Africa

Sales of hosiery slumped in retail volume terms in 2023 as the challenging economic conditions in Nigeria put pressure on disposable income. With high inflation limiting consumer spending power consumers were forced to become more frugal and to focus…

Hosiery remains a small and declining category in South Africa (in retail volume sales terms). Generally, hosiery will account for low share of shelf in most apparel and retail stores. Similarly, expansion potential is relatively limited as there is…

An energy boom, caused by the war in Ukraine, continues to bolster national coffers in 2023. That being said, global inflationary pressures is leading to rising prices. As such, though hot drinks is expected to register a healthy increase in current…

In Angola, the current economic landscape, marked by a scarcity of foreign currencies in the national bank, poses a potential challenge to the affordability and availability of goods, including hot drinks. The looming threat of increased inflation,…

Cameroon was not as affected by the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine as many other countries. Rising global energy prices in 2022 gave a boost to government coffers and helped stabilise the economy. However, ongoing civil conflict, as…

During 2023, retail volume sales of hot drinks expanded, supported by urbanisation, population growth, and continued recovery of the economy from the waning pandemic. However, the market now faces a new set of challenges due to global inflation rates…

Egypt continues to face significant economic challenges in 2023 led by soaring inflation, a devalued currency and difficulty obtaining foreign currency. Importers are facing major challenges as they struggle to pay import shipments, which has led to…

Coffee dominates retail volume sales of hot drinks in Ethiopia. Coffee has a long history in the country and is regularly consumed by most adults. Retail volume sales of coffee continued to expand in 2023, while tea also grew from a small base and…

Rising prices due to high inflation continued to put pressure on demand for hot drinks in 2023 as consumers prioritised essentials when spending. Nonetheless, growth remains positive across the market, with consumers opting for more affordable brands…

Hot drinks in Kenya showed a solid performance in 2023, with growth in total volume sales surpassing that recorded in 2022. This improvement was primarily driven by buoyant demand in tea, by far the largest of the three main categories, though coffee…

In 2023, the Moroccan economy was negatively impacted by rising inflation, high unemployment levels and lower disposable incomes, leading to a slowdown in retail volume sales. The prices of raw materials and consumer goods, particularly energy,…

In 2023, coffee experienced the most significant surge in volume sales, largely attributed to urbanisation and the evolution of corporate working environments. As Nigerians adopt busier routines and structured work hours, coffee has emerged as a…

In 2023, rising inflation, which reached its highest level in 14 years, and increased input costs for brands are curbing the spending habits of many South Africans. Additionally, input costs for major industry players are rising as they adapt to…

Tax increases placed upward pressure on prices in 2023, but an uptick in economic activity and the ongoing expansion of the affluent urban middle-class have continued to underpin sales growth, while investment in infrastructure has underpinned…

Value sales rose significantly throughout hot drinks in Tunisia in 2023, thanks to inflationary pressures and price hikes. By contrast, overall volume sales declined notably. This was largely due to the shortage of several products controlled by the…

As Uganda is a major exporter of tea and coffee, these are by far the most popular types of hot drinks in the country, especially tea. Demand for other hot drinks remains low and confined to the affluent urban middle class. The presence of unpackaged…

Flexible aluminium/plastic, which is the dominant pack type used in hot drinks packaging in South Africa, continued to record strong unit volume growth in this industry in 2023. Flexible aluminium/plastic packaging is seen as providing superior…

Globally, young adults are the key consumers of plant-based foods, and South Africa is no different. South Africa ranks in the top five countries that ordered the most vegan dishes according to UberEats, with vegan burgers reported as the most…

2022 was a challenging year for many South Africans challenged by continuous blackouts, rising food inflation and unemployment. While consumers reduced non-essential spending to help balance household budgets, healthy eating remained top of mind.…

Hot drink innovations in 2022 were primarily focused on new offerings addressing consumer demand for non-animal products, including healthy plant-based alternatives, across chocolate-based, malt-based and other plant-based drinks. However, these…

Private label snacks have grown in popularity as South Africans seek affordable alternatives to well-known, established brands. Retailers are capitalising on this trend by investing in research and development to create innovative snacks that cater…

With the continued development of the health and wellness industry in South Africa, children are being increasingly targeted as a significant consumer group for healthier soft drinks. Much of this is being driven by local parents, who are becoming…

2022 saw many South Africans reduce their spending on perceived non-essentials as the cost of living increased. In many aspects, health and wellness demands from consumers took a backseat in their priorities, given inflationary pressures. Major…

Hypermarkets in Egypt witnessed dynamic retail value (constant 2023 prices) growth in 2023, as this format benefited from rising consumer price-sensitivity. Hypermarkets’ success in the face of adverse macroeconomic conditions in the country affected…

Hypermarkets in Morocco have continued their evolution into comprehensive one-stop shopping destinations, building on the momentum from the previous year's developments and leveraging innovative strategies to cater to evolving consumer needs.

