Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities...
Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities across industries in Eastern Europe, with the latest regional and country-level analysis and market statistics.
In 2023, tobacco in the Czech Republic continued to develop towards newer product types with perceived less harmful effects on health. Regular cigarettes remained the largest category, but retail volume sales continued on a strong downward…
Tobacco in Bulgaria witnessed robust growth in 2023, with retail volume growth driven largely by the growing appeal of alternative products in the form of e-vapour products and heated tobacco. Cigarette smoking remains very popular due to its low…
In 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina witnessed significant changes in its tobacco landscape, marked by declining smoking prevalence and notable economic factors influencing consumer behaviour. A growing health consciousness among the population has led to…
Sunglasses continue to exhibit robust growth in eyewear in Poland in 2024, albeit at a slightly slower pace compared to the previous year. Despite economic challenges stemming from the cost-of-living crisis, the category remains one of the…
In 2024, spectacle lenses maintained their position as the primary growth driver within spectacles, surpassing frames and readymade reading glasses in both retail value and volume terms. The necessity for regular replacement of spectacle lenses due…
Smokeless tobacco, heated tobacco and e-vapour products in Bulgaria posted dynamic growth despite rising unit prices across all categories. The growing popularity of such products has led to higher excise duty on e-liquids and nicotine free liquids,…
In 2023, retail value sales of e-vapour products and heated tobacco recorded double-digit growth in Bosnia Herzegovina. While the smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption, including illicit trade, continue to decline in the country, two other…
Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in the Czech Republic continued to develop at the end of the review period. As heated tobacco products are viewed by some as the “future of smoking”, it is essential for the major players to…
In 2024, eyewear in Poland continued its upward trajectory, particularly in areas such as daily disposable and frequent replacement lenses. Daily disposable lenses, driven by a growing number of individuals with vision impairments, emerged as the…
In 2024, contact lenses and solutions in Poland experienced a subtle yet significant shift influenced by demographic and lifestyle factors. The country's inflation slowdown contributed to a marginal increase in average unit prices within the…
Overall, cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in the Czech Republic registered a moderate decrease in retail volume sales in 2023. However, this was mainly due to the decrease in retail volume sales of fine cut tobacco, which dominates in terms of…
The economy segment of cigars and cigarillos in Bulgaria has been most heavily impacted by the rising cost of living and high rate of inflation in 2023. The large consumer base of cigar and cigarillo smokers are switching to cheaper alternatives,…
Cigars and cigarillos continued to achieve moderate double-digit retail volume growth in Bosnia Herzegovina in 2023 as consumer demand among niche consumer groups and cigar aficionados remained stable. Both the cigars and cigarillos categories remain…
A worsening economic situation in 2023 had a significant effect on cigarettes in the Czech Republic. While lower than in 2022, the rate of inflation in the Czech Republic remained high, exerting upward pressure on production and transportation costs…
Cigarette consumption in Bulgaria recorded a marginal decline in 2023. The switch to alternative products among younger adults, such as heated tobacco products and single use cigarettes, has become very popular over the last year. Millennials and Gen…
Smoking prevalence in Bosnia and Herzegovina has continued to decline throughout the review period, a trend that persisted into 2023, exerting a downward pressure on cigarette consumption. This decline is attributed to a growing number of…
Video games hardware experienced remarkable growth in 2023 in Ukraine, largely driven by the rebound in imports compared to the previous year, resulting in the resurgence of leading companies like Sony Ukraine TOV. Notably, Sony Ukraine TOV witnessed…
Video games in Romania continued to experience dynamic current value growth in 2023. On the one hand, the improving technological infrastructure in the country and the rising popularity of gaming across all age groups were key positive factors. On…
Robust sales continue for video games in Poland in 2023, showing ongoing resilience despite inflationary pressures. That said, economic uncertainty has resulted in consumers becoming more selective in their purchases, prioritising value and quality.…
In 2023, there was a surge in the popularity of traditional toys that appealed not only to children but also to adults in Ukraine, particularly in the construction category. This surge was primarily fuelled by the relaunch of LEGO Ukraina TOV in…
Traditional toys and games in Romania maintained double-digit current value growth in 2023, with increases seen across all categories. Premiumisation remains a key trend in Romania, but traditional toys and games is a category which is still flooded…
Traditional toys and games in Poland maintained healthy growth in 2023, despite the landscape being shaped by inflation and geopolitical uncertainties which have influenced consumer spending habits overall. Despite these challenges, the category…
In 2023, toys and games in Ukraine witnessed a significant increase in value, with video games hardware emerging as the primary driving force behind this growth. Several factors contributed to this notable upswing. Firstly, there was a discernible…
Toys and games in Romania experienced dynamic current value growth in 2023, with double-digit increases seen for both traditional toys and games, and video games. Growth was due to improving living standards and changing consumer lifestyles, as well…
