Sweden

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…

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…

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…

Appliances and electronics specialists in Sweden was one of the few channels that posted a decrease in retail value sales in 2022 and 2023. This was the case even in current terms, even though the inflation rate reached a high single-digit figure in…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Sweden had to deal with unstable macroeconomic and geopolitical environments towards the end of the review period. The high inflation rates in 2022 and 2023 forced consumers to prioritise purchases of essential…

In 2023, retail value sales of wipes registered a moderate rise. Inflation drove up retail prices of wipes in 2023 as manufacturers faced rising costs from energy, raw materials and imports. Cost inflation, increased input prices, supply chain…

Retail value sales of tissue and hygiene grew in 2023, underpinned by rising retail price points. In retail volume terms, price increases dampened the magnitude of volume growth rates relative to value.

In 2023, current value sales of Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence rose substantially due to a spike in unit prices. Although Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence products are available free of charge through Sweden’s public healthcare system, volume…

In 2023, rising prices led to a dramatic increase in current value sales of retail tissue, as manufacturers passed on higher costs to consumers. Retail volume sales increased marginally in the year, as consumption patterns normalised given the full…

Retail volume growth of retail adult incontinence slowed in 2023 as consumers were confronted with higher priced adult incontinence products. Cost inflation rose throughout the year as the war in Ukraine put upward pressure on energy prices, raw…

Nappies/diapers/pants registered moderate growth in retail value sales in 2023. Broad increases in retail price points across nappies/diapers/pants were driven by cost inflation in the form of energy, material sourcing, labour, logistics and supply…

Retail sales of sanitary protection achieved modest growth in value sales in 2023. 2023 was characterised by inflationary pressures from rising input costs, such as energy, material sourcing, distribution and labour. While inflation began to moderate…

In 2023, value sales of away-from-home tissue and hygiene increased at a relatively high rate. Inflationary cost pressures remained an issue in 2023 forcing manufacturers to increase unit prices. Inflation stemmed from price inflation, spiking input…

A continued rise in retail price points is attributed to inflationary pressures driven by higher input and operational costs. With inflation remaining elevated throughout 2023, households exhibit heightened price sensitivity. This results in a shift…

In response to a high inflationary environment and cost-of-living pressures, households are placing a paramount focus on price value in their surface care choices. Manufacturers are addressing this by employing attribute bundling in their product…

The industry continues to witness a rise in retail price points, driven by inflationary pressures and increasing input costs. With inflation remaining at a high rate in 2023, households exhibit heightened price sensitivity, leading to a shift in…

Inflation, driven by increased manufacturer input costs, is being transferred to households through elevated retail price points, placing a strain on household finances. It is evident that households are prioritising price value and seeking…

In 2023, home insecticides in Sweden experienced a notable trend of higher retail price points. This upward shift in prices can be primarily ascribed to the escalating costs incurred by both manufacturers and retailers in the production and…

The retail value of home care experienced growth in 2023, primarily driven by increasing retail price points. Conversely, when examining retail volume, home care witnessed a decline in sales throughout the year.

Significant strides have been made in incremental efficacy improvements to alleviate household chores. A notable example is the hand dishwashing brand, Yes Max Power, which claims to require four times less scrubbing on tough grease compared to its…

A continued upward trajectory in retail price points is evident, driven by escalating manufacturer and retailer input costs. Increased operating expenses, including material sourcing, rental levels, and salary costs, contribute to higher price…

Household sustainability and environmental awareness drive a demand for natural ingredient air care products. Manufacturers respond with innovations, such as the 2023 launch of Air Wick Active Fresh Room Spray, a spray/aerosol air freshener…

Street stalls/kiosks continued to see positive value growth in 2023, largely due to Sweden’s continued high inflation rate, which led to price increases. As a result of the economic downturn and high costs of living many locals chose not to eat out…

The weaker economy in 2023 has led many consumers to restrict spending on eating out and self-service cafeterias are equally feeling the impact. Inflation has remained high in 2023, leading to higher prices in self-service cafeterias, which is…

Limited-service restaurants continued to see positive value growth in 2023, although this was partly fuelled by the continued high levels of inflation, which translated into price increases. As a result of the economic downturn and high inflation,…

Full-service restaurants continued to see positive value growth in 2023, with inflation driving price increases. With the economy slowing and moving into recession in 2023, local consumers have cut back on unnecessary expenditure, including eating…

Consumer foodservice in Sweden continues to see positive current value growth in 2023, although there has been a marked slowdown compared to recent years when the pandemic recovery was taking effect. The value growth in 2023 was partly driven by the…

