United Kingdom

While dinner mixes was already the most dynamic category in ready meals packaging prior to the pandemic, it received a major spike in its demand in 2020, as the COVID-19 restrictions boosted demand for these products. With consumers in home seclusion…

Overall sauces, dressings and condiments packaging recorded a surge in its unit volume growth in 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers across the country shifted to working and studying remotely, with extensive lockdown periods…

The HDPE bottle continued to be the most-used pack type in the UK’s home care market in 2022. This was because HDPE bottles have a versatile range of application across the home care industry, serving as an ideal packaging material for various…

In 2022, folding cartons took over from HDPE bottles as the main pack type in unit volume terms in UK beauty and personal packaging. This can be attributed to the fact that, in addition to being lightweight and easy to carry, folding cartons also…

Following the trend of 2022, when the category experienced a steep decline, particularly for laptops, total volume sales of computers and peripherals continue to decline in 2023. The primary cause of this can be traced back to the pandemic period…

After an upturn in demand during the pandemic followed by a notable decline in 2022, retail volume sales of consumer electronics in the UK are starting to stabilise in 2023. Significant investments were made in 2020-2021, with many consumer…

Overall demand for headphones continues to rise in 2023, with both retail volume and current value sales recording double-digit growth. The increase in the average unit price across the category is driving up higher value sales growth compared to…

Demand for home audio and cinema continues to decline in 2023, with retail volumes remaining below pre-pandemic levels. Home cinema and speaker systems, which greatly benefited from the pandemic and new home-centric lifestyles, is likely to be the…

After a surge in demand in 2020 as a result of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, retail volume sales of televisions have been declining. However, the rate of decline in 2023 is much lower compared to the previous two years. One of the more…

Since 2018, the competitive landscape of imaging devices among the leaders has remained unchanged, with Canon and Sony as the leading brands of digital cameras and GoPro the most popular brand of digital camcorders. However, in 2023, the environment…

In-car entertainment continues to face various challenges in 2023. First of all, most new models of cars offer built-in navigation, high-quality sound systems and media players. This is especially true of electric vehicles, which are driving growth…

Retail volume sales of mobile phones continue to decline in 2023, although the fall in demand for smartphones is much lower in the first half of the year compared to 2022’s double-digit drop. The main factors behind the decline are ongoing…

In 2023, overall demand for portable players in the UK remains flat, despite significant declines for e-readers and portable media players. The falling demand for e-readers is being driven by local consumers switching to physical books, with the…

Demand for wearable electronics continues to rise 2023 despite high inflation and the increasing cost of living in the UK, which is negatively impacting consumers’ disposable incomes and therefore, their purchasing decisions. However, this growth is…

The lifting of pandemic-related travel restrictions and all borders reopening in 2023 are contributing to an upsurge in passenger traffic, resulting in flight schedules gradually reverting to their pre-pandemic levels. With the desire to explore new…

Reflecting the recovery in travel and rising prices, booking continues to record strong growth in 2023. Intermediary sales are outperforming direct sales. The channel is benefiting from the continual recovery of leisure cruise and leisure packages.…

In 2023, the growth of hotels is being driven by a diverse range of segments. Mid-market hotels and unrated hotels have experienced a surge in demand as consumers seek more affordable accommodation options amid the cost-of-living crisis. Mid-market…

2023 marks the first full year without any travel restrictions, enabling a clear picture of the post-pandemic travel landscape. Nevertheless, the impact of the pandemic on inbound arrival numbers to the UK still lingers. Arrivals from China remain…

Two groups are contributing the most to growth of inbound travel to the UK in 2023. Visitors from the US continue to rise strongly in numbers in 2023, following considerable traffic the previous year. While they were early to take advantage of the…

Total alcoholic drinks packaging recorded healthy growth in 2020, despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While foodservice unit volumes plummeted, due to cafés, pubs and restaurants all being closed for extended periods in 2020,…

The UK regained its position as Western Europe's second largest new car market in 2022 despite being significantly impacted by supply shortages, slowdowns, and the war in Ukraine. The country is working to reduce CO2 emissions by encouraging the…

Analgesics is recording another strong year of current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than in 2022. Growth is particularly dynamic in the paediatric segment, especially for acetaminophen and ibuprofen, driven by the outbreak of…

Consumer health continues to experience high retail current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than 2022. Higher costs of materials, ingredients and services are naturally leading to strong price increases in 2023, thereby driving up value…

Current value sales of cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 as the UK experienced its strongest cold and flu season in recent years, as a result of greater socialising as restrictions eased, thereby…

Demand for hair loss treatments is declining in 2023 following strong growth in recent years as COVID-19 and subsequent inflationary pressure boosted prevalence of hair loss due to stress and anxiety. Although the latter remains an overbearing issue…

Women’s health has become a key brand focus for players in 2023, across a range of consumer health categories, particularly dietary supplements. Regarded by many as a theme rather than category or positioning, the concept is influencing activity and…