Toys and games in Poland maintained robust sales in 2023, in part driven by the significant growth of online games and subscriptions. This surge is largely due to the increasing shift towards digital platforms in general, as consumers engage with…
In 2023, sun care in Romania witnessed another year of surging retail volume and current value sales, remaining one of the most rapidly expanding categories within beauty and personal care. Part of the reason for continued dynamism was that sales of…
Skin care was one of the most dynamic categories within beauty and personal care in 2023, experiencing robust growth in both retail volume and current value terms. Romanian consumers are increasingly interested in the regular use of skin care…
Premium beauty and personal care experienced a third year of double-digit current value growth in Romania in 2023; albeit at a lower rate than seen in the previous two years. This continued strong performance was tied to the loyalty consumers often…
While oral care saw little movement in Romania in retail volume terms in 2023, it demonstrated a significant current value growth trajectory, similar to that seen in 2022, due to continued price rises. Volume growth was observed for non-essential…
Although overall volume sales in men’s grooming continued to see a slight decline in 2023, the category experienced stable solid growth in current value terms in Romania, driven by rising prices. There was a surge in the number of companies…
Continuing the trend from 2022, mass beauty and personal care saw dynamic current value growth in Romania in 2023. Mass brands remain the default choice for the vast majority of consumers across all beauty and personal care categories. Several…
In 2023, hair care in Romania demonstrated robust growth, with a low increase in retail volume terms, and a strong-single digit increase in current value terms. Current value growth was recorded across all categories, whilst a more mixed performance…
In 2023, fragrances in Romania continued to experience current value growth, although volume sales maintained their declining trend. This phenomenon was attributed to consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for fragrances, resulting in fewer…
Depilatories continued to experience low retail volume growth and a strong current value increase in Romania in 2023. This category is characterised by its maturity and limited premiumisation, with the notable dominance of a few well-established…
In 2023, deodorants in Romania exhibited robust growth in current value terms, albeit seeing only a low increase in volume terms. This positive trend marked a rebound following the setback experienced during COVID-19, which led to contractions in…
Colour cosmetics in Romania maintained retail volume and current value growth in 2023, as consumers’ lives continued to normalise after the end of COVID-19, although volume sales were still unable to recover to the pre-pandemic level. All the main…
Although beauty and personal care saw only low growth in volume terms in Romania in 2023, strong growth was seen in current value terms. Rising inflation, the pandemic, and the danger of war in Ukraine all led to changes in consumers’ priorities,…
Bath and shower showed a positive performance in Romania in current value terms in 2023. However, this growth was purely due to inflationary price rises, as volume sales continued to decline, after the boost to sales and stockpiling seen in 2020, in…
Maintaining the trend seen in the previous two years, baby and child-specific products maintained solid retail volume growth in Romania in 2023, along with double-digit current value growth as prices rose. This category remains a priority for…
After witnessing significant declines in 2020 in the first year of COVID-19, sun care in Poland saw continuous robust retail volume and current value growth from 2021 to 2023, recovering fully in current value terms, but not rebounding completely…
Skin care in Poland flourished throughout the review period, seemingly unaffected by the impact of the pandemic and prevailing economic challenges, and retail volume and current value growth continued in 2023, with increases in sales across all…
Premium beauty and personal care saw another year of dynamic double-digit current value growth in Poland in 2023, although from a lower base than the mass segment. The momentum of the premium segment was higher than the mass segment, and in fact…
Oral care maintained solid retail volume and current value growth in Poland in 2023. Its comparatively strong performance within overall beauty and personal care is unsurprising, as recent studies reveal that many Poles still lack adequate oral…
After declines were seen for men’s grooming in Poland during the pandemic, value sales returned to the 2019 level in 2022, while 2023 witnessed continued robust retail volume recovery, and sales finally returned to the pre-pandemic level. Despite…
Although growth was lower than premium beauty and personal care, mass beauty and personal care witnessed a second year of double-digit current value growth in Poland in 2023. High current value growth was seen across all mass beauty and personal care…
Hair care in Poland maintained its growth momentum in retail volume and current value terms in 2023. This was despite the fact that after seeing declines in 2020 due to the pandemic, current value sales had already returned to the pre-pandemic level…
Although retail volume growth stalled in 2023, fragrances witnessed robust current value growth across all categories in Poland in 2023, driven by rising prices. Evolving consumer motivations were seen for fragrances post-COVID-19. Beyond seduction…
Depilatories experienced notable increases in retail volume and current value sales in Poland in 2023, with growth across all categories, fuelled by the resumption of social events and travel. The mass transition from remote working back to the…
In 2023, deodorants experienced further solid growth in both retail volume and current value terms in Poland, despite already having returned to the pre-pandemic level of sales. All categories saw both volume and value growth except for deodorant…
Despite the challenges posed by rising inflation, colour cosmetics has emerged as a beacon of success for manufacturers and retailers alike. The year 2023 saw low overall retail volume growth, along with a dynamic increase in current value terms –…