South Africa

2023 has been a tough financial year for consumers, with double-digit food inflation, rising interest rates, and rolling blackouts. Loadshedding significantly affects the entire supply chain, as well as consumers, as it has been implemented almost…

Both retail volume and current value sales of edible oils are set to see strong declines in 2023. After two years of exceptionally strong growth, the average unit prices of vegetable and seed oils have started to normalise over 2023, with prices…

As in the previous year, in 2023 ready meals and soups is set to see solid retail volume growth, along with dynamic double-digit current value growth as a result of inflationary price rises. The growing demand for healthy and convenient ready meals…

Despite the expectation of a notable retail volume decline for overall sauces, dips and condiments in 2023, as consumers have been reducing their spending on non-essential grocery items, recipe sauces is set to experience moderate growth, as…

Despite maintaining retail volume growth throughout the pandemic and its aftermath, sweet spreads is set to turn to slight decline in 2023, although dynamic current value growth is still expected, due to price rises. Apart from the rising price of…

South Africa has been facing drinking water supply issues, supporting elevated demand for bottled water compared to pre-pandemic levels, including for still bottled water, despite declining off-trade volume sales as a result of a greater return to…

Large category players are narrowing their offerings. As a result, Tab has been discontinued in South Africa. Leading player Coca-Cola seeks to strengthen its current brands and exclude low-performing ones. In its place, it has introduced a…

In 2023, the average unit price of concentrates witnessed considerably faster growth compared to overall soft drinks in South Africa, although it remains considerably lower per litre (RTD) than the latter. The impact of the sugar tax (the Health…

Switch Energy has introduced three new flavours to its range as limited editions. In 2023, the brand offered 37 different flavours compared to Monster Energy’s 18 flavours, and Dragon’s 17 flavours. Interest in Switch Energy peaked when it introduced…

Popular juice brand Liqui-Fruit (Pioneer Foods (Pty) Ltd for PepsiCo Inc) has been rebranded. Its packaging has switched from a colourful box to a white background where the logo’s colour is associated with the juice’s flavour. When compared to the…

Rooibos tea continues to be a growing choice among South Africans due to its local positioning. It is also considered the more suitable option due to its pricing, antioxidant and hydrating effects. This supports the growth of rooibos tea, especially…

The health and wellness trend is becoming increasingly entrenched in South Africans’ lives, although regular soft drinks such as carbonates retain higher share overall compared to reduced sugar options. While brands are adapting more to this trend,…

While the growth of energy drinks remains more dynamic in South Africa, sports drinks remain popular with local consumers due to the greater participation in activities. Unlike energy drinks, sports drinks do not contain caffeine and work to aid…

Since the pandemic, general dynamics in consumers’ lifestyles have dramatically changed in South Africa. Ongoing remote/hybrid working models for employees mean that many of them continue to spend greater time at home than they would have compared to…

The pandemic has dramatically changed South Africans’ lifestyles in many ways, a trend that is greatly benefiting demand for consumer appliances. For instance, many businesses have now adopted remote/hybrid working models, meaning that employees…

The waning impact of the pandemic in South Africa has changed how many households operate in terms of busier lifestyles. The main change is that many employees continue to observe remote/hybrid working measures, and thus are spending greater time at…

The consistent increase in the general cost of living in South Africa is pushing consumers to review how they spend their money. One way to achieve this is to prepare meals at home which would otherwise be purchased from retailers, or foodservice…

Remote/hybrid working measures in South Africa since the pandemic have changed consumers’ lifestyles, including placing greater pressure on their time. Busy consumers must juggle work with childcare commitments, including taking or collecting them…

The shortage of electricity across the country has resulted in increasing demand for alternative power sources such as solar and gas. Since the introduction of load shedding in South Africa, which restricts access to electricity for a certain amount…

Consumers’ lifestyles in South Africa have changed significantly since the pandemic, particularly as many employees continue to work from home for at least part of the week. Subsequently, the need for a convenient environment has also increased…

Personal grooming across the country is becoming an increasingly important aspect of many consumers’ lives. While this concept was traditionally linked to female consumers in South Africa, due to the stigma attached to male consumers who indulged in…

Despite the presence of economic challenges that limit consumers’ disposable incomes, refrigeration remains a key necessity for many South Africans. This is evident by the consistent demand for refrigeration appliances in the country over much of the…

The popularity of small cooking appliances continues to grow in line with greater awareness among local consumers of different ways of cooking. Traditionally, low- to mid-income consumers with restricted budgets tend to rely on certain affordable…

The established remote/hybrid working model since the pandemic has dramatically changed many South Africans’ lifestyles. It comes with challenges such as limited time to perform errands and chores, or manage childcare, whilst also working from home.…

Established green habits, including recycling and reducing food waste, has led almost half of South African consumers to be Zero Wasters, reflected in their sustainable shopping decisions. Growth opportunities are strong, as over half of Zero Wasters…