As retailing has witnessed the return of normal shopping patterns in Sweden, consumers have reduced online shopping from home and there has been a return to consumer foodservice in retail locations. However, value growth in 2023 was partly driven by…

Cafés in Sweden continued to see positive current value growth in 2023, however this was partly due to the continued strong inflation which led to price increases. As a result of the economic downturn and strong inflation many consumers have cut back…

In Sweden, there is a strong emphasis on adopting sustainable packaging solutions in response to growing environmental concerns. Brands are introducing eco-friendly options such as the Conflex Silk packaging for bouillon cubes. The Swedish dairy…

Writing instruments saw a decline in volume terms in 2023, following the sluggish performance of the previous year. While writing instruments remain essential in schools, they are less used in offices and universities. As technology involves,…

Traditional and connected watches registered a marked slowdown in growth in current value terms in 2023, when set against the previous two years, which saw sales bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Value growth was driven largely by inflation and…

Sales of personal accessories in Sweden continued to expand in current value terms in 2023, although the rate of growth was more modest compared to the previous year. Performance was boosted by a return to pre-pandemic lifestyles, including increased…

Retail sales of jewellery continued to expand in current value terms in 2023, although the rate of growth was slower than the previous year. Following the resurgence of family events, such as weddings, in 2022, following enforced delays due to the…

Bags and luggage displayed a positive performance in current value terms in 2023, Besides inflationary pressures, coupled with rising unit prices, growth was driven primarily by the revival of outbound travel, coupled with a continued premiumisation…

Off- and on-trade volume sales of sports drinks fell during 2023. The category was hampered by low company engagement and a lack of new launches. Only a few sports drinks were available widely, which also limited purchases of such products. All…

Overall, off-trade volume sales of soft drinks in Sweden were stable at the end of the review period, with only a marginal increase projected over 2023 as a whole. However, this was in part due to a level of stabilisation, following…

RTD tea is projected to see an overall decline in off-trade volume sales over 2023. This is due to the performance of the dominant category, still RTD tea, with both regular and reduced sugar formats seeing a dip in demand. However, this is in…

RTD coffee is projected to continue to see fast off- and on-trade volume and current value growth over 2023. This performance is derived from a low base, but also the increased availability of these products, supported by several innovative launches.…

Overall, off-trade volume sales of juice dropped during 2023. This category is mature and packaged juice is not considered to be amongst the healthiest drinks. Reconstituted 100% juice and juice drinks (up to 24% juice) were most negatively affected,…

Energy drinks is projected to post the fastest off-trade volume growth in Sweden in 2023, slightly faster than the increase for RTD coffee. Both regular and, especially, reduced sugar energy drinks enjoyed healthy increases in demand during the year.…

The brief upturn in off-trade volume sales of liquid concentrates in 2021 ended quickly and the downturn continued to the end of the review period. However, new product innovation in liquid concentrates, such as reduced sugar variants from brands…

Off-trade volume sales of carbonates increased only slightly in Sweden during 2023, as consumers continued to return more fully to foodservice with the lifting of the threat and related restrictions of COVID-19. Growth in both the retail and…

Bottled water sales are projected to see only a marginal increment in off-trade volume terms over 2023, partly due to the shift back to foodservice, which exceeded its 2019 pre-pandemic volume sales level by 2022. However, growth rates have varied…

In common with many areas of consumer appliances, vacuum cleaners registered a fall in volume sales in 2023 having experienced a notable increase in demand during the COVID-19 crisis. With consumers spending more time at home during the pandemic,…

Recycling, reducing food waste and reducing plastics are well-established green habits in Sweden, creating a solid opportunity to develop Zero Waste products. The Can Be Recycled claim would be welcomed by consumers, with over a quarter identifying…

In 2023, sales volumes of small cooking appliances continued to fall, having seen a strong rise in demand in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic brought forward demand for small cooking appliances with volumes and, to some extent,…

Refrigeration appliances saw volume sales fall in 2023. The COVID-19 crisis brought forward demand and generated a spike in volume sales in 2020 and 2021 as consumers focused spending on their domestic environments, cooked more and became…

Retail volume sales of personal care appliances fell in the Swedish market in 2023. This decrease was reflective of a broader shift in household spending priorities. During the COVID-19 crisis, household spending focused on the home. However, as the…

Retail volume sales of microwaves fell in 2023. Sales volumes have retreated to more normalised levels following the highs induced by the COVID-19 crisis, which brought an increased focus on the domestic environment and a shift towards cooking at…