Romania

RTD tea registered another year of strong growth in 2023, benefitting from a positive perception during rising health trends. Compared to other soft drink areas, RTD tea remains a highly concentrated market, with a small number of brands and…

Coffee consumption has been soaring in Romania, with a strong performance both in the online and the offline. In the context of a growing coffee culture in the country, RTD coffee registered another year of strong volume growth. The performance is…

Romania is set to experience continuing depopulation in 2021-2040 due to natural decrease and negative net migration. The population is set to age rapidly which will impact consumer trends and put further pressure on state resources. Urbanisation…

Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca stand as Romania’s most economically vibrant cities, while Timisoara is the city with the greatest promise for future economic expansion. Nevertheless, Romanian urban centres will continue to grapple with persistent…

The volume growth in the category in 2023 can be attributed to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, effectively putting an end to stockpiling behaviours during the pandemic. The convenience of easy cooking and the ability to store products for…

Inflation in 2023 influenced Romanians' shopping behaviour for retail tissue. Unit prices continued to rise due to increased costs associated with raw materials and energy, as well as the trend towards premiumisation. This led to further polarisation…

Grocery retailers dominate sales in 2023

After several years of accelerated evolution, 2023 was a challenging year for e-commerce in Romania.

Retail adult incontinence in Romania witnessed a notable surge in sales during 2023, reflecting a robust upward trajectory fuelled by heightened consumer awareness. As societal perceptions surrounding incontinence products continue to evolve, there…

Refrigeration appliances remains in a volume slump in 2023, following the boost to sales seen in the earlier review period, supported by the cocooning and home-renovation trends seen during the era of the pandemic. For example, freezers were popular…

The persistently high inflation in 2023 has significantly diminished the purchasing power of the majority of the population. This financial strain has been further exacerbated by the escalating average shelf prices of processed meat and seafood,…

Despite another low retail unit volume decline in 2022 in line with greater mobility outside of the home, demand for processed meat and seafood packaging remained above pre-pandemic levels, driven by urbanisation in Romania. With consumers’…

Metal food cans remained the most popular packaging type for processed fruits and vegetables in 2022, driven by their strength in the largest retail unit volume category of shelf stable fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, the use of glass jars in…

The volume decline experienced by the category in 2023 can be primarily attributed to the surge in the average unit price at the shelf, driven by persistently high inflation and an overall rise in food prices that outpaced inflation. The enduring…

Premium beauty and personal care experienced a third year of double-digit current value growth in Romania in 2023; albeit at a lower rate than seen in the previous two years. This continued strong performance was tied to the loyalty consumers often…

Retail current value sales of premium and luxury cars rose by 3% in 2023 to reach RON4.3 billion, aided by augmented demand from affluent buyers despite macroeconomic challenges. Wealth determines the degree of demand that exists for premium and…

Pre-paid cards are experiencing significant growth in 2023, encompassing a surge in the number of cards in circulation, the volume of transactions, and their overall value. This surge is primarily attributed to the remarkable growth potential…

With the pandemic being declared over by the World Health Organisation in early 2023 most consumers have now returned to their old lifestyles and behaviour. The rising mobility of the population has helped to drive strong demand for wireless speakers…

The demand for polishes continued on a downward trajectory in 2023. These products were considered non-essential or obsolete by a large share of the consumer base, especially younger people. Furthermore, substitution and cannibalisation continued to…

Plant-based dairy continued on its dynamic growth trajectory towards the end of the review period, albeit from a low base. While plant-based dairy has been available in Romania for some years, the pandemic and associated health trends accelerated…

Plant-based dairy is the winner in 2023, enjoying healthy volume growth and strong value sales alike. This positive dynamic is supported by the fact that plant-based dairy in Romania is growing from a relatively small base. While plant-based dairy…

Pet products in Romania are set to see double-digit growth in current value terms in 2024, continuing the trend of the previous year. Despite the high cost of living, consumers will remain willing to lavish their pets with care and attention, in…

Pet Care in Romania is expected to see a return to positive volume growth in 2024, following the decline of the previous year. This will be due in a large part to waning inflationary pressures, which will have a positive impact on real household…

Corruption continues to hamper economic freedom and fiscal health could be improved, but Romania has entered a period of political stability. Economic development is set to slow, as high inflation erodes purchasing power and has led to greater…

Personal luxury retail value sales increased by 21% in 2023 to amount to RON4.6 billion. Growth was supported by leading brand owners, such as LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, L’Oréal Romania SRL and Cie Financière Richemont SA. Growth in 2023…