Value sales of digestive remedies are recording another year of strong growth in 2023 as the category continues to benefit from consumers returning to post-pandemic life. For example, antacids is profiting from consumers socialising and drinking more…

Eye health is experiencing another year of double-digit current value growth in 2023, albeit at a marginally slower rate than 2022. Nevertheless, overall demand continues to rise. While there are no lockdown restrictions in place, the pandemic has…

Herbal/traditional products is experiencing another year of double-digit current value growth in 2023. Ingredient-led purchases are becoming increasingly common among local consumers, not only due to growing awareness of the benefits of certain…

Demand for NRT smoking cessation aids is declining in 2023, despite a further drop in smoking prevalence among the adult population as consumers continue to focus on their health post-pandemic. A marginal decline in retail volume sales is likely to…

Paediatric consumer health in the UK is witnessing another strong year of current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slower pace than 2022. The positive performance across both years has predominantly been driven by high growth for paediatric cough,…

Current value sales of sleep aids continue to rise in 2023, albeit at a slower rate due to stocking up and strong sales over the last three years since the emergence of the pandemic. Local consumers continue to experience the cost-of-living crisis in…

After a marginal decline in the first year of the pandemic, sports nutrition in the UK continues to record strong current value sales growth in 2023, following a full recovery in 2021. Apart from the price hikes driven by inflation since the end of…

Value sales of vitamins have rebounded in 2023, recording growth for the first time since 2021. Although value growth is much weaker than at the height of the pandemic, and overall retail volume sales are continuing to decline, demand remains above…

Weight management and wellbeing continues to experience strong value growth in 2023, as the general health and wellness trend remains prevalent post-pandemic. As consumers have returned to hectic routines with the reopening of offices, balancing a…

With a lack of new product development and brand activity in 2023, demand for wound care is being primarily driven by a full year without lockdown restrictions boosting out-of-home activities. The category’s performance is largely dependent on…

Baby food continues to recover from the pandemic-related disruptions observed in 2020. Retail volume growth is evident across milk formula and other baby food categories as busy local parents have less time to prepare food at home, and demand safe…

Butter and spreads continues to face substantial challenges in 2023 as the supply chain remains unstable, milk prices fluctuate, and labour remains an issue. Indeed, as feed and fertiliser prices that plateaued in September 2022 remain extremely…

Cheese consumption suffered a substantial decline in 2022 as the impact of economic instability, supply chain issues and high inflation affected both players and consumers. Additionally, growth inflated by the pandemic and home consumption resulted…

The dairy industry in the UK is being severely impacted by the lingering effects of the pandemic, and political, social and economic challenges. Firstly, Brexit continues to hamper import and export operations between the UK and European markets,…

The dairy industry was among the most severely impacted in 2022. The lingering impact of the pandemic, continued Brexit-related issues and most importantly, the start of the war in Ukraine, pushed up production costs with utilities, fertiliser, and…

The local dairy industry has been characterised by severe price increases, with products featuring milk as their primary ingredient suffering the highest hikes. Indeed, as input costs have become increasingly expensive, profit margins have been…

Plant-based dairy is marginally benefiting from the severe pressures that are impacting the local dairy industry. As Brexit continues to hinder stability and the ongoing war in Ukraine impacts supply chains, high production costs of dairy farming…

Yoghurt has not been spared from the severe price increases that have characterised dairy in the UK. The increasing input costs, with commodities such as fertilisers, energy and animal feed, have slashed profit margins across the supply and…

The United Kingdom’s (UK) political landscape has been volatile, whilst Brexit continues to weigh on economic freedom. Owing to high inflation that has eroded consumer purchasing power and business investment, economic output is set to slow markedly,…

Tourist visitor levels in the UK were seen to recover in 2023, despite global macroeconomic pressures such as high inflation and the rapid escalation of living costs. This was an improvement on previous years, when the pandemic prevented people from…

Value sales of fine wines/champagne and spirits grew by 8% to total GBP3.0 billion in the UK in 2023, as a result of a consumers’ desire to make the most of their time after the pandemic. Enjoying a drink with friends is considered a priority leisure…

Retail value sales of luxury goods in the UK grew by 7% in 2023 in current terms, to stand at GBP48.9 billion. Development was predominantly characterised by a focus on recovery and a return to customary consumer behaviour, encompassing working,…

Personal luxury retail value sales rose by 9% in 2023 to total GBP18.6 billion, supported by growth recorded by leading brand providers, such as Louis Vuitton UK Ltd and Chanel Ltd. 2023 value sales growth was boosted by consumers investing in luxury…

Value sales of premium and luxury cars rose by 4% to total GBP25.7 billion in 2023, due to demand from high-income consumers, who proved to be steadfast despite macroeconomic headwinds. Demand for premium and luxury cars is contingent on wealth, and…