Eastern Europe

Concentrates is enjoying solid growth in 2023, fuelled mostly by flavour innovations which are driving consumer interest in concentrates. Consumers have become more attracted to concentrates as they present good value for money in the persisting…

The demand for both liquid and powder concentrates was in decline prior to the review period. The downward trajectory continued through the review period, including 2023. With price increases in a highly inflationary climate, consumers reduced their…

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…

Flexible plastic remained the dominant pack type in confectionery packaging in 2022. Flexible plastic continues to be chosen by manufacturers since it provides an excellent barrier against external contamination, such as dust, moisture or sunlight,…

Flexible plastic remained the leading pack type in confectionery in Romania in 2023, with this packaging format continuing to see positive growth in this year. Confectionery products are often sensitive to moisture, air and light, and flexible…

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…

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…

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…

Both retail volume and retail value growth in consumer appliances declined in the Czech Republic in 2023, with sales facing several challenges. Following two years of record sales driven by COVID-19 and lockdowns, which led many consumers to focus on…

Companies face numerous challenges in 2023 after recent record-breaking sales. They include weakened demand, high interest rates on debts, and tighter consumer credit conditions. Elevated inventory levels are also of concern.

The global urban consumer landscape is increasingly complex and difficult to navigate. Which cities should you choose for your consumer business expansion? To answer this and other questions, we are introducing the Euromonitor International Cities…

As inflation continues to rise, an increasing number of households find themselves in a financially precarious situation at the end of the month or salary payment periods. The impact of inflation bites into monthly budgets, leading to higher expenses…

In the face of economic slowdown, there has been a clear decline in private consumption in Poland. Banks have tightened lending criteria for all types of loans to protect their business revenues. At the start of 2023, the criteria for granting…

Consumer lending in 2023 is experiencing a slowdown due to the rapid rise in interest rates and the prevailing economic uncertainty. There is a notable increase in interest in quick loans from non-banking institutions and card lending. The surge in…

The cost of living crisis remains a pressing issue for Czech consumers in 2023, with higher energy and grocery bills squeezing disposable incomes. People are still struggling to pay their bills and are therefore taking out loans or buying on credit…

The economic situation in Hungary is marked by higher interest rates and lower inflation in 2024, although price increases still remain prevalent in consumer electronics. Consumers are under pressure to prioritise essential products needed for…

After two years of volume decline, the picture is expected to be more positive for consumer electronics in Poland in 2024, with volume sales rising slightly. Economic indicators are improving and inflation is also easing. As such, constant value…

After two years of volume decline, the picture is expected to be more positive for consumer electronics in Romania in 2024, with volume sales unchanged. Economic indicators are improving and inflation is also easing. As such, constant value sales are…

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has derailed economic recovery and further disrupted the growth of real wages in the Czech Republic in 2024. Real GDP growth slumped, mainly reflecting a decline in household consumption amidst deteriorating consumer…

Consumer electronics in Ukraine grew in both volume and current value terms in 2024, recovering and surpassing pre-war levels. This is the result of local consumers becoming accustomed to the new realities of life, resettling and seeking to equip…

Sales of consumer electronics were negatively impacted as consumers cut down on discretionary purchases as prices of electronics products escalated despite the economic uncertainties.

Driven by rising unit prices and strong inflationary pressure, consumer foodservice continued to record double-digit value growth in 2023. The performance varied depending on the location; however, all categories managed to grow at a similar rate and…

The year 2023 marked the first complete year without any significant COVID-19 restrictions or social constraints. Locals compensated for the long absence of social gatherings, entertainment and events by spending more time outside of the house. This…

Consumer foodservice through retail was by far the most dynamic performer in terms of growth in outlet numbers in Poland in 2023. This was mainly due to the rapid development of counters offering hot and cold food and beverages in grocery stores…

Consumer foodservice through stand-alone saw a double-digit value sales increase in 2023. The domination of stand-alone is the strong, long tradition of opening stand-alone locations in the country. The scarcity of large retail malls, leisure areas,…

Retail locations registered the highest value growth, as retail locations continue to be sought after locations, due to their high footfall. Also, in 2023, the Eurovea shopping centre in Bratislava expanded its food hall and it is now the largest…

The Czech foodservice market saw growing numbers of operators in standalone locations downsize to smaller outlets in 2023. Most visible among independents, this trend was partly explained by the desire to reduce overheads and maintain or improve…