Personal care appliances see another year of growth in 2023, following the reopening of society after the previous pandemic restrictions. This led to people returning to workplaces and re-embracing their social lives, thus paying more attention to…

Even though inflation remained high in Romania in 2023, personal accessories saw growth in both current value and volume terms. Romanians are increasingly preoccupied with improving their personal image, and despite declining purchasing power, they…

Paediatric vitamins and dietary supplements remains the largest area of paediatric consumer health. Romanian parents, following the recommendations of family doctors, are understanding the importance of vitamins to their children’s physical and…

In 2022, Romania’s packaging industry witnessed dynamic shifts influenced by economic challenges and consumer preferences. Larger pack sizes became the preferred choice across a variety of categories, offering consumers economic advantages amid…

Other pet food in Romania is expected to see positive growth in retail volume terms in 2024, continuing the trend of the previous year. Compared to dog and cat food, the category was less impacted by cost of living pressures which characterised the…

The growth of other hot drinks in 2023 resulted from consumption changes noted during COVID-19, when working from home and studying from home became the norm. During this time, chocolate-based flavoured powder drinks, targeting children, saw an…

Other dairy is seeing value growth driven by price hikes associated with elevated costs, while volume is in a slump due to consumers’ weakened purchasing power in the inflationary context. Cream is the most important subcategory in other dairy, thus…

While oral care saw little movement in Romania in retail volume terms in 2023, it demonstrated a significant current value growth trajectory, similar to that seen in 2022, due to continued price rises. Volume growth was observed for non-essential…

A recent study revealed that Romania has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, estimated at around 30%. This high smoking rate has a positive impact on the performance of NRT smoking cessation aids, as a significant number of smokers are…

The persistently high inflation rates in 2023 prompted Romanian consumers to adjust their purchasing behaviour, adopting a more cautious approach towards nappies/diapers/pants. With the economic landscape presenting challenges, consumers sought…

Insights and data on the traditional automotive sector and the mobility industry can help businesses examine how changing travel patterns will impact future consumer behaviour. Growing climate pressures and rising urbanisation rates are pushing…

For the second year in a row, sales of smartphones are declining in retail volume terms in 2023. This is partly due to the fact that the category is reaching maturity. In the current economic context, Romanians are postponing large, non-essential…

Sales in microwaves remain in a slump which is expected to deepen further over the coming years. This is largely due to a widely held perception that food prepared in a microwave is unhealthy due to the loss of nutrients. On the other hand, the more…

Romanian men are putting more importance on their personal image and are willing to invest more in good quality apparel. This trend was reflected in a healthy growth rate in menswear in both value and volume terms in 2023. Nonetheless, inflation was…

Despite the challenging economic climate, the demand for menstrual care products in Romania saw a steady increase in both value and volume sales throughout 2023. This growth can be attributed to a more educated and informed consumer base, which is…

Although overall volume sales in men’s grooming continued to see a slight decline in 2023, the category experienced stable solid growth in current value terms in Romania, driven by rising prices. There was a surge in the number of companies…

While other leading pack types, such as flexible aluminium/plastic and flexible aluminium/paper, continued to lose ground within meals and soups packaging in 2022, thin wall plastic containers witnessed an increase in pack type share. This was…

Projected retail volume growth for some categories of meals and soups in 2023 is boosted by the total lifting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions since 2022. This has led to a return to the office for employees for whom many of these products…

Continuing the trend from 2022, mass beauty and personal care saw dynamic current value growth in Romania in 2023. Mass brands remain the default choice for the vast majority of consumers across all beauty and personal care categories. Several…

Retail current value sales of luxury goods in Romania rose by 12% in 2023 to stand at RON9.8 billion. There was a clear focus on recovery in the post-Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown period, with luxury shoppers keen to indulge in activities that may…

The very favourable performance recorded in lodging in Romania during 2023 can be seen as the consequence of rising occupancy rate, which led directly to dynamic growth in room nights as well as spurring the development and opening of new hotels. The…

The positive performance of limited-service restaurants in 2023 was aided by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022, allowing limited-service restaurants to appeal through the convenience they provide. In addition, the high cost of living…

In 2023, laundry care registered a modest overall decline in retail volume terms, although some categories, such as tablet detergents and liquid detergents, spot and stain removers and "other" laundry aids saw increases. The decline in the largest…

Large cooking appliances face the same challenges as other major appliances (with the exception of dishwashers), leading to a slump in volume sales. