Asia Pacific

Savoury snacks in Malaysia is grappling with a persistent disruption in the supply of raw materials in 2023. This supply shortage, coupled with price increases, has led to a surge in production costs, particularly impacting potato chips and other…

Due to rising inflation, savoury snacks manufacturers have introduced different product sizes, to cater for different customer segments. Some consumers prefer buying value sized products, as it provides greater value for money on the weekly shop. By…

Unit prices of savoury snacks, in particular salty snacks, have continued to increase in 2023. This is being driven by steep increases in production costs due to escalating palm oil prices after Indonesia’s export ban, and is expected to result in a…

Savoury snacks in South Korea is set to maintain solid growth in both retail volume and current value terms in 2024. With a declining youth population in the country, consumers in their 30s and 40s are driving the popularity of savoury snacks,…

Savoury snacks is set to see modest current value growth in Taiwan in 2024, with volume sales declining. Home snacking habits have declined, with consumers reducing their habit of snacking at home and engaging in less hoarding and bulk purchasing.…

Savoury snacks is also benefitting from consumers’ return to out-of-home, on-the-go lifestyles, along with the revival of tourism. It should also be noted that potato chips, a popular category, was not too badly impacted by the era of the pandemic…

Thanks to the favourable economic performance and sustained marketing efforts of incumbent players such as Toby Marketing, Leslie Corp, and Universal Robina Corp sales of savoury snacks returned to growth in retail volume terms in 2022. The…

While in 2020 and 2021, savoury snacks were considered as a treat for consumers to fight the boredom of home seclusion during the pandemic, in 2022 and 2023, in the post-COVID-19 period, people have been returning to their previous routines, and…

Retail sales of savoury snacks saw continued growth in volume terms in 2023, albeit at a much slower pace than the previous year. Besides inflationary pressures, which caused consumers to become more frugal with their spending, this was due to rising…

In 2023, self-service restaurants experienced a revival of its growth rate, following the challenges posed by the COVID-19 lockdown the previous year. However, the average spend per transaction continued to decline, which was primarily linked to the…

Self-service cafeterias in Hong Kong experienced significant declines in transaction volumes and current value sales in 2023, largely due to the decreasing number of outlets for one of the main players, Marugame Seimen. However, the channel did…

Self-service cafeterias maintained outlet growth and continued to increase in current value terms in India in 2023. However, it remained by far the smallest channel, representing less than 1% of overall consumer foodservice value sales in India in…

Self-service cafeterias registered a stagnant performance in Indonesia in current value terms in 2023. With a high proportion of these outlets typically located in hypermarkets, the performance of the category is heavily dependent on this retail…

On 8 May 2023, the Japanese government announced that it would reclassify COVID-19 as a class 5 infectious disease, which is the same classification as seasonal flu. As a result, decisions regarding infection control were left to individuals and…

Chained self-service cafeterias continued to see low levels of popularity in Malaysia at the end of the review period. The Ikea Restaurant brand maintained its dominant position in the market. Indeed, there are no other players with a significant…

Catering for budget-conscious consumers in Singapore amid the uncertain economic situation reflects a strategic response to the evolving needs and preferences of the self-service cafeteria customer base. In Singapore, IKEA has long been synonymous…

In 2022 and 2023, independent self-service cafeterias demonstrated double-digit growth in retail value sales. The primary driver behind this success was the popularity of local Korean cuisine buffets, which provide a rich variety of options, and…

The Taiwanese are keen on eating all-you-can buffets, as the diverse range of options caters to a variety of personal choices, with this benefiting self-service cafeterias. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a strong desire for more social…

Self-service cafeterias is a relatively niche category in Thailand, with Ikano (Thailand) Co Ltd being the only player. During 2023, the company registered healthy growth in current value terms, thanks to the revival of normal shopping behaviour in…

There were no self-service cafeterias operating in the Philippines at the end of the review period and in 2021.