Middle East

Yemen’s political landscape has been devasted by civil war, also distressing state finances. Hopes are present for an economic recovery in the long term, if the war ends. Nevertheless, the country will continue to suffer from high unemployment and…

In 2023, soft drinks in Oman have shown resilience post COVID-19. Soft drinks, including bottled water and juices, have rebounded positively, aligning with the resurgence of social events. Health and wellness trends continue to shape preferences,…

Kuwait’s hot climate, fast pace of life and unpotable drinking water present strong opportunities for soft drinks players. However, the health and wellness trend, and particularly rising concern over the country’s rates of obesity and diabetes, have…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

The demand for hot drinks contracted in 2023 with the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup effect and slower tourism growth. However, other high-profile events ensured robust demand, with total volume sales higher in 2023 than in 2021. Premiumisation…

After the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, social gatherings have surged, driving a significant uptake in hot drinks in 2023, notably coffee and tea. In Omani culture, hot drinks, particularly Omani coffee, are integral to hospitality, making it…

In 2023, hot drinks recovered fully from the COVID-19 pandemic, which positively impacted the off- and on-trade, with the latter seeing the strongest recovery. Unlike many other countries across the world, Kuwaitis are being less affected by global…

In 2023, demand for soft drinks in Qatar was fuelled by the constant stream of high profile events, which drove on- and off-trade sales. However, there was a dip in demand, following strong off-trade increases and the rebound in on-trade sales in…

Writing instruments witnessed minimal fluctuations in demand during the pandemic, unlike bags, watches, and jewellery, which are typically more expensive and require more intricate purchasing decisions. Additionally, the heightened use of diaries and…

Consumers are increasingly seeking greater control over their personal health, aligning with a new perspective on wellness that emphasises long-term and preventive measures. This shift is fuelling the growth of digital health solutions and hyper…

In 2023, soft drinks in Jordan has been performing well due to a substantial rise in tourist numbers, particularly overnight visitors. This surge has positively influenced foodservices sales, as consumers are increasingly dining out and utilising…

Oman is managing its state finances well and its absolute monarchy creates stability, but economic freedom remains constrained. Whilst the economy is slowing, high oil prices have been supportive and inflation is low, but reliance on oil is large and…

In 2023, growth of personal accessories in the United Arab Emirates remains substantial, although the performance of the industry is uneven; with luxury brands outpacing their mass counterparts. In fact, across all personal accessories categories,…

In 2023, a notable development was noted within jewellery when Snapchat collaborated with Cartier to develop a virtual try-on filter in the United Arab Emirates. Within Snapchat, there exists a built-in shopping platform known as Snapchat Minis. This…

Preparing and eating more meals at home meant that cooking ingredients and meals saw a spike in demand when the pandemic hit Middle East and Africa in 2020. However, in recent years, including 2023, volume sales have been struggling in the face of…

The United Arab Emirates has been at the forefront of the travel industry’s recovery, and in 2023, there has been a significant development: the complete resurgence of international travel. This resurgence has led to increasing demand for luggage.…

Hot drinks in Jordan has been performing well in 2023, attributed to a surge in tourist numbers following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. This uptake in overnight tourists during 2023, totalling, has notably influenced foodservices and on-trade…

2023 saw pressure on demand for soft drinks ease as the re-dollarisation of the Lebanese pound, rising remittances and buoyant inbound arrivals, spurred by returning expatriates, pushed volume growth. On-trade growth was especially strong as the…

This briefing examines how the high-tech goods industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of high-tech goods output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry costs, industry…

There is an intriguing dichotomy at play in dairy products and alternatives in Middle East and Africa, with value for money particularly important for many consumers given the current inflationary environment. At the same time, particularly among…

In 2023, growth in the number of medical cannabis patients slowed significantly in Israel. In the first half of the year the number of medical patients grew by only 1,500; meanwhile, in 2021 monthly growth averaged 2,400, while in 2022 it was 1,220.…

Coffee remains the most popular hot drinks category due to its cultural importance, although the socioeconomic crisis has led many people to consume less coffee, while many others have shifted to black tea, a much cheaper type of hot drink. Across…

The global wheat market in 2023 has seen a recovery in supply, following tight global supply and skyrocketing wheat prices in 2022 resulting from the onset of the war in Ukraine. Increased wheat exports from Russia, readjustments of supply chains and…

Although state finances have been improving, Iraq suffers from significant corruption and external interference in its domestic affairs. Inflation has been well controlled, but lower oil production could plunge the economy into recession in the short…

The briefing examines how the food, beverages and tobacco industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of food, beverages and tobacco output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports,…

In 2023, Qatar faces significant challenges following the end of the World Cup and the positive effects that had on the industry. Post-event, manufacturers are navigating efforts to sustain sales levels. For example, many food production companies…