Consumer foodservice through all locations suffered heavy losses in 2022 following Russia’s invasion. More specifically, consumer foodservice through lodging and leisure locations witnessed heavy losses in 2022 due to several factors including the…

Most consumer foodservice categories in Bulgaria have either recovered or are nearing full recovery in 2023. With no movement or travel restrictions, despite new COVID-19 variants, the market could continue to develop uninterrupted in the year. The…

The high rate of inflation remained a topic of great concern to consumers and business owners in 2023, with Hungary recording one of the highest rates seen in the EU. Consumer foodservice outlets have been challenged with managing higher expenses for…

Consumer foodservice in Poland saw growth in total transactions and current value sales slow dramatically in 2023. This was partly due to the normalisation of consumption habits following the market’s rapid rebound from the negative impact of the…

The positive performance of consumer foodservice in 2023 was driven by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. However, high inflation was seen from the last quarter of 2022, coinciding with rising consumption of heat, gas and electricity…

While inflation remained high in 2023, government measures aimed at protecting the hospitality sector benefitted consumer foodservice. In particular, the reduced 10% VAT rate (from a previous 20%), which was introduced during the pandemic, was made…

Consumer foodservice in the Czech Republic saw growth in total current value sales and transactions slow sharply in 2023. This was partly explained the normalisation of demand following the impressive rebound that accompanied the easing of the…

Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine continued to be a major factor influencing consumer foodservice in 2023. Nonetheless, Ukrainian businesses showed unprecedented resilience while operating in challenging wartime conditions, including constant air raids…

In 2023, consumer health is no longer influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, as everyday life has normalized in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some categories, such as cough, cold allergy (hay fever) remedies, which were negatively impacted during the…

In 2023, the consumer health market in Bulgaria is set to see steady current value growth, with sales set to continue to fall at constant 2023 prices, though at a slower rate than in the previous year in both cases. Consumer preferences are shifting…

With high inflation as a result of the war in Ukraine, as well as the aftermath of COVID-19, prices have risen sharply, driving value sales growth in consumer health in Croatia. Volume sales, meanwhile, are beginning to return to their pre-pandemic…

Many OTC categories in Estonia, including cough and cold, experienced strong decline during COVID-19; however, sales are returning to their pre-pandemic performance in 2023 as viral illness are circulating more following the lifting of pandemic…

Consumer health is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high inflation is continuing to have an effect and consumers are expected to be highly…

While consumer health in Hungary is set to post robust growth in total current value sales in 2023, this is primarily due to inflationary pressures fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic, the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the…

Consumer health in Latvia continues to recover from the pandemic in 2023, with major categories seeing demand patterns rebalance as lifestyles shift back normality. Economic uncertainty is prevailing with inflation remaining high in 2023, a trend…

2023 marks the final year that the outbreak of COVID-19 impacts results. Product areas that gained sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic are returning to purchasing levels and behaviours seen before 2020. Similarly, those negatively impacted by the…

Despite higher standards of living in North Macedonia, economic challenges resulting in low disposable incomes remain, with the situation further exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine. This has led to double-digit inflation, which is increasing…

The consumer health industry in Poland registered a decline in constant value terms in 2023, following the static performance of the previous year. This was against a backdrop of rising inflation, exacerbated by the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine,…

Despite ongoing economic instability and the high rate of inflation, the consumer health market in Romania is witnessing steady growth in 2023. Notably, it is the categories of vitamin and dietary supplements, cough, cold and allergy (hay fever)…

The second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023 saw declining demand for many areas of OTC healthcare. This was linked to high inflation and the related decline in disposable incomes. Consumers have turned away from buying non-essential products…

Consumer health in Slovakia is affected by changes in purchasing behaviour as a result of the fading Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the effects of the war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis amid high inflation. However, the issue of high…

Due to the war in Ukraine, increasing energy and production costs, and the ongoing impact of COVID-19, prices have inflated significantly in Slovenia. This has been the primary reason for high current retail value growth in 2023. Levels of retail…

In 2022, consumer health in the Czech Republic was challenged by medicine shortages, which, to some degree, continued in Q1 2023. The lack of some medicines in the Czech Republic and throughout Europe was caused by the disruption of global supply…