Eastern Europe

The surge in sales of away-from-home tissue and hygiene products in 2023 was primarily fuelled by the revival of tourism in Georgia. As international travel resumed, the demand for tissue products in hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality…

Away-from-home tissue and hygiene in Estonia recorded double-digit growth in 2023. This strong value increase was largely due to price increases as inflationary pressures continued to be felt in the country. Away-from-home toilet paper experienced…

Despite strong rising prices, all away-from-home tissue categories in Croatia recorded growth in 2023 due to a remarkable tourist season. Despite inflation and general economic insecurities, inbound tourists have bounced back in the post-pandemic era…

AFH tissue and hygiene in Bulgaria continued to steadily recover from the harsh impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions in hotels and restaurants, which is the biggest AFH channel, hindered sales in 2020 as many establishments were…

In 2023, vending in Romania showcased positive retail value growth, benefiting from the elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. This led consumers to return to office work, with free movement outside of the home, enabling the recovery of…

In 2023, supermarkets in Romania recorded double-digit retail value growth; the result of having excellent locations in crowded neighbourhoods. As such, these stores increasingly benefit from proximity while offering a broader range of products…

The performance of small local grocers in Romania in 2023, was negatively impacted by the declining number of outlets across the nation. In addition, the elimination of all COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 propelled travelling and bolstered spending in…

Grocery retailers dominate sales in 2023

After several years of accelerated evolution, 2023 was a challenging year for e-commerce in Romania.

In 2023, hypermarkets in Romania continued to see retail value growth; however, footfall declined. The social function of hypermarkets before COVID-19 was a place for shopping and entertainment. This has diminished significantly since 2021, with the…

In 2023, home product specialists in Romania showcased positive growth driven by home improvement and gardening stores. Consumers in Romania have showcased a rising interest in DIY and gardening, which began during home seclusion and the outbreak of…

Within health and beauty specialist retailers in Romania in 2023, chemists/pharmacies held the most significant retail value sales by far. These outlets have the largest number of stores, with a strong sales position that continued to be in place…

In 2023, general merchandise stores in Romania were represented in totality by variety stores. However, variety stores is an underdeveloped retail channel, which remains unfamiliar to most local consumers. Variety stores have never really developed…

Strong, double-digit retail value growth for discounters in Romania in 2023 resulted from heightened footfall driven by rising inflation. As bills rose, consumers were forced to reevaluate their spending habits, including migrating to other channels…

The decline of direct selling in 2023 in Romania was a continuation of the results noted in 2022. Much of this decline was due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, which began in March 2022, and resulted in a strong uplift of consumers in…

The high growth for convenience retailers in 2023 in Romania, was driven by rising interest in proximity shopping. Price growth over the level of inflation limited consumers' purchases to basic food items. Reduction of purchasing power due to…

Following strong growth during COVID-19, in 2023, appliances and electronics specialists in Romania registered a downward trend. For larger appliances, sales were sustained in 2023 as consumers applied for vouchers through a scrappage scheme, driving…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Romania recorded strong, double-digit retail value growth in 2023. This positive performance is partly driven by consumers returning to physical stores, after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in March 2022. The…

Vending was one of the better performing retail channels in Slovakia in 2023, with current value sales increasing. Convenience and on-the-go consumption drove consumer demand. While hot drinks continued to be the most popular product sold through…

Sales in vending were being supported in Hungary in 2023, due to the number of vending machines increasing. Vending is seen as a beneficial model for retail, as it does not require a cashier to serve the customers, thus cuts down on labour and…

Supermarkets in Slovakia lost out to discounters in 2023, as continuing high inflation saw consumers increasingly shop in discounters. Consumers also sought out discounts in supermarkets as they were highly price sensitive. As such, supermarket…

Supermarkets saw a decline in value sales in Hungary in 2023, following the positive performance seen in 2022 as the channel benefitted from the normalisation patterns following the era of the pandemic. In 2023, however, the channel is being affected…

2023 was not a good year for small local grocers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in such outlets, as prices tend to be higher than in other larger grocery retailers. As such, both constant and current…

Small local grocers saw robust value sales in Hungary in 2023, driven by the rise of urbanisation, busy consumer lifestyles, and the convenience which small local grocers offer due to their proximity benefits. Whilst small local grocers have also…

It was a poor trading year for retail in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still being high, as well increasing interest rates leading to higher mortgage payments, consumers felt the pinch. As such, there was only marginal growth in current value…

Retail in Hungary continued to be influenced by inflationary factors in 2023, with the double-digit hikes continuing (and even increasing from) the previous year. Moreso, Hungary is reported to be experiencing one of the highest sets of hikes across…

