Middle East

Jeans is a stable category in apparel, being an eternally-fashionable form of apparel which can be dressed up and dressed down accordingly. That said, jeans does face some competition from the rising athleisure trend, although jeans can also be…

Non-sheer hosiery continues to perform better than sheer hosiery in Saudi Arabia, supported by the rising athleisure and sporting trends, which support sports socks. On the other hand, the hot climate in the Kingdom, which has extreme summers, plays…

Trends seen in sportswear are also influencing footwear, as the sports-inspired and athleisure trends continue. Sporting activities are a large part of the Saudi Vision 2030, and we are seeing this influence trends in sportswear and sports-inspired…

Childrenswear sees overall support from the baseline fact that children need an ongoing supply of clothing as they grow out of their clothes within relatively short periods of time. As such, childrenswear has shorter lifecycles than apparel for women…

Apparel and footwear is seeing both value and volume growth in Saudi Arabia in 2023, thanks to a variety of initiatives under the Saudi Vision 2030 programme. Within this, there are specific government initiatives supporting the apparel and footwear…

Apparel accessories remains in both value and volume slumps in 2023, albeit improving upon the sharper drops seen in 2022. We can attribute this to a normalisation effect following the atypical patterns seen during the era of the pandemic. Notably,…

In 2023, price increases across the sweet spreads will have a dampening effect on retail volume sales. Moreover, as the health and wellness trend in Israel continues apace, many local consumers are less inclined to indulge in sweet spreads, which are…

In 2023, staple foods perform well due to their essential nature. There is a shift towards convenience, as consumers fully resume pre-COVID-19 habits. Bread is the main staple, with rice highly popular. There is also a move to healthier variants as…

Price increases resulting from supply chain issues and the rising costs of raw materials and production are discouraging many Israeli consumers from buying sauces, dips and condiments in 2023. For example, at the end of 2022, Strauss increased the…

Pre-paid cards are benefitting from the Kingdom’s move towards a cashless society – especially so in certain areas. For example, as seen with the uptake of pre-paid cards for the payment of workers’ salaries, notably so for domestic workers. In this…

Ready meals continues to benefit from the convenience trend in Israel, reflected in healthy current value growth in 2023. The enduring popularity of pizza has enabled it to register the strongest current value growth. Still, many local consumers…

Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps to transform itself into a cashless society – starting even before the event of the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered digital evolution in industries globally. In this regard, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia…

Edible oil prices continue to rise as a result of both local and domestic pressures and high inflation, which drives up the cost of amenities essential for manufacturing, such as water and electricity. Recent droughts and poor sunflower seed harvests…

Debit cards continue to make up a large portion of all financial cards in Saudi Arabia. Indeed, debit cards are even more prevalent than credit cards in the KSA, owing to a number of factors, such as wide acceptance and convenience of use, as well as…

Credit cards are not as popular as debit cards in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, however, the category still shows a fair performance. One main issue which credit cards face in the KSA is a question mark around their compliance with Sharia Law.…

In 2023, Qatar anticipates a surge in cooking ingredient sales following the positive impact of post-World FIFA Cup tourism and ongoing efforts to attract investments. The country's luxury-driven society is set to further boost consumption. Urban…

In 2023, Oman's cooking ingredients industry has shifted due to higher prices from global inflation. Consumers are now leaning towards healthier choices, affecting demand for traditional cooking ingredients. Freshness remains a priority, leading to…

Demand for cooking ingredients and meals remained under huge pressure in 2023 as the impact of Lebanon’s severe socioeconomic crisis continued to undermine the spending power of much of the local population. However, the situation is improving slowly…

In 2023, Kuwait is facing economic challenges due to both global inflation and the restrictions on expat entries, causing a slowdown in demand for cooking ingredients. Inflation, notably soaring cooking oil prices, directly affected both…

In 2023, cooking ingredients and meals will no longer be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the on-trade industry is booming once again. Despite high inflation in 2022, prices, particularly edible oils, have dropped, however, the industry…