Corruption and political instability are impeding economic freedom, whilst the public-debt-to-GDP ratio is one of the highest globally. Although the economy is relatively well diversified, uncertainty could hamper its development and hyperinflation…

Robotic vacuum cleaners are starting to gain relevance in Saudi Arabia, seeing growing volume sales following a sluggish and/or negative performance over the review period. This is attributed to ongoing economic developments in the Kingdom, with…

Health and wellness trends, as enhanced by both the era of the pandemic and the government’s healthy living promotions as part of the Saudi Vision 2030, have inspired consumers to adopt healthy eating habits. In turn, this has encouraged interest in…

Saudi Arabia boasts one of the largest home appliances markets in the Middle East region, owing to consumers’ enhanced lifestyles and strong purchasing power, thanks to thanks to increasing job security, more women and youth in the workforce, and the…

In a cross-category trend, Dyson’s new pop-up stores across Riyadh and Jeddah, allow consumers to test personal care appliances prior to purchase. The pop-ups are cited as test stores, situated across malls (Panorama Mall, Nakheel Mall, Granada Mall,…

Microwaves have evolved from appliances of dubious reputation which simply eat food, to versatile products which offer a variety of options. Indeed, modern microwaves can bake, grill, heat and defrost, thereby combining baking and microwaving tasks…

Sales of large cooking appliances are supported by overall demand due to population growth in the Kingdom. As seen in other essential consumer appliance categories (eg refrigeration appliances), large cooking appliances benefit from the various…

Hygiene is a key trend seen in home laundry appliances since the era of the pandemic, in line with many health and wellness trends, whereby consumers have been paying more attention to their health and the cleanliness of their surroundings. As such,…

In a cross-category trend, ongoing urbanisation and population growth in the Kingdom are also underpinning demand for food preparation appliances. Notably, the trend for modern and smart-connected homes is leading consumers to increasingly seek…

In line with energy-efficiency initiatives and developments, across multiple categories of consumer appliances, new energy consumption standards are being set for dishwashers.

Consumer appliances is seeing steady overall volume and value growth in Saudi Arabia, supported by ongoing urbanisation in the Kingdom. This is further supported by strong inbound tourism and the growth of various industries in Saudi Arabia, in line…

Air conditioners in Saudi Arabia have historically benefitted the most in the central region of the country, which is home to some of the biggest and most populous cities, including the capital, Riyadh. The hot weather in the country is also…

This analysis explores the trends in the business services industry, assessing its performance in major global economies. It covers essential data such as production metrics, market size, import and export figures, industry expenses, profitability…

This briefing examines how the textile and leather products industry is performing globally and in the largest countries in terms of textile and leather products output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports,…

Although the average unit price of vacuum cleaners increased in 2022 and 2023 driven by the introduction of new, more sophisticated models, there was also an increase in competition that led to the availability of less expensive middle range options.…

Staple foods in Oman has experienced consistent growth throughout 2023, despite the escalation in prices attributed to inflation and other heightened production costs. Certain categories are deemed indispensable to Omani households, yet Omanis remain…

Despite the much lower average unit price of such products and their popularity in Israeli cuisine, slow cookers are seeing demand wane as consumers shift towards multi-cookers, which offer a slow cooking function together with functions such as air…

Prices increased by 10-15% for most brands in late 2022. In anticipation of this, in the first and second quarters of 2022, distributors placed large orders ahead of the price increases. At the same time, consumer demand slumped, which meant a…

Because of the volatile political situation and challenging economic environment, consumers’ reduced spending power was strongly focused on essential items in 2023. If they did choose to spend money on non-essentials, however, they tended to do so on…

As was the case for most areas of consumer appliances, microwaves saw prices rise in 2022 and 2023. As well as the inflationary pressures faced by most categories, the increase in prices seen in microwaves was partly driven by the introduction of…

In January 2023, Israel saw a surge in housing supply with 53,000 unsold homes. Nonetheless, the slowing down of the housing market led to depressed demand for large cooking appliances at the beginning of 2023. Moreover, this trend continued as the…

In late 2022, prices increased by 10-15%. Distributors placed big orders ahead of these price increases. Moreover, consumer demand fell significantly, leading to a surplus of inventory in 2023. Consumers were reluctant to invest in big ticket items…

After the uplift in sales in 2020 and 2021, when the COVID-19 crisis led to a marked increase in people cooking at home and, therefore, a rise in consumers investing in cooking equipment, the food preparation appliances category saw a decline in…

In September 2022, Israel removed the requirement for the Standards Institute of Israel to inspect household and industrial electrical products when they were being imported. Importers can now self-declare compliance with EU regulations, enabling…