United Kingdom

Fish and seafood is traditionally considered one of the more expensive protein options in the UK, and this perception is taking a toll on volume sales. As the cost-of-living crisis persists, local consumers are seeking ways to stretch their budgets,…

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…

In 2023, the UK’s economy has continued to be characterised by a high inflation rate and a rising cost of living. And, while in 2022 this situation was mainly exacerbated by the high cost of energy, in 2023 this cost has gradually started decreasing,…

Eyewear in the UK is expected to continue to record single-digit retail volume and current value growth in 2024, albeit at marginally slower rates than the previous year. Eyewear in the UK witnessed a relatively quick recovery after the decline seen…

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…

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…

2023 has marked another year of strong growth for energy drinks, which is expected to be amongst the strongest performers within the soft drinks industry. Energy drinks is set to experience double-digit growth in current value terms both on-trade and…

Eggs in the UK continue to be impacted by rising unit prices, driven by escalating production costs and supply challenges that are notably affecting consumption levels. Egg producers are already contending with narrow profit margins, and the soaring…

Edible oils in the UK has still been experiencing various challenges in 2023, including inflation, rising costs, and supply chain disruptions. While there has been a slight improvement, persistently high unit prices continue to pose difficulties for…

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…

Despite a slowdown in the unit price growth of dog food in the UK, influenced by a reduction in energy and electricity costs, manufacturers and suppliers are still passing on some costs to end consumers. Challenges resulting from key commodities such…

Dishwashing in the UK recorded strong single-digit value growth in current terms in 2023, owing to the continued dynamic performance of automatic dishwashing tablets. The latter’s growth is mainly because using a dishwasher is deemed more convenient,…

A top level decline is expected for dishwashers in retail volume terms in 2023; this will come from declines for both built-in and freestanding formats. The volume decline for built-in dishwashers is set to be slightly stronger than that for…

Due to high inflation towards the end of the review period, resulting in elevated prices of goods and services, consumers became increasingly price conscious, supporting the second consecutive year of value growth for discounters in the UK. As…

Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, local consumers turned to direct selling in the UK as a way to augment their household earnings. Data released by the UK’s Direct Selling Association (DSA) revealed a significant surge in the number of people…

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…

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…

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…

Depilatories in the UK recorded a rise in value sales for a second consecutive year in 2023. Women's razors and blades, which recorded 3% value growth, was the main driver behind this performance, although this was mostly driven by inflation and…

Volume sales of deodorants in the UK rose for a second consecutive year in 2023. According to Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Beauty Survey (fielded June to July 2022), 34.5% of UK participants indicated that hygiene and…

In 2023, debit cards remains the preferred and most widely used payment method, increasing from the previous year in terms of the number of cards in circulation, as well as the volume and retail value of transactions. However, this growth is set to…

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 UK’s dairy packaging market is dominated in unit volume terms by HDPE bottles and thin wall plastic containers. HDPE bottles dominate milk packaging, and are also gaining share in yoghurt, due to their robust barrier credentials. Milk is a…

In 2022, there was double-digit growth in terms of credit card spending for both personal and commercial credit cards. High inflation and the rising cost of living, which have also been affecting Britons in 2023, were amongst the main causes. In…

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…

The lingering effect of the inflationary wave from 2022, exacerbated by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, has resulted in continued economic pressures. Moreover, cooking ingredients and meals is dealing with the consequences of climate change,…

Despite price increases as a result of inflation that continued to drive the local population to adopt more conscious spending patterns in 2023, convenience retailers in the UK maintained a positive trajectory during the year as proximity and…

Contact lenses in the UK are set to deliver solid single-digit volume and current value growth over 2024, which will make it the most dynamic performer in eyewear (in terms of volume growth). After the decline that resulted from the pandemic in 2020,…

In comparison with Eurozone countries, the UK economy has continued to be impacted by high inflation and the soaring cost of living in 2023. While rising electricity and gas prices drove inflation in 2022, they have been gradually decreasing in 2023,…

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…

With the impact of the pandemic waning in the UK, it was hoped that 2023 would be a year where the consumer foodservice industry made significant steps to recover to pre-pandemic levels. However, in terms of transactions and outlet numbers, this did…

The waning impact of the pandemic and greater mobility outside of the home have positively impacted consumer spending in travel and leisure locations. According to Euromonitor International, inbound arrivals in the UK rose by 20% in 2023 to 37…

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…

Numerous consumers have increased their reliance on credit to enable them to afford higher retail prices in 2023, as the UK economy has continued to be impacted by high inflation and the rising cost of living. As a result, card lending is set to…

Overall, there is set to be a decline in consumer appliances in retail volume terms at the top level in 2023. This comes as a result of declines in both major and small appliances. Major appliances is, however, expected to experience a much stronger…

Although it remains a much smaller pack type in unit volume terms, flexible paper continues to take share from the dominant packaging format of flexible plastic in countlines, as consumers increasingly opt for sustainable packaging options. This…

After a year of falling off-trade volume sales in 2022, 2023 is set to see a continued decline in demand for concentrates. The decrease in off-trade volume terms is expected to be especially marked by the decline in powder concentrates, which is set…

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…

Overall demand for colour cosmetics in the UK stagnated in 2023, while value sales continued to grow. In 2022, inflation in the UK surged to 9.1%, due to the aftermath of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. While this rate slowed in 2023, further…

Despite 2023 seeing a return to offices and institutional channels, at-home consumption of coffee has remained high owing to post-pandemic habits such as continued working from home. Also, having purchased a coffee machine and other relevant…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in the UK returned to positive value growth in 2023, after experiencing a decline the previous year. This growth was mainly driven by a significant rise in unit prices across the category, boosted by constantly…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in the UK declined by double digits in 2023, even though smoking prevalence experienced a limited drop. The main reason behind the highest decline in legal cigarette sales in the last decade was the significant unit…

As with many other alcoholic drinks categories, total volume sales of cider/perry in the UK marginally declined in 2023. Cider/perry in the off-trade channel is quite mature, and following a boost from pandemic-related restrictions, demand continued…

Following a period where inflation reached an historic 40-year high in 2023, the average unit price of chocolate confectionery in the UK increased by double digits. The heightened costs across the supply chain, including transportation, energy,…

Following the pandemic-related baby boom, birth rates in the UK are now declining, but demand for childrenswear continues to grow. However, a stronger performance in value growth terms is being driven by unit price increases. Childrenswear faces…

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…

Charge cards is expected to continue to see double-digit declines in 2023 in terms of cards in circulation, and volume and value transactions. Historically, charge cards were primarily associated with business use, as the majority of transactions,…

In 2023, the UK experienced a marginal decline in the cat population, whereby the rate of abandonment surpassed the rate of adoption, resulting in an overall retail volume decline for cat food. Despite the increasing popularity of cats as companions,…

The cost of living increased sharply across the UK during 2022 and into 2023. Due to a strong increase in the overall cost of production, and rising unit prices, reaching and often surpassing 10% rises, carbonates is set to experience increases in…

2023 presented quite a mixed picture for the cannabis industry in the UK. While growth continued, there was also a modification regarding the future expectations of development within the local market. In CBD & other non-intoxicating cannabinoids,…