Retailing

Having seen solid growth in the previous year as the channel seemed to be recovering from the severe impact of the COVID-19 crisis, general merchandise stores saw sales decline again in Denmark in 2023. This came before the channel had returned to…

General merchandise stores in Belgium registered a slight decline in sales in current value terms in 2023, despite ongoing price rises. This was primarily due to the negative performance of department stores, which suffered from competition from…

General merchandise stores continued to significantly outperform retailing overall in terms of value sales growth due in the main to the continuing expansion and success of variety stores. It was one of the areas least affected by the generally sharp…

In 2023, discounters emerged as the largest and most dynamic format in the grocery retail sector in Turkey, passing out supermarkets in terms of value sales for the first time. The key factor driving this dynamism was the further openings of new…

Due to high inflation towards the end of the review period, resulting in elevated prices of goods and services, consumers became increasingly price conscious, supporting the second consecutive year of value growth for discounters in the UK. As…

With inflation remaining elevated in 2023 and disposable income decreasing, consumers were pushed to look for ways to save money. This benefited discounters, with these stores having a strong reputation for offering lower prices than supermarkets.…

Discounters benefitted from heightened price sensitivity in Switzerland in 2023. With average prices increasing across almost all areas of daily life, including in groceries, many local consumers sought to rein in their spending by purchasing…

Discounters in Sweden recorded the fastest retail current value growth among grocery retailers in 2023. The lower-cost grocery retail format was able to derive benefits from the slowdown in the Swedish economy connected to unstable geopolitical…

Even though inflation rates declined in 2023 as compared to the record highs registered in 2022, they remained higher compared to pre-pandemic levels. As a result, price remained the main driving factor behind where many people chose to shop for…

In 2023, discounters in Portugal recorded double-digit retail value growth. The outbreak of COVID-19 changed consumer habits within discounters in Portugal, as more consumers looked to bulk buy goods. Moving into 2023, some consumers have continued…

Discounters in Norway fared well both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and have been able to sustain this solid performance in 2023. In the face of high inflation, locals are seeking out lower prices when grocery shopping. Price pressures have…

Despite the easing of inflationary pressures in Italy over 2023, price increases and thus inflation rates remained high in the country. Therefore, price and value remained the most pressing concerns for many consumers when choosing to shop for their…

Discounters maintained growth in Ireland in 2023, thanks to offering affordable goods to price-sensitive consumers. Indeed, discounters continue to expand their ranges of products, thus, to appeal to a wider range of consumers who are seeking…

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…

In a macroeconomic environment marked by stagnation and low consumer confidence, in combination with historically high inflation rates, especially for food and drinks, discounters in Germany significantly outperformed all other grocery channels in…

Against a challenging economic background discounters is proving to be a resilient format in retail in France in 2023, as one of the most dynamic distribution channels. Discounters has the advantage of affordability and high appeal to…

Discounters in Finland registered stagnant current value growth in 2023, as inflation remained high and the Finnish economy weakened. Discounters proved a more attractive choice to consumers seeking affordable brands and private label. The location…

Discounters benefited from increased consumer budget consciousness in Denmark in 2023. Although the Danish economy as a whole was performing well in 2023, individual consumers still felt pressure from higher energy bills and interest payments. This…

Discounters in Belgium registered a marked slowdown in growth in current value terms in 2023. This came despite the continued inflationary environment, which meant that value proved to be the most important factor when consumers were doing their…

Just like grocery retailers as a whole, discounters saw strong growth in value sales in 2023, although this was almost entirely price-driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Demand itself only showed…

Direct selling in Turkey registered a further fall in constant values sales in 2023. A shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact, direct selling was…

Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, local consumers turned to direct selling in the UK as a way to augment their household earnings. Data released by the UK’s Direct Selling Association (DSA) revealed a significant surge in the number of people…

As COVID-19 restrictions were eased and shops re-opened in 2022, some consumers turned away from direct selling and showed more interest in going out again and visiting physical retail outlets. However, in 2023, consumers showed renewed interest in…

After years of strong growth during the review period, direct selling in Switzerland recorded decline in 2023, although sales remained above pre-pandemic levels. Local consumers returned to shopping outside of the home, visiting stores more…

Following marginal decreases in retail current value sales in 2021 and 2022, direct selling in Sweden faced another difficult year in 2023. While retail current value sales rose slightly, this was due to high inflationary pressure on prices. At…