Rising input costs such as the cost of animal feed and installing a more stable electricity supply has resulted in price hikes for eggs. The cost of feed, fuel and electricity usually accounts for 75% of input costs for producers. Grain shortages due…

South Africans are feeling the financial pressure as the impact of high inflation and rising interest rates in 2023 have resulted in a household debt-to-income ratio, increasing from 61.6% to 62.1%. With rising fuel prices, the cost of going out to…

With rising inflation, water supply issues, crumbling infrastructure and rolling power blackouts, South African fresh food producers are under extreme financial pressure and this, in turn, is passed on to local consumers. South Africa had been…

As with all food production in South Africa, fruit farmers face challenges as the industry struggles to remain profitable with rising costs driven by high inflation and exacerbated by power blackouts. Interest rate hikes have impacted cash flows and…

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) reported a significant slowdown in disposable income growth in the first quarter of 2023. The impact of high inflation and rising interest rates resulted in a household debt-to-income ratio increasing from 61.6%…

In a time where South Africans are experiencing high inflationary price increases across all fresh food categories, nuts experienced a price drop in late 2022 due to oversupply in the local market. South Africa is the leading supplier of macadamia…

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) reported a significant slowdown in disposable incomes in the first quarter of 2023. The impact of high inflation and rising interest rates resulted in a household debt-to-income ratio increasing from 61.6% to…

Potatoes are a staple for many South Africans, comprising 95% total volume share of starchy roots. Therefore, a reduction in supply and price hikes are impacting local consumers. The supply of potatoes declined in February 2023 to the lowest…

South Africa’s sugar industry has struggled in recent years due to a combination of poor local production, impacted by loadshedding and flooding, as well as elevated international sugar prices, caused by climatic factors such as drought. While…

The impact of inflation has not spared vegetables, with the latter also experiencing further steep price increases in 2023. With affordability being a key priority for South Africans, one of the ways to offset these increases is by choosing to…

The legal cannabis market in South Africa has continued to see strong growth on the back of the landmark judgement in 2018, which determined private use and consumption of cannabis as legal within private spaces. As an example, private spaces include…

During 2023, many South Africans have been battling to survive financially. Due to consumers being cash-strapped, they have been prioritising the purchase of essential products, including items such as food, fuel, and mortgage or rent. With this…

Lab grown diamonds are gaining popularity in South Africa, and the reason for this is twofold. The first reason is that lab-grown diamonds are cheaper. Consumers have seen falling disposable incomes in 2023, and therefore lab-grown diamonds have…

During 2023, many consumers in South Africa have been experiencing tough economic conditions. As a result, they have been cutting back on their discretionary spending due to lower disposable incomes. Similarly, consumers have been prioritising the…

Connected watches were becoming increasingly popular even before the pandemic, although rising from a low base. Even during the worst of the pandemic sales continued to grow in both retail volume and current value terms, and this is set to continue…

Pens is set to remain the biggest category within writing instruments in value terms in 2023, with pencils also remaining a significant category. Pens and pencils are expected to see positive current value growth rates in 2023 despite the tough…

Sustainability has emerged as a major trend in the packaging industry in South Africa due to a confluence of factors. These include: growing environmental concerns; consumer demand for eco-friendly products; government regulations promoting…

With COVID-19 restrictions on foodservice outlet trading hours being enforced for a number of years in South Africa, the after effects are still being felt and there is a continued shift from evening to daytime dining. This trend is further…

The pandemic and its subsequent restrictions imposed on travel had a significant impact on the entire tourism industry, including consumer foodservice through travel. This location recorded the most severe declines in 2020, as, whilst all locations…

The trading environment in South Africa paints a bleak picture; post-pandemic recovery hindered by deteriorating local economic conditions, including erratic electricity supply, weak growth and high levels of inflation. South Africa’s food price…

Rising interest rates and high inflation have impacted the development of larger format consumer foodservice establishments due to the greater costs involved. Thus, there is a focus on smaller format outlets. Market saturation in urban areas has…

South Africa is struggling with the impact of high inflation and decreased disposable incomes, resulting in brands needing to be competitive to obtain their share of financially-restricted consumers’ budgets. Post-pandemic, eating out is considered a…

Whilst street stalls/kiosks has long been dominated by independent players in South Africa, the changing trading environment has seen a growing interest by chained operators that are traditionally present in limited-service and full-service…

The performance of apparel and footwear specialists in South Africa continued to improve in 2023, due to consumers’ revived routines such as returning to the workplace and shopping centres. As inflationary pressure has been impacting disposable…

In 2023, sales via appliances and electronics specialists in South Africa were mainly driven by high inflation and currency depreciation, which directly influenced prices. The channel was also affected by lower demand from cash-strapped consumers,…