Hungary

There are currently no store cards in circulation in Hungary. Magyar Cetelem Bank stopped offering store cards in 2008 and no retailers have since signalled any intention to relaunch such services. Instead, retailers are collaborating with banks to…

Retail volume sales of sales of chocolate confectionery saw a flat performance in 2023. With food prices rocketing, consumers were forced to reduce their expenditure on non-essential items. However, while, price hikes were inevitable, there was some…

Chewing gum saw a second year of decline in retail volume terms in 2023, albeit to a lesser extent than the previous year. Sales of chewing gum remain largely impulse-driven and with more Hungarians working from home, at least on a hybrid basis, they…

Retail sales of ice cream saw modest growth in volume terms in 2023, following the stagnant performance of the previous year. This was largely due to an increase in demand for take-home dairy ice cream, particularly bulk varieties, which represent…

Retail volume sales of savoury snacks saw continued growth in volume terms in 2023, thanks to the low cost of many of the products within the category. Lifestyle changes also had a positive impact on demand for snacks, including the ongoing trend…

Retail volume sales of snacks in Hungary saw a fairly flat performance in 2023. While growth was buoyant in current value terms, this was due to massive inflationary pressures, rather than any real upturn in demand. With Hungary having been added to…

Sugar confectionery saw a mixed performance in 2023, with volume growth rates varying according to subcategory. With food inflation running at record levels, retailers focussed on rationalising their product portfolios in favour of their best-selling…

In 2023, sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks continued to be impacted by temporary shortages of grain and other agricultural commodities, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Sweet biscuits and cereal bars suffered the most from these…

Volume sales of computers were impacted by several negative factors in 2023, including high maturity. Also, the surge in volume sales during the pandemic as people hurriedly tried to set up home offices meant that computers bought during that period…

High inflation affected volume sales of consumer electronics in Hungary in 2023. While strong value growth was recorded, overall volume sales were flat, with a weaker performance in the first half of the year. Strong demand for consumer electronics…

Whilst premium wireless headbands were popular during COVID-19 as they had more convenient features for both work and gaming, high inflation and rising prices deterred consumers from paying extra for them in 2023, therefore mass products performed…

Home audio and cinema recorded strong volume decline in 2023 as these products faced competition from wireless sound systems, the increasing sound quality of portable computers and smartphones, and a growing preference for compact and interior…

Televisions recorded slight volume growth in 2023, with OLED TVs seeing strong double-digit growth as consumers looked to upgrade their older televisions with screens offering high picture and sound quality, which are light and have more…

Volume sales of imaging devices again fell by a fifth in 2023 and value sales also registered decline. Continuing advances in smartphones’ cameras are leading to continual decline in imaging devices, to the extent that some smartphones can meet the…

In-car entertainment recorded further decline in 2023, negatively impacted by fewer sales of new cars due to a shortage of key parts and components needed for their manufacture, which also drove up prices in the year. Consumers had to wait a long…

Significant price rises and a high penetration rate in Hungary resulted in volume decline in smartphones in 2023. Fewer consumers were able to replace their smartphone and chose to postpone their purchases until prices were more stable, or they…

Portable players were hard to find in retail channels in 2023 and their sales were negligible as technology advances are leading to portable player devices becoming obsolete. In particular smartphone and tablets are replacing the need for portable…

Activity watches (analogue) were increasingly popular and recorded the highest volume growth in 2023 as these products are readily available and consumers prefer them to other activity bands without displays and traditional watches as they offer…

A low tax burden adds to Hungary’s economic freedom, but corruption remains an issue and state finances are under pressure. Economic performance has outpaced peers and unemployment is low, but inflation remains very high and will adversely impact…

The low cost carriers category looks set to record faster growth in current value sales than its full service counterpart in Hungary in 2023. This is partly because due to their focus on offering more affordable fares, leading low cost operators such…