Explore the latest trends, demand drivers and growth opportunitie...
Explore the latest trends, demand drivers and growth opportunities in the Middle East, with in-depth market and data analysis from our in-country field researchers and regional experts.
In 2023, value sales of full-service restaurants in the United Arab Emirates fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, despite a lag in terms of transaction and outlet numbers. However, an increase in unit prices drove higher spend per transaction. In…
Full-service restaurants in the Middle East experienced a significant decline during the pandemic, due to their relatively high price and the nature of the category, that relies on dine-in experience. The post-pandemic recovery is accelerating every…
In 2019, there was no 15% VAT (value-added tax) implementation, expats’ families were not liable for dependence fees, and inflation and the cost of utilities like electricity, as well as tuition fees, were significantly lower. Therefore, consumers…
Full-service restaurants did not avoid the significant wave of price rises seen throughout the consumer foodservice industry at the end of the review period. Restaurants again saw significant price rises in 2023, as the price of dairy continued to…
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has shaken up the consumer goods, services and payment industries in Sub-Saharan Africa, putting pressure on supply chains and depressing sales, as lockdowns and job losses squeeze discretionary spending. As a result of the…
In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with rising income inequality being among the key ones. Nevertheless, addressing the income inequality through catering to the Bottom of the Pyramid and the Middle Class…
In 2023, consumer foodservice in the United Arab Emirates experienced robust growth across all three indicators (outlets, transactions, and value sales), propelled by an array of factors contributing to a favourable business environment. The first…
The Saudi Arabian consumer foodservice market is expected to witness a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels in value terms in 2023. The market has seen growing consumption and the opening of new outlets, involving both new brands entering the market…
The consumer foodservice market in Israel was very uncertain in terms of security, economic conditions and political unrest in 2023. At the end of 2022, there was considerable hope for the restaurant market, after the significant declines seen during…
Value sales of consumer foodservice through travel in the United Arab Emirates fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2023. This location benefited from the reopening of borders and the resumption of travel and tourism the previous year, with some…
Stand-alone maintained its dominant position in the Saudi Arabian consumer foodservice market in 2023. The strength of stand-alone locations is largely to do with the convenience and easy access they provide to consumers. There is a growing trend…
After a strong recovery in 2022, consumer foodservice operations in travel locations experienced decline in 2023 due to the Israel-Hamas War. International travel to and from Israel significantly decreased as a result of the war, as did domestic…
The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…
In 2023, cafés/bars in the United Arab Emirates gained further growth momentum following a full recovery to pre-pandemic value sales levels the previous year, benefiting both chained and independent operators. Specialist tea and coffee shops was one…
Cafés/bars was one of the categories in the consumer foodservice industry to be hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic led to the closure of many outlets, especially cafés located in shopping centres, as those were extremely severely…
There was a price increase for raw milk in the Israeli market in 2023. After prices rose for consumers in supermarkets, suppliers also increased prices for restaurants. In May 2023, Tnuva announced a 4.6% price hike for dairy products that are not…
Rising costs of living pose challenges globally, but companies can find opportunities in several categories, essential and discretionary, especially in underpenetrated fast-growing markets. By considering category adjacencies and focusing on value,…