Retailing

Retail current value sales in health and beauty specialists in Thailand rose again in 2023, with life returning to pre-pandemic patterns. The channel has so far shown strong recovery from the coronavirus crisis. Beauty specialist retailers such as…

After two years of decline, health and beauty specialists in Taiwan experienced a significant resurgence in 2022, a trend that continued into 2023. With the easing of pandemic restrictions and the removal of mask mandates, consumers eagerly returned…

The Dia supermarket chain reached an agreement to sell 1,000 Clarel stores to Colombian group Trinity in 2023. The deal, which it is estimated will reach EUR42.2 million, will see payments spread over six years and will include three distribution…

Health and beauty specialists were the best performing retail channel in Slovakia in 2023 in terms of value growth. There was also a significant increase in outlet openings. However, it was a mixed bag. While pharmacies registered a healthy increase…

Similar to other retail channels such as apparel and footwear specialists, beauty specialists in Singapore benefited from the resumption of pre-pandemic lifestyles, such as a return to the office, social activities and international travel. With…

The Danish health and personal care store Normal witnessed a strong performance in 2023 due to the success of its retail concept. Consumers have been flocking to Normal for budget offers in 2023, with the retailer competing on price with both…

Health and beauty specialists is a channel which has been affected by cross-category trends in Hungary in 2023. Specifically, the impact of high inflation has led to a growing presence of private label options, thus, to meet the needs of…

General merchandise stores in Vietnam benefitted from increased inbound tourist flows in 2023, with Vietnam’s tourism industry continuing to rebound post-pandemic and luring millions of international visitors within the year’s first nine months.…

Variety stores in Thailand saw positive though slowed growth in terms of current value sales in 2023. The segment was hit hard by the pandemic and its economic fallout; many local consumers remained reluctant to shop from variety stores as they…

Following two years of economic downturn, general merchandise stores in Taiwan experienced a remarkable resurgence 2023, witnessing double-digit growth in retail sales. Surpassing the convenience stores channel, general merchandise stores reclaimed…

Department stores benefited from the increase in inbound tourists seen in Spain in 2023 as foreign tourists love to go to places such as El Corte Inglés to do their shopping and to partake in the uniquely Spanish experience found in its outlets.…

Variety stores in Singapore continued to record solid growth in 2023, driven by the rising cost-of-living pressures, which were a key area of concern for local consumers. Amid a muted economic climate, and rising prices as a result of inflation and…

General merchandise stores saw declining sales in Hungary in 2023, due to the low levels of activity in the category. It is also well consolidated, with Ecofamily (Napcsillag Kft) holding just under half of all brand share. Indeed, Ecofamily has…

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…

Discounters in Slovakia were one of the better performing grocery retailers in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and prioritised value for money. As such, discounters registered an increase in current value sales,…

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…

Discounters continued to be a big trend in Hungary in 2023, with three giants holding all share. Namely, Lidl (Lidl Magyarorszag Kereskedelmi Bt) holds over half of all brand share, followed by Aldi (Aldi Magyarország Élelmiszeripari Kereskedelmi Bt)…

Direct selling declined in terms of current value sales in Vietnam in 2023, with the drop driven by the continued fall of leading brands Herbalife Nutrition, New Image, and Amway as they struggled in the context of global inflationary pressures.…

Direct selling in Thailand continued to fall in terms of current value sales in 2023, in a persistent decline that began in 2020 and has not let up since. However, the rate of the drop was significantly slower than in the previous year of 2022. The…

Direct selling companies in Taiwan are undergoing a significant transformation as they adapt to the evolving retail landscape, with a notable trend being the embrace of digital transformation. Recognising the increasing prominence of e-commerce and…

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…

Direct selling in Slovakia registered a further fall in both current and 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,…

2022 was a strong growth year for direct selling in Singapore, due to the resumption of events and pre-pandemic lifestyles, which made it easier for sales agents to conduct outreach and engagement activities. While the channel recorded a marginal…

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…

Direct selling saw a slump in Hungary in 2023, caused by a confluence of factors. Direct selling is mostly driven by beauty and personal care direct selling in Hungary, which had previously seen a rebound after the notable declines during the time of…

