Middle East

Demand for baked goods continues to grow in the United Arab Emirates. The local market is a major tourist destination, and the opening of society since the ending of pandemic-related restrictions means that tourism is booming. Events being held in…

Bread remains a key area of staple foods in Saudi Arabia with it being the largest category in both retail volume and current value terms. Bread accompanies many meals and therefore sales are not generally significantly impacted by factors such as…

As a staple product, bread continued to grow in the Middle East and Africa region in 2020, in spite of the presence of Coronavirus (COVID-19), ensuring a positive performance by baked goods as a whole. In some countries, bread is a subsidised…

In July 2022, the Price Control Committee declared that bread should be removed from price controls. The move required the approval of the Ministry of Economics, which was not forthcoming due to the fear that this would cause price increases for…

Driven by natural increase, Bahrain’s population is set to expand rapidly in 2021-2040, as net migration rates become neutral after 2022. Ageing is set to accelerate with the median age remaining elevated in a regional context, therefore consumer…

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.…

The Baghdad in Iraq report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration, wealth…

With milk formula accounting for almost half of baby food packaging unit volumes, and metal tins the dominant pack type in milk formula, this packaging format therefore remains the leading one in overall baby food, given metal tins also has a…

Following a decline in packaging volumes in 2022, total baby food packaging continued to see declining volumes in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Milk formula accounts for the most significant share of packaging volumes in baby food, and continued to decline…

Inflationary pressures have been impacting baby food, a category that was already suffering from limited growth even prior to the pandemic. Although most families have now returned to the country, the socioeconomic revival in 2022 was met with rising…

Baby formula saw volume sales fall in 2022 and the category has continued to struggle in 2023, mainly due to the ongoing change in Saudi culture. Years ago, Saudis used to have many children, with an average family having around five or six children.…

All of the players in baby food have increased prices during 2023, despite the price-sensitivity of consumers. Companies have increased prices due to high inflation, rising costs of shipping and raw materials. In addition, the decreasing value of the…

Demand for baby and child-specific products in the United Arab Emirates continued to rise in 2023, while value growth remained more dynamic. Local parents today are more informed about the ingredients in baby and child-specific products due to online…

There has been an increased focus on personal health and hygiene since the pandemic in Saudi Arabia which continued to support demand for a wide range of baby and child-specific products in 2023. Parents are now focusing more on preventive care and…

Overall, baby and child-specific products saw current value growth in Israel in 2023. As local consumers become more aware of the potential negative impacts of over-exposure to the sun on skin health, the demand for sun protection products continues…

The rising trend of more frequent dining out experiences, following the easing of pandemic restrictions, continued to propel demand for foodservice in 2023, subsequently driving sales of away-from-home tissue in the United Arab Emirates. With a surge…

Away-from-home (AFH) tissue and hygiene in Saudi Arabia maintained strong volume and current value growth in 2023. At the end of the review period, AFH tissue continued to rebound from a decline in 2020, caused COVID-19-related measures and…