Eastern Europe

In 2023, the consumption of hot drinks in Serbia faced a slowdown due to rising prices and a decline in disposable income. Consumers responded by reducing consumption volumes, shifting towards more affordable brands, opting for private label…

In 2023, hot drinks’ performance was impacted by a number of factors, with divergent or opposing effects on categories. For example, cocoa commodity price hikes created upward pressure on retail unit prices in other hot drinks, driving up value…

Hot drinks in Slovenia enjoyed steady volume growth in 2023, despite the upward pressure on prices as inflation remained above normal levels. Coffee is the not only the largest category in hot drinks, but it is experiencing a surge in popularity in…

Following on from the economic fallout of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the Czech Republic experienced very high inflation in 2022 and 2023. This worsened the economic situation and caused surges in prices, which hindered demand amid the higher…

Sales of hot drinks were significantly impacted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 with sales plummeting as large numbers of people fled the country in search of safety. With Russia’s war continuing in 2023 the population remained significantly…

Flexible packaging is the favoured choice in hot drinks packaging in Poland, boasting the highest retail unit volume sales, especially in categories like tea and coffee. Among flexible packaging options, flexible plastic is the most popular pack…

Coffee is the most popular hot drink in Romania, with coffee packaging thus dominating overall sales in the hot drinks industry. This results in the dominance of flexible aluminium/plastic, due to the popularity of vacuum-packed coffee bricks. Most…

In 2022, more Polish consumers looked for vegan products within ready meals, and due to rising consumer demand, players expanded their portfolios. For instance, Iglotex expanded its vegan portfolio Proste Historie in the form of frozen vegan ready…

The COVID19 pandemic underlined the importance of healthier living which boosted demand for more natural products. This rising health awareness in the Czech Republic helped to propel sales in health and wellness cooking ingredients and meals as…

Already, 6% of Poles between the ages of 18 and 65 identify as vegan. The reasons for this choice of diet vary, including health, animal welfare, or as a way to lose weight. Despite being relatively new to the concept of veganism, Poles have shown a…

Low fat was the leading health and wellness claim within dairy products and alternatives in 2023, with retail current value sales rising by 5% to reach CZK7.4 billion. Groupe Danone stole the number one spot from Upfield Holdings. Danone is supported…

Hot drinks preferences amongst Poles have been influenced by new flavours, and the expanding addition of novel, healthy herbs, roots and plants. Increasing numbers of consumers are tending to support more ethical businesses, which has fuelled their…

Hot drinks with natural ingredients remained popular in the Czech Republic in 2023. In terms of innovation, there was a growing product assortment of 100% natural tea (despite the segment’s decline in current value terms) such as Teekanne Ginger &…

With rising awareness of healthy food, Polish consumers have been gradually turning towards healthy snacks whenever they can, including on-the-go, for school, work, and picnics. Producers of packaged snacks therefore aim to provide consumers with…

Rising health awareness in the Czech Republic continued to positively impact snacking trends in 2023. Natural ingredients, healthy positioning and product fortification remained in demand. These trends were further supported by new product launches,…

As the number of obese and overweight people in Poland has been increasing, NGOs and the Ministry of Health promote increasing physical activity and reducing calorie consumption, especially underlining reducing the consumption of sugary drinks. The…

Health and wellness soft drinks options remained in demand in 2023 in the Czech Republic, with current value growth driven by inflation and product innovation. A gradual shift from retail to on-trade was also visible, as Czech bars and restaurants…

While vegetarian staple foods continued to gain strength in Poland in 2022, they were already treated as basic products by Polish consumers. For this reason, producers have been attempting to raise consumers’ interest with additional features in…

Health and wellness staple foods saw a strong year in terms of value sales growth in 2023, with demand fuelled by a sharp rise in unit prices. Robust sales also came from claims like gluten-free and segments like meat substitutes, as a growing number…

After discounters, hypermarkets were the best performing grocery channel in Bulgaria in 2023 in terms of value growth. With inflation still high, hypermarkets registered a small increase in constant value sales. Recent opening of new outlets also…