2023 saw convenience stores in Vietnam continue to expand rapidly in terms of number of outlets, especially into urban areas, as local lifestyles became increasingly busy. Convenience stores resonate with Gen Z consumers and students, gaining…

Convenience stores in Thailand continued to recover and rise in 2023, with expansion in terms of outlet numbers a major driver. Rapid urbanisation, longer working hours, and declines in average household size boosted demand for smaller-format stores…

In 2023, convenience stores in Taiwan experienced expansion driven by various factors such as summer travels, festive seasons, typhoons, and back-to-school/work periods, all of which boosted demand for fresh food, coffee, packaged snacks, and…

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…

2023 was not a good year for convenience retailers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in convenience retailers, as prices tend to be higher than in other grocery retailers. As such both constant and current…

The full recovery of convenience stores in Singapore, which dominates value sales and outlet numbers within convenience retailers, has been driven by the resumption of pre-pandemic lifestyles. Consumers have returned to schools and offices, as 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…

Convenience stores continued to be affected by price hikes in Hungary in 2023. Whilst inflationary pressures have had effects across retail, we see some specific spikes and falls.

2023 saw declines in demand for appliances and electronics specialists in Vietnam, with deep drops in current value sales as global economic uncertainty prompted consumers to adopt a more cautious approach towards their spending habits - particularly…

Current value sales in appliances and electronics specialists in Thailand continued their post-pandemic rebound in 2023. Over the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, the Thai government introduced several stimulus measures, including the offer of cash…

Appliances and electronics specialists in Taiwan witnessed a fluctuating trajectory in 2023, shaped significantly by seasonal sales trends. While the pandemic-induced surge in demand for remote working and online schooling propelled sales of personal…

Appliances and electronics specialists saw only modest growth in current value terms in 2023, with the challenging economic environment impacting spending on non-essential items. Although inflation was lower than in 2022 it still remained higher than…

It was a poor trading year for appliances and electronics specialists in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still high, consumers prioritised essentials and postponed purchases, if at all possible. As such, there was a significant fall in both current…

Albeit recording slower growth compared to the previous year, appliances and electronics specialists in Singapore experienced another positive performance in 2023. In February 2022, the local government announced that the prevailing rate of Goods and…

Appliances and electronics in Norway registered an uplift in value sales in 2023, largely due to inflationary pressures, which pushed up retail prices. Consumer demand weakened as interest rate hikes took hold, whilst the weak currency led to higher…

Inflationary pressures supported value sales for appliances and electronics specialists in Hungary in 2023, due to the resulting increases in unit prices. Indeed, retailers and manufacturers alike have been facing increased operational costs, rising…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Vietnam remained significantly impacted by a range of negative factors throughout 2023, even though global inflationary pressures led the Vietnamese government to lower the tax rate to 8% from July until the year’s…

Overall current value sales rose in 2023 for apparel and footwear specialists in Thailand, partly benefitting from the continued post-pandemic rebound. Thailand is a difficult market for fast fashion players, however. Even before the pandemic,…

In 2023, the retail sales of apparel specialist retailers in Taiwan bounced back significantly. Following a double-digit growth rate in 2022, which surpassed the modest growth recorded in 2021, several major international brands displayed remarkable…

The combined impact of the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 created widespread instability in the local economy with high inflation and a sharp rise in prices continuing to be seen in 2023. This limited the recovery of apparel and…

Apparel and footwear specialists registered a fall in current value sales in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and cut back on spending on non-essentials. Also, when consumers did purchase, they traded…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Singapore continued to record robust growth in 2023. This was largely driven by the full-scale resumption of social activities and international travel. 2023 witnessed a full year of the effects and benefits of…

Apparel and footwear saw current value growth rise on a par with recent years, with inflation fuelling some growth. This followed a few tough years during the pandemic era when people stayed at home and retail sales were naturally limited. Saved…

Apparel and footwear specialists is another channel which was seeing strong value growth in Hungary in 2023. Indeed, this trend continues from 2022, which also saw double-digit value growth, as the channel bounced back from the pandemic restrictions…

Vending in the Philippines continued on its road to recovery in 2023, with healthy growth in current value terms. Sales were boosted an increase in mobility, including the return of Filipinos to their physical offices, which gave rise to more…