According to the Spanish Association of Direct Selling, only around 30% of Spaniards purchase products via direct selling. The regions where direct selling has the highest penetration rate are Andalusia, Madrid, and Catalonia. The limited penetration…

In 2023, direct selling sales declined in Portugal for the fourth year in a row. The high competition from other channels, the increasing penetration of e-commerce and changing consumer habits are challenging the channel, and consequently, it…

The pandemic has revived the fortunes and renewed the popularity of the direct selling channel amongst Norwegian consumers, as it led companies to establish new ways of marketing and selling their products, namely by using digital tools, such as…

After two years of solid growth, direct selling experienced a decline in current value terms in 2023. However, performances varied within direct selling in 2023 with some categories continuing to perform well in 2023, but especially those with a…

Direct selling remained in a relatively steep slump in Ireland in 2023, due to strong competition from a variety of other shopping channels which offer wider ranges of goods at lower prices – both online and offline. Added to which, inflationary…

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…

In 2023, direct selling in Germany continued on its growth trajectory, albeit at a steadier pace compared to the spike during the pandemic. The channel's success is largely attributed to its effective digital transformation and the adoption of a…

Direct selling was unexpectedly successful in France around the time of pandemic. Initially facing a downturn in early 2020, it rebounded in 2021. Though the overall category has slumped again in 2023, continuing 2022’s downward trend, this fall was…

Direct selling has always been a marginal retail channel in Finland, and has in recent years seen a clear decrease – sales fell in 2023 for the seventh year in a row in current value terms. Even more worryingly, direct selling underperformed…

Direct selling continued to see declining sales in Denmark in 2023. This was partly due to consumers trying to spend less money as they felt the impact of rising interest rates and higher energy prices, but also due to the competition from other…

Direct selling in Belgium registered a decline in sales in current value terms in 2023. This was mainly due to inflationary pressures, which led consumers to become more conservative with their spending. With a growing focus on value-for-money…

Just like retail as a whole, direct selling saw significant growth in value sales in 2023, but it was entirely price-driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Given the focus of direct selling in Austria on…

In 2023, convenience stores registered significant value growth in Turkey, driven in part by a significant number of new outlets opening. The compact size of these stores made it easier to find suitable locations and their widespread presence in…

Despite price increases as a result of inflation that continued to drive the local population to adopt more conscious spending patterns in 2023, convenience retailers in the UK maintained a positive trajectory during the year as proximity and…

Convenience stores in city centre locations saw steady growth in current value terms in 2023 with this being driven by various factors. First, with the pandemic over consumers spent less time working from home than during the height of the health…

Convenience retailers in Switzerland remained popular in 2023, partly due to their extended opening hours, since many stay open 24/7 or at least operate late hours. In addition, wide store networks across easily accessible locations with high…

Historically high inflation rates created huge challenges for convenience retailers in Sweden towards the end of the review period. As consumers started to plan their purchases more carefully and show a preference for discounters and large format…

Convenience retailers benefited from the lifting of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions and the opening of new outlets across Spain. There was also increased foot traffic in urban areas driven by the rise in tourism which supported the growth of…

Following a strong performance during COVID-19, in 2023, sales for convenience retailers in Portugal continued to rise, driven by high inflation levels and nationwide outlet expansion. Sales and outlet growth in convenience stores has been at the…

The twin challenges of high inflation and heightened competition continue to impact the performance of convenience retailers in Norway, only prolonging its recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Convenience stores and forecourt retailers…

The geopolitical developments of 2022 and 2023 have had a big impact on retail in Italy. Russia's war in Ukraine continued in 2023 with no sign of resolution at the time of writing, while the emergence of further instability in other parts of the…

Inflationary pressures, notably in food, drove value growth in convenience retailers in 2023. Here we note the cost of everyday essentials, such as butter, milk, flour, and eggs. While this supports value sales due to the higher prices, retailers in…

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…

Convenience retailers in Germany recorded a resilient performance in 2023, despite a slowdown compared to the rapid growth witnessed in 2022 when cultural, leisure and professional events, including major trade, resumed at full capacity following…

The quick commerce (q-commerce) sector in France, with its ultra-fast grocery delivery services, expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining ground across urban areas. This growth was fuelled by lockdowns that pushed demand for services…