Retail e-commerce registered a modest increase in current value sales in Slovakia. However, with appliances and electronics continuing to be the most popular products sold online, and with weak consumer sentiment leading consumers to postpone larger…

Retail e-commerce was a fragmented category in Hungary in 2023, with the leading brand being Media Markt (Media Markt Retail Cooperation Kft), followed by eMAG Marketing (Extreme Digital - Emag Kft). However, Media Markt is the only name holding a…

Hypermarkets were the best performing grocery channel in Slovakia in 2023 in terms of value growth. Recent openings of new outlets boosted value sales, including the new Kaufland Bratislava outlet discussed below. However, with inflation still high,…

Hypermarkets saw shrinking value sales in Hungary in 2023, compared to the double-digit growth rates seen the previous year. This is attributed to competition from other channels, such as discounters (eg Lidl and Aldi) which offer an increasingly…

Home product specialists were the worst performing retail channel in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still high, consumers put off home renovation projects and also cut down on spend on homewares and home furnishings. As such, home products register…

Home products specialists faced inflationary challenges in Hungary in 2023, with the double-digit inflation hikes continuing (and even increasing from) the previous year. Moreso, Hungary is reported to be experiencing one of the highest sets of hikes…

Health and beauty specialists were the best performing retail channel in Slovakia in 2023 in terms of value growth. There was also a significant increase in outlet openings. However, it was a mixed bag. While pharmacies registered a healthy increase…

Health and beauty specialists is a channel which has been affected by cross-category trends in Hungary in 2023. Specifically, the impact of high inflation has led to a growing presence of private label options, thus, to meet the needs of…

General merchandise stores saw declining sales in Hungary in 2023, due to the low levels of activity in the category. It is also well consolidated, with Ecofamily (Napcsillag Kft) holding just under half of all brand share. Indeed, Ecofamily has…

Discounters in Slovakia were one of the better performing grocery retailers in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and prioritised value for money. As such, discounters registered an increase in current value sales,…

Discounters continued to be a big trend in Hungary in 2023, with three giants holding all share. Namely, Lidl (Lidl Magyarorszag Kereskedelmi Bt) holds over half of all brand share, followed by Aldi (Aldi Magyarország Élelmiszeripari Kereskedelmi Bt)…

Direct selling in Slovakia registered a further fall in both current and constant values sales in 2023. A shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

Direct selling saw a slump in Hungary in 2023, caused by a confluence of factors. Direct selling is mostly driven by beauty and personal care direct selling in Hungary, which had previously seen a rebound after the notable declines during the time of…

2023 was not a good year for convenience retailers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in convenience retailers, as prices tend to be higher than in other grocery retailers. As such both constant and current…

Convenience stores continued to be affected by price hikes in Hungary in 2023. Whilst inflationary pressures have had effects across retail, we see some specific spikes and falls.

It was a poor trading year for appliances and electronics specialists in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still high, consumers prioritised essentials and postponed purchases, if at all possible. As such, there was a significant fall in both current…

Inflationary pressures supported value sales for appliances and electronics specialists in Hungary in 2023, due to the resulting increases in unit prices. Indeed, retailers and manufacturers alike have been facing increased operational costs, rising…

Apparel and footwear specialists registered a fall in current value sales in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and cut back on spending on non-essentials. Also, when consumers did purchase, they traded…

Apparel and footwear specialists is another channel which was seeing strong value growth in Hungary in 2023. Indeed, this trend continues from 2022, which also saw double-digit value growth, as the channel bounced back from the pandemic restrictions…

The wipes category in Bosnia and Herzegovina witnessed moderate growth in 2023 as consumers placed a stronger emphasis on personal hygiene in the post-pandemic era. Overall, locals are enjoying a higher standard of living, and this has increased use…

Following the pandemic, vending in the Czech Republic witnessed strong growth as consumers resumed their lives outside of the home. The deteriorating economy and rising cost of living brought an end to this in 2023. Sales in vending machines have…

Vending in Bulgaria performed strongly in 2023, registering double-digit value growth, as well an increase in constant value sales, despite continuing high inflation. Convenience and on-the-go consumption drove consumer demand. While hot and soft…

Tissue and hygiene in Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to experience the effects of high inflation in 2023, although the rate was significantly lower than in 2022. Inflation has weakened consumer purchasing power as many households face higher costs…

Supermarkets in the Czech Republic have enjoyed a solid performance in recent years. Inflation has remained high since 2022 plunging the Czech economy into dire straits for the second year running. Even though the soaring costs of living put further…