Eastern Europe

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…

The initial optimism of early 2022 was abruptly dampened by the end of the year, and this has persisted throughout 2023. The sharp rise in borrowing costs coupled with a decline in disposable incomes due to high inflation has compelled Hungarians to…

In 2023, Poland’s inflation rate remains in double-digits and many households are experiencing a deterioration in living conditions. The uncertain macroeconomic situation, high interest rates and the depreciation of real incomes has caused a slowdown…

Consumer lending in Romania for the year 2023 portrays a nuanced landscape influenced by several key factors. The confluence of increasing interest rates, high inflation, and the geopolitical context shaped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has…

The cost of living crisis continues to shape consumer lending in 2023. With double-digit inflation still in play, consumers are paying much higher prices for goods and services in the Czech Republic. Card lending is rising as consumers struggle with…

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…

While contact lenses and solutions in Romania is set to expand in volume and current value sales terms in 2024, growth rates are anticipated to fall below those witnessed in 2023. This is mainly explained by stubbornly high inflation, which continues…

2023 was not a good year for convenience retailers in Bulgaria. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in convenience retailers, as prices tend to be higher than in other grocery retailers. In addition, there is a degree of…

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.

Convenience stores recorded slower value dynamics than overall retail in 2023. Higher prices in this channel stimulated a consumer shift towards discounters and supermarkets. The situation in the market favoured retail chains that can afford to offer…

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…

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 retailers in the Czech Republic are suffering amid retail price increases as locals are searching for the best value and price when shopping. When it comes to price, convenience retailers are unable to compete with larger retailers and so…

Convenience retailers in Ukraine continued to prove more successful than other grocery formats in weathering the challenges brought about by the Russian invasion in 2023. Offering a relatively limited range of day-to-day essentials, they were well…

2023 was a year of stable, modest retail volume growth and strong double-digit retail value growth in current terms for cooking ingredients and meals in Bosnia and Herzegovina as high inflation and subsequent significant unit price growth all of…

Most product areas within cooking ingredients and meals maintained positive value, despite a decline in volume. This decline can be attributed to the significant inflation experienced in the previous year, the resulting growth in retail prices, and…

After declining in 2022, overall retail volume sales of cooking ingredients and meals in Croatia are set to increase moderately in 2023. This recovery is partly explained by the gradual easing of inflationary pressures linked to the global recovery…

Cooking ingredients and meals continued to expand in both volume and value terms in Estonia in 2023. This is attributable to the popularity of food and cooking blogs that promote products, Estonians spending less time on cooking, and a greater focus…

2023 is offering a more promising outlook for cooking ingredients and meals in Georgia than was seen in 2022, when the industry suffered from soaring costs across packaging, raw materials, and logistics. A standout in this scenario is the edible oils…

Retail sales of cooking ingredients and meals in Hungary registered buoyant growth in current value terms in 2023. However, this was due to massive inflationary pressures, rather than any huge upturn in demand. With Hungary having been added to the…