Eastern Europe

Inflation remains a key factor for consumer appliances in Romania in 2023, as consumers’ purchasing power continues to be affected by these economic pressures. In this context, volume sales of major appliances remain low, as many consumers are…

High inflation continues to cause significant implications for the Polish economy and its consumers in 2023, leading to a decrease in purchasing power as the prices of goods and services increased. Many households are struggling with high costs of…

Coffee is by far the most popular category within hot drinks in Ukraine but the category has seen heavy losses since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sales plummeted in 2022 as large numbers of consumers fled the country while foodservice sales were…

Air treatment products is the winner in 2023, showing the strongest retail volume growth across the consumer appliances categories. This growth is being stimulated by a rising number of heatwaves in the country and increasingly crowded (and hot)…

With Poland witnessing rising average temperatures, air conditioning devices are becoming more popular. Recent years have seen temperatures reach very high levels, with at least one heat wave sweeping for the country every summer, causing discomfort…

The global wheat market in 2023 has seen a recovery in supply, following tight global supply and skyrocketing wheat prices in 2022 resulting from the onset of the war in Ukraine. Increased wheat exports from Russia, readjustments of supply chains and…

Albania is advancing with its programme to join the European Union (EU), but the large informal economy and endemic problems still hold it back. Annual real GDP growth is expected to slow down over the near term. Albania offers a large labour force,…

The briefing examines how the food, beverages and tobacco industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of food, beverages and tobacco output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports,…

Cylinder vacuum cleaners remained the largest category among vacuum cleaners in 2023. Most consumers in the country own a powerful cylinder vacuum cleaner at home, with many using them sparingly when wanting to do a complete and thorough cleaning of…

In 2023, sweet spreads witnessed a moderate decline in retail volume, primarily driven by reduced consumer demand for chocolate spreads and jams and preserves. These categories faced challenges due to the ongoing negative impact of health and…

Sports drinks was already a niche even before the pandemic, but what sales did exist registered heavy losses following Russia’s invasion in early 2022. Many men joined the armed forces in response to the invasion and as such were forced to give up…

Sales of soft drinks have been significantly impacted by Russia’s war in Ukraine and soaring inflation. Besides the resulting decline in the population and the loss of territories, the market also faces other obstacles including consumers downtrading…

Retail volume sales declined in 2023 due to the rising cost of living and inflation, with many consumers cutting down on purchases of products they felt were unessential, such as small cooking appliances. As such, instead of purchasing new small…

In 2023, all sauces, dips, and condiments witnessed positive moderate retail volume growth, except for mayonnaise and mustard, which experienced a moderate decline. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including the impact of health and…

RTD tea suffered significant losses during 2022 as category was not a priority for either manufacturers or consumers. The supply of these products was limited, while there were out-of-stock situations seen during the high season. There is also a…

RTD coffee only started to gain a significant presence in Ukraine during the pandemic but after a bright start the category saw a steep decline in 2022 because of the impact of Russia’s invasion on the supply chain and import issues. Leading retailer…

There was a slight decline in retail volume sales noted in refrigeration appliances in 2023, with sales of freezers falling. These products significantly consume energy, and with the substantial price increase seen in 2023, most consumers were not…

Hair care appliances held most of the retail volume share among personal care appliances in 2023, with these products attracting more consumers and recording growth. Significant price increases were seen in beauty salons and for consumers. This led…

Microwaves gained positive retail volume sales in 2023, driven by several factors. Firstly, these appliances were offered at significantly lower prices when compared to other major appliances, not impacted as significantly by price hikes during the…

In 2023, meals and soups experienced continued robust retail volume growth, propelled by the solid performance of shelf-stable ready meals and frozen pizza. Despite being the largest category, soups faced a moderate decline due to shifting consumer…

Large cooking appliances saw a slight retail volume decline in 2023 due to high and growing price points. Large appliances have higher prices, and as such, consumers postpone their purchasing during a time of rising living costs. With a decline in…

Juice was one of the hardest hit soft drinks categories following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and it saw only a modest recovery in retail volume terms in 2023. The category lost a tangible share of its key target audience following Russia’s…

The home laundry appliances landscape recorded an overall retail volume decline in 2023, challenged by inflation and rising price points. Automatic dryers continued to decline in terms of retail volume in 2023. Media in the country were active in…

The high and rising energy prices led some consumers to cook less in 2023 to save costs, with others focusing on shorter cooking times. In addition, many postponed the replacement of food preparation appliances to save money and spend on necessary…

Energy drinks was the only soft drinks category in Ukraine to see retail volume growth both in 2022 and 2023. This dynamic growth related to the strong increase in demand from volunteers, doctors, armed forces, and other people looking for an energy…

In 2023, edible oils witnessed stagnant retail volume growth, primarily due to static consumer demand and the saturation of leading categories, notably sunflower oil. Despite this, inflation significantly impacted unit prices, resulting in robust…

Built-in dishwashers benefited from the increasing need for convenient appliances in households, especially for consumers with new kitchen builds that want new appliances to integrate. Built-in dishwashers are increasingly selected over freestanding…

In 2023, cooking ingredients and meals experienced robust volume growth alongside strong double-digit percentage increases in value terms. These achievements were largely driven by ongoing inflationary pressure and rising unit prices across all…

Consumer appliances in Hungary recorded a retail volume decline in 2023, negatively impacted by rising inflation and reduced consumer spending power. With lower disposable incomes, many consumers focused on essential, necessary spending, with those…

Demand for concentrates is very limited in Ukraine, although the category did see a return to growth in retail volume terms in 2023 with these products benefiting from their affordability. Concentrates are mainly consumed by price-sensitive older…

Sales of carbonates suffered heavy losses in 2022, although there were several factors that prevented heavier losses and which have helped to support a return to growth in 2023. First, sales were supported by the presence of the core target audience…

Sales of bottled water suffered heavy losses in retail volume terms in 2022 as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with a huge section of the population fleeing the country in search of safety. Nonetheless, bottled water saw a more modest…

In 2023, retail volume sales of air treatment products fell in Hungary, recording a decline. The country's most popular air conditioner type, split air conditioners, saw significant double-digit growth in 2022, with sales bolstered by the support of…

Following a spike in sales during the outbreak of COVID-19, demand for robotic vacuum cleaners has lowered in 2023. The war in Ukraine and rising energy prices only accelerated this decline, with the product suffering from not being viewed as a…

The growth in retail volume for tea in 2023 resulted from affordable prices and perceived health benefits, with tea aligning with the rising interest in health and wellness among consumers. As such, players marketed their teas as improving immunity…

Though value sales are still relatively low for sports drinks in Georgia, it is expected to register healthy volume growth in 2023, in what is an emerging product area. However, distribution is still limited and sports drinks are mainly sold in…

Soft drinks is expected to register healthy volume growth in 2023, despite continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Geopolitical tensions in the region has led to a significant increase in the number of immigrants…

Retail volume and value sales of small cooking appliances declined in 2023. As in other categories of consumer appliances, the COVID-19 pandemic drove forward purchases of small cooking appliances impacted by periods of home seclusion. Moving into…

RTD tea is expected to continue on a healthy retail volume growth trajectory in 2023. Volume growth is even higher, and in the double digits, for foodservice channels, where an influx of recently-arrived immigrants from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus,…

Volume sales continue to be low for RTD coffee and in 2023, volume growth is expected to be muted. One factor holding back growth is the limited range of brands on offer and distribution is mainly through modern grocery retailers, with limited…

Freestanding is the most popular format within refrigeration appliances, with 92% of overall volume in 2023. Built-in refrigeration appliances did not experience the same boom as freestanding refrigeration appliances did during COVID-19, as these…

Body shavers witnessed a further retail volume decline in 2023, as these products were fast-selling during the outbreak of COVID-19, in line with heightened time spent in the household. As such, body shavers saw a decline compared to the previous…

The growth of other hot drinks in 2023 resulted from consumption changes noted during COVID-19, when working from home and studying from home became the norm. During this time, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks, targeting children, saw an…

Freestanding microwaves continued to dominate retail volume sales during 2023, with consumers tending to switch to built-in models when they remodel the kitchen or buy a new home. However, the housing market's slowdown has hampered demand for…

Although the mortgage market began stabilising in March 2023, the drop in new mortgages during 2021 and 2022 led to a slowdown in the real estate market. This impacted built-in kitchen sales, challenging appliance manufacturers while leading to a…

Juice is expected to register double-digit retail volume growth and even higher volume growth through foodservice channels. Foodservice in particular is buoyed by an increasing number of tourists, as well an influx of immigrants from Ukraine, Russia…

Rising inflation and the heightened cost of living in Romania in 2023, negatively impacted retail volume sales of basic food and drinks, including hot drinks. Coffee sales were particularly challenged, with negative retail volume sales, as the unit…

Sales of home laundry appliances continued to slump in 2023, with many consumers having already updated their white goods during the lockdown-inspired home renovations. One of the trends seen during COVID-19 was a demand for quieter washing machines,…

Cordless mixers and blenders are yet to be popular in the Czech Republic, with many consumers preferring traditional models; not only because they are more affordable, but out of habit. Manufacturers will continue to offer cordless models, set to be…

Energy drinks are increasingly popular in Georgia and in 2023 energy drinks are expected to register the highest volume growth of all soft drinks. The range of energy drinks on offer in also growing and this is supporting volume growth. Consumers…