Retailing

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

In 2023, vending in Romania showcased positive retail value growth, benefiting from the elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. This led consumers to return to office work, with free movement outside of the home, enabling the recovery of…

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…

The vending channel witnessed a better performance in 2023 as sales began to normalise in the post-pandemic era. Whilst pre-pandemic consumption levels have not yet been reached, sales are moving closer to this point. One of the limitations to growth…

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,…

In 2023, vending in Colombia experienced slowed growth as a result of price increases and the cost-of-living crisis. Prioritising essential products, many Colombians spent less on on-the-go snacks and drinks, slowing down the category’s performance…

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…

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…

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…

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…

In 2023, supermarkets in Romania recorded double-digit retail value growth; the result of having excellent locations in crowded neighbourhoods. As such, these stores increasingly benefit from proximity while offering a broader range of products…

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…

Supermarkets in Peru felt the direct impact of the weakening economy in 2023, with current value sales declining for the second consecutive year. Since the Peruvian economy entered recession in 2023, over half of Peruvian families have been left…

The performance of supermarkets in Egypt is positively impacted by the government’s “We Are All One” initiative. Introduced and monitored through the Egyptian government, the initiative aims to push retailers and suppliers to offer consumers extra…

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,…

Supermarkets in Colombia saw further growth in 2023 as consumers are visiting stores more frequently and spending less per visit rather than doing large bimonthly shops in hypermarkets. Growth has been further supported by frequent discounts and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The performance of small local grocers in Romania in 2023, was negatively impacted by the declining number of outlets across the nation. In addition, the elimination of all COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 propelled travelling and bolstered spending in…

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,…

Even though some small local grocers have been forced to close, this retail format continues to grow in Peru. The closeness these retailers have with their customers, often as family providers, and the strong tradition they have in the Peruvian…

Small local grocers in Egypt continued to dominate grocery retailers in outlet and value sales terms in 2023. The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has confirmed the dominance of traditional grocery retailers in Egypt towards the end of the…

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…

In 2023, small local grocers in Colombia continued to lose ground as they have become less attractive as a format for price-sensitive consumers. 2023 has been an economically challenging year and, according to DANE figures, retail sales declined by…

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…

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…

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 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…

Grocery retailers dominate sales in 2023

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 in Peru has experienced a sustained increase in prices since 2021, but the situation has worsened in recent years with inflation soaring and remaining high in 2023. Although local brands are well established in Peru, many of the final products…

Retail in Egypt witnessed numerous challenges throughout 2023 amid a tough economic situation. The ongoing devaluation of the local currency, the rate of inflation reaching new highs, the effects of the ongoing war in Ukraine, joined by the security…

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…

The Colombian economy began to recover in the second half of 2021, and growth reached 7.5% by the end of 2022, fuelled by fiscal stimulus, increased oil prices and a boost in food and beverages exports, which registered a 24% increase. However,…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

After several years of accelerated evolution, 2023 was a challenging year for e-commerce in Romania.

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…

In 2023, rising inflation, combined with political uncertainty and economic recession has curbed retail e-commerce sales in Peru to some extent. However, this channel is still in developing in Peru, with retail e-commerce accounting for only…