Uruguay

Retail volume sales of yoghurt and sour milk products is expected to recover in 2023, following production problems in the previous year. Conflicts between the leading companies and trade unions resulted in general strikes and a reduced supply of raw…

Wound care is expected to register moderate constant value and some volume growth in 2023. Wound care continues to recover from the removal of pandemic restrictions. With people out and about once again, and participating in physical actives, there…

Most categories in wipes witnessed heavy volume declines in 2023, as the issue of small-scale smuggling impacted Uruguay. Wipes were a very popular item to be purchased in Argentina, due to the relatively high unit price and small easy-to-carry…

Currently, the main threat to the wine industry of Uruguay is imports of Argentinean wines. Local consumers have easy access to these wines, which are very good quality and very cheap in comparison with Uruguayan wines. Although imported wines pay…

Growth in values sales in weight management and wellbeing is expected to be slightly above inflation. Its positive performance is attributable to wider distribution beyond pharmacies, with increasing distribution through modern grocery retailers.…

Vitamins are expected to register a further significant decline in volume sales in 2023. The boon from the pandemic is long over and vitamins that claim immune boosting benefits are seeing a significant decline. Vitamin C in particular is expected to…

Negative net migration, accompanied by low or negative rates of natural change, will drive depopulation in Uruguay in 2021-2040. As birth rates fall and people live longer, ageing will hasten, impacting consumer trends and putting additional pressure…

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As with home care products in general, cross-border shopping led to a decline in volume sales of toilet care. Although inflation has soared in Argentina, the depreciation rate against the Uruguayan peso has made toilet care products purchased in…

In recent years, Uruguay has benefited from a stable economy and was able to remain strong despite the economic crisis faced by its neighbour Argentina. In fact, Uruguay’s economy posted positive growth in 2023 in a context in which its neighbour and…

Tissue and hygiene sales in Uruguay were dampened by the growing issue of small-scale smuggling from Argentina. Swathes of consumers have been crossing into Argentina to buy cheaper goods. The gap between the official exchange rate and the informal…

Due to the drought suffered across Uruguay, the quality of tap water was impacted in 2023. With a high level of sodium, tap water was unsuitable for consumption. The Uruguayan government responded to the crisis by giving away bottled water to…

Jams and preserves remains the largest category in sweet spreads, registering a slight contraction in retail volume terms in 2023. The decline can be explained by a rise in the number of Uruguayans crossing the border into Argentina in order to buy…

In 2022, sweet biscuits recorded positive volume growth after two years of registering declining sales, with positive growth also expected in 2023. The good performances in 2022 and 2023 are, in part, explained by a better supply after the production…

Performance was muted for surface care in 2023, with constant value sales, as well as volume sales, falling slightly. Now that the pandemic is over, there was less cleaning overall. In addition, significant illicit trade also dampened volume sales.

2023 was the second consecutive year that sun care generated positive volume growth after three years of double-digit declines in volume sales earlier in the review period. While the dramatic drop in demand recorded earlier the review period was due…

Sugar confectionery continued to see a strong rebound in 2022 in volume terms, with further positive growth expected in 2023, when sales are expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels. Although a mandatory quarantine was not enforced during the…

In 2023, staple foods has registered a marginal decrease in retail volume terms as consumers reduce consumption in order to save money. High prices remain an issue for Uruguayans and this is impacting negatively on demand. Furthermore, the…

Sports nutrition continues to be benefit from the full opening of society post pandemic lockdowns, with people being more active and attending gyms once again. As such sports nutrition is expected to register healthy constant value and volume growth…

Sports drinks is experiencing continuous growth, stimulated by the prevailing health and fitness lifestyle trend and exacerbated by the recent tap water crisis. Following the COVID-19 crisis, sales of sports drinks have shown robust retail volume…

The overall volume sales of spirits climbed in 2022. Although the volume sales through off-trade channels of almost all categories fell during the year, the total market volume ended on the positive side. Total volume sales were boosted by the growth…

Uruguay experienced a notable economic upturn of in the previous year but eventually faced a recession due to irregular and insufficient rainfall that evolved into a severe drought by the end of 2022. This prolonged crisis persisted until June 2023,…

In 2022, GDP in Uruguay increased by 4.9%, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, and was continuing to grow in 2023, helping to drive demand for snacks. Tourism, mainly international tourist visitors from Argentina and Brazil, was badly affected during the…

2023 was another year of positive volume growth for skin care as the category continues to benefit from the increasing numbers of local consumers performing their beauty routines at home, rather than relying on the services of professional…

Savoury snacks was recording positive growth in volume and value terms in 2022, with a similar trend expected in 2023. All the categories in savoury snacks were registering increasing sales in 2022, with this also expected to be the case in 2023.…

Sauces, dips and condiments registered a low increase in retail volume terms in 2023, with supply levels normalising after the fluctuations seen in 2021 and 2022. The rising cost of raw materials has been an issue for manufacturers, as well as custom…

The Salto in Uruguay report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

RTDs was one of the biggest winners in the Uruguayan alcoholic drinks market in 2022. Of the different RTDs segments, spirit-based drinks put in the best performance over the review period as a whole. Growth has been in line with the trend towards…

Despite a moderate growth in off-trade volume sales for RTD (Ready-to-Drink) tea in 2023, the overall consumption landscape remains underdeveloped and lacks popularity among Uruguayan consumers. This modest upturn follows a series of declines over…

In 2023, rice and pasta registered a decline in retail volume sales, as consumers were deterred by higher retail prices. Rising international cost have plagued dried and fresh pasta in particular, forcing manufacturers to raise prices. Another…

In 2023, retail tissue in Uruguay witnessed further decline in volume sales, with paper towels and toilet paper both affected. These two segments accounted for almost 90% of all retail tissue sales by value. Small-scale smuggling has negatively…

Inflation and ongoing price increases significantly impacted the retail industry in 2022. High price rises led to changing consumer behaviours, with a drop in demand as many were looking to delay significant purchases, reducing and adapting their…

The make-up of e-commerce in Uruguay and the current retail environment has resulted in third party merchants holding considerable value share in the channel. Beyond those third party merchants, grocery retailers have a strong share. Henderson &…

Retail adult incontinence in Uruguay was subject to an increase in small-scale smuggling, but to a much lesser extent than other tissue and hygiene categories. Typically, the most smuggled products are those sold in a relatively small and…

In 2023, many Uruguayans are travelling across the border into Argentina to purchase more affordable shelf-stable meat and seafood, as well as cheaper chilled processed red meat. This trend has had a negative impact on local sales in Uruguay, as…

In 2023, the drought and scarcity of safe water sources in Uruguay has compelled locals to make changes to their dietary choices, replacing fresh vegetables and fruit with frozen and shelf stable options. With the ongoing challenges of washing fresh…

Premium beauty and personal care registered another very strong sales performance during 2023, the fourth-year during which double-digit current value growth was registered in the category as demand continued to rise steadily. In particular, sales…

Polishes registered a steep volume fall in 2023, with all segments within polish registering a decline. Increasingly polishes are losing out to products within surface care such as multi-purpose cleaners, which are generally more affordable, as well…

Plant-based dairy is still underdeveloped in Uruguay with brand and products focused mainly in plant-based milk. However, consumers are becoming more aware about healthier and sustainable options, with new local producers emerging as well as…

Stability and less corruption than peers are cornerstones of Uruguay’s political environment, whilst economic freedom is one of the best regionally. Drought will weigh on short-term economic development, owing to high dependence on agriculture, but…

Value sales for paediatric consumer health continues to be low in Uruguay and in 2023 it is expected to register a slight decrease in constant value sales, as continuing rising prices cuts into profitability. Analgesics continues to account for most…

Other hot drinks recorded a sluggish performance in 2023, driven by the decline in other plant-based hot drinks (yerba maté), which make up the majority of other hot drink sales in Uruguay. The drought in Uruguay impacted the running water. Since it…

Chilled and shelf stable dairy desserts registered a decrease in retail volume terms in 2022, but a modest rebound is expected in 2023. During the second half of 2022, the second leading player Cooperativa Nacional de Productores de Leche (Conaprole)…

During 2023, oral care was one of the beauty and personal care categories that was most negatively affected by cross-border shopping and the informal trade in parallel imports and contraband from Argentina. Throughout the year, huge numbers of…

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, restrictions on travel and socialising heavily impacted certain non-grocery retailers, as consumers were confided to the household. With the risk of COVID-19 reducing, the government has lifted restrictions on…

Retail volume of sales of nappies/diapers/pants in Uruguay fell considerably in 2023, due to the ongoing decline in the country’s birth rate. In addition, small-scale smuggling from Argentina also impacted local retailers’ sales, although the impact…

The Montevideo in Uruguay report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

Menstrual care in Uruguay witnessed a sharp decline in retail volume sales in 2023, with the category contracting for the second consecutive year. Uruguayans are still buying menstrual care products, but many consumers opted to buy these products at…

While almost all categories of men’s grooming registered negative volume growth in 2023, men’s fragrances was the one category to buck the generally negative sales trends as both mass men’s fragrances and premium men’s fragrances registered…

Dry soup remains the largest category in sauces, dips and condiments, in current value terms. The reduction of imports, largely from Argentina, is hindering retail volume sales in 2023. Category leader Unilever del Uruguay SA leads sales of dry soup…