Following the takeover by Retail Supermarkets Nigeria in 2021, Shoprite embarked on a significant expansion drive, signalling robust growth for hypermarkets in Nigeria in 2023. The opening of new outlets, such as the flagship store in Port-Harcourt,…

The number of hypermarkets operating in South Africa continued to decline in 2023. The trend emerged just prior to the pandemic due to cautious investments in the wake of economic uncertainty in the country. This scenario was exacerbated by lockdown…

Ice cream is big business in Algeria and it continues to be the biggest snack by far in terms of value sales in 2024. That being said, growth in constant value and volume sales is expected to be modest, as rising prices continues to dampen value…

Price sensitivity is a major factor influencing ice cream purchases in Cameroon in 2024. As the cost of living rises, ice cream sold by roadside vendors is experiencing a resurgence. Despite long-standing concerns about hygiene, these vendors offer a…

Demand for ice cream in Egypt is expected to remain fairly stable in 2024, despite a difficult economic climate. Consistent with trends in other areas of the snacks market, the category has been subject to significant price increases, in the context…

A confluence of factors, including rising inflation and increasing production costs, has made Kenyan consumers more sensitive to price in 2024. This newfound price consciousness is translating into a shift in purchasing behaviour, with consumers…

Retail volume sales of ice cream continue to expand in Morocco in 2024, rising at the same rate as was recorded in the previous year. Rising food and energy prices, due to the disruption of global supply chains, have weakened the purchasing power of…

Ice cream in Nigeria is suffering from declining retail volume sales in 2024, with inflationary pressures undermining consumer purchasing power and aa depreciating local currency making products less affordable for most consumers as prices rise. The…

Rolling blackouts (loadshedding) have persisted in 2023, averaging stage 4 for the year (at the time of writing this report), which means that consumers experience power cuts for three to four two-hour slots per day. As a result, consumers have cut…

With regard to ice cream in Tunisia, consumers exhibit significant price-sensitivity. This sensitivity to pricing has been exacerbated by economic crisis and high inflation towards the end of the review period. Price rises can also be attributed to…

As a discretionary product, digital cameras are losing appeal as consumers struggle under the weight of high costs of living in 2023. Inflation has reached unprecedented levels in recent years and is for forcing consumers to rethink non-essential…

Imaging devices is expected to be the worst performing consumer electronics category in 2023. Continuing advances in smartphone cameras are leading to a decline in imaging devices, to the extent that some smartphones can meet the imaging device needs…

Several factors are expected to lead to a double-digit volume decline in imaging devices. Continuing elevated inflation and significant currency devaluation has reduced consumer purchasing power and in particular has made imported product more…

Following a positive performance during the previous three years, demand for imaging devices in South Africa is starting to decline in 2024, with both digital cameras and digital camcorders proving less essential to consumers during a challenging…

Demand for in-car navigation systems with satellite capabilities is steadily declining due to high prices and the shift to more affordable GPS navigation systems and smartphones. The import restrictions and foreign currency shortages in 2022 led to a…

In-car entertainment is expected to register further volume sales declines in 2023 caused by a combination of factors. New cars often have in-built technology. In addition, prices are on the rise due to general inflation, particularly stemming from…

In-car entertainment is expected to register further volume decline in 2023. There are several factors leading to the decline. Imports of cars is expected fall both for new and second-hard cars, as continuing elevated inflation and also a significant…

In-car entertainment in South Africa continues to experience a steady decline in retail volume sales due to a number of shifts in consumer preferences and technological advancements. This trend has been evident for much of the review period and can…

Jeans came under pressure in 2023 due to the substantial increases in retail prices. However, volume sales decline was not as pronounced compared to other major apparel categories. As a popular form of apparel in Egypt, demand for jeans has been more…

Tough economic conditions have led consumers to favour more affordable yet quality jeans, resulting in increased demand for economy and standard jeans. Standard jeans are preferred for their affordability, while economy jeans, especially favoured by…

Sales of jeans saw a double-digit decline in retail volume terms in 2023 due to the challenging economic conditions. In particular, the high inflation being seen in Nigeria placed limits on consumer spending power. Inflation was driven by the…

Many South Africans face tough economic conditions due to the rising cost of living. This is forcing them to reduce their discretionary spending. Due to economic difficulties in the country, increasing numbers of consumers are trading down from…

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…

Although juice is expected to register positive volume growth, there is expected to be a slowdown in volume growth compared with the previous year. This slowdown is due to the growing maturity of juice, coupled with declining disposable incomes…

While prices of soft drinks such as carbonates and bottled water have remained relatively steady, the overall prices of juices have been on an upward trend in the last two years and this has dampened volume growth to an extent. 100% juices are mainly…