Romania

Yoghurt and sour milk products is facing the cross-category trends of value sales being driven by increased unit prices, with volume sales in a slump. The growth of average unit prices in 2023 is a consequence of high inflation, a deficit of raw milk…

Following interruption during COVID-19-related restrictions and widespread homeschooling, the accelerating ‘back to work’ trend has led to both volume and current value sales growth of writing instruments in Romania in 2023.

With Romanian consumers having returned to more active lifestyles in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, there has been an increased incidence of minor injuries. The greater engagement in physical exercise amongst health conscious consumers and children…

Inflation has shaped how Romanians make purchases, with impulse shopping now declining. However, demand for womenswear remained high in 2023, as consumers prefer to wait for discounts or sometimes even to buy in instalments rather than giving up…

The prevailing economic landscape in Romania in 2023 was characterised by persistent inflationary pressures, exerting upward pressure on unit prices across various product categories, including wipes. Rising costs associated with raw materials and…

Volume sales of wine in Romania declined in 2023 with both the off-trade and on-trade suffering amid price hikes and consumers cutting back due to the rising cost of living. Romania is a major producer of wine and so locals are heavy wine drinkers…

According to official statistics, 58% of the Romanian adults are overweight. Another significant cause for concern is that, of children aged between 7 and 9 years old, 30% are overweight and around 15-20% are obese. Even though Romania is just below…

Alongside the rising preoccupation for health and wellness among the population, consumers are becoming increasingly knowledgeable and want to track more of their health parameters (eg heart rate, oxygen blood level, burn calories, water intake,…

In the context of rising consumer health consciousness, many Romanian consumers are coming to perceive their daily habits as unhealthy. For example, many consumers are becoming aware of their irregular eating and inadequate water intake. As they come…

Video games in Romania continued to experience dynamic current value growth in 2023. On the one hand, the improving technological infrastructure in the country and the rising popularity of gaming across all age groups were key positive factors. On…

In 2023, vending in Romania showcased positive retail value growth, benefiting from the elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. This led consumers to return to office work, with free movement outside of the home, enabling the recovery of…

Vacuum cleaners continue to benefit from consumers’ higher standards of health and hygiene, as enhanced by the era of the pandemic. As such, keeping a clean home has become a high priority, supporting both volume and value sales of vacuum cleaners.…

The dynamic performances recorded across all categories of travel and tourism in Romania during 2023 represented the continuation of the strong recovery that began in 2021 and developed over the course of 2022. This was mainly result of the…

Traditional toys and games in Romania maintained double-digit current value growth in 2023, with increases seen across all categories. Premiumisation remains a key trend in Romania, but traditional toys and games is a category which is still flooded…

The challenging economic climate has significantly impacted consumer behaviour in Romania when it comes to watches. Some consumers, whose budgets have been constrained by inflation, have opted for more affordable products or delayed their purchases,…

Toys and games in Romania experienced dynamic current value growth in 2023, with double-digit increases seen for both traditional toys and games, and video games. Growth was due to improving living standards and changing consumer lifestyles, as well…

2023 saw robust growth in domestic tourism trips and outbound departures as rising demand continued to be driven by the realisation of pent-up demand following the total removal of COVID-19 restrictions from March 2022. With local consumers taking…

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Overall, retail volume sales of toilet care rose moderately in 2023. As in 2022, this was due to the performance of the dominant type, toilet liquids/foam, and rim liquids, with other categories continuing to see reduced or negligible retail volume…

Cigarettes remains the basic tobacco product for the majority of smokers in Romania and thus it was also the key growth driver for tobacco as a whole in 2023. Widespread distribution across all retail channels in Romania supports the positive…

Throughout 2023, players in retail tissue in Romania contended with persistent challenges stemming from inflation and escalating prices of raw materials and energy. These factors compelled some players to adjust their pricing strategies, passing on a…

The growth in retail volume for tea in 2023 resulted from affordable prices and perceived health benefits, with tea aligning with the rising interest in health and wellness among consumers. As such, players marketed their teas as improving immunity…

While thin wall plastic containers and glass jars remained the most popular packaging types for sweet spreads in Romania at the end of the review period, the niche of other rigid containers continued to record strong growth within chocolate spreads.…

The higher costs of raw ingredients, glass packaging, energy and logistics weighed significantly on the high increases in prices of products on retailers’ shelves. As a result, there is expected to be only a very marginal rise in overall retail…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars, and fruit snacks is seeing a small negative-digit volume slump in 2024, while value is better supported by high unit prices. Snack bars is seeing the strongest retail value sales, along with seeing a fairly modest volume…

While the COVID-19 pandemic stimulated surface care demand, with more consumption opportunities, a level of maturity and high inflation slowed down the category performance towards the end of the review period. In addition, consumers went out more…

In 2023, supermarkets in Romania recorded double-digit retail value growth; the result of having excellent locations in crowded neighbourhoods. As such, these stores increasingly benefit from proximity while offering a broader range of products…

With high inflation weakening purchasing power among the population, volume growth for sunglasses in Romania in 2024 looks set to be slower than in 2023. The category continues to perform reasonably well overall in this regard, however, in part…

In 2023, sun care in Romania witnessed another year of surging retail volume and current value sales, remaining one of the most rapidly expanding categories within beauty and personal care. Part of the reason for continued dynamism was that sales of…

Sugar confectionery is seeing a negative-digit volume slump in 2024, whilst value is supported by price hikes. Notably, sugar confectionery falls under the shadow of the VAT increase, starting 1 January 2024, from 9% to 19% for food products with…

The value sales increase for street stalls/kiosks was the consequence of increased mobility, following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022. Players benefited from high footfall, with street stalls/kiosks being a popular option for purchasing…

In the backdrop of sustained high inflation in Romania in 2023, the resulting high cost of living significantly impacted the retail sales of basic food products, defining the landscape for staple foods during the same year. Analysis of statistics and…

Inflation and declining purchasing power generally drive down demand for non-essential products. Nevertheless, demand for sportswear continued to increase in both 2022 and 2023, showing that there is still considerable room for growth in a context of…

Within the sports nutrition market in Romania, protein/energy bars remains the largest category. Indeed, its strength is being reinforced by the increasing trend for physical activity amongst urban consumers, many of whom are more exposed to…

Following a decline in sales due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, sports drinks continued to gain ground in 2023, posting increased off-trade volume and value sales. With no restrictions in place, Romanians have become more willing to engage in…

Spirits suffered from inflationary pressures in 2023 with higher input costs associated with energy and raw materials driving up average prices in Romania. Excise duty also increased in January 2023 which contributed to price growth and the weaker…

Spectacles in Romania is set to see total volume sales contract for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the rate of decline expected to be slightly steeper than in 2023. Overall demand continues to be depressed by high inflation, in that rising…

The continued trend of bulk buying, even post-pandemic, coupled with a preference for online shopping, has led consumers to opt for larger quantities of bottled water, prioritising cost-effectiveness and stockpiling. Multipack offerings can help…

The soft drinks landscape in Romania recorded stagnate retail volume sales in 2023, with a similar performance to 2022. The main factors negatively impacting sales included rising inflation, the increased cost of raw materials and declining…

Snacks in Romania is seeing a small negative-digit volume decline in 2024, with the volume decline in off-trade sales counteracting the small positive volume gains in on-trade terms. On the other hand, value sales are better supported by inflationary…

Heated tobacco products continued to report dynamic growth in both value and volume terms in 2023. One important reason for the dynamic performance of the category is the local production of heated tobacco and the fact that these products are…

The performance of small local grocers in Romania in 2023, was negatively impacted by the declining number of outlets across the nation. In addition, the elimination of all COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 propelled travelling and bolstered spending in…

Small cooking appliances are benefitting from the factors which are also stimulating sales in food preparation appliances. Consumers are placing a key focus on healthy diets and lifestyles, thus seek kitchen appliances which help them in this area.…

A study has found that 16% of the Romanian population experience chronic insomnia, while 30% regularly struggle with insomnia. These percentages indicate a significant portion of the population affected by sleep-related issues and this high…

Skin care was one of the most dynamic categories within beauty and personal care in 2023, experiencing robust growth in both retail volume and current value terms. Romanian consumers are increasingly interested in the regular use of skin care…

The dynamics of self-service cafeterias in 2023 were impacted by the lifting of COVID-19 restriction in 2022, with consumers returning to office work. As such, office employees were the main customers of self-service cafeterias, which offer cooked…

Savoury snacks is achieving positive volume and value growth in Romania in 2024. Sales are supported by the “snackification” trend, whereby consumers with busy, out-of-home lifestyles tend to eat fewer main meals and more snacks throughout the day.…

COVID-19 led to an acceleration in demand growth for sauces, dressings and condiments packaging in Romania during 2020, as consumers spent more time at home and prepared and ate more meals there. On the other hand, the closure of horeca…

The use of PET bottles as a pack type for sauces, dips and condiments continued to gain momentum in 2022 for a number of reasons. Firstly, local consumers appreciate the transparency of this pack type as they can see the texture, colour and…

The decreases in retail volume sales of sauces, dips and condiments in 2022 and 2023 owed much to the lifting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in March 2022. This was underpinned by the return to eating out and out-of-home social, leisure and…