend started during the COVID-19 crisis, when consumers procured essential goods from nearby stores, and now it has…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

Retail e-commerce saw more modest current value growth in Greece in 2023, following three consecutive years of double-digit expansion. The fact that the penetration rate of e-commerce in many categories was relatively low by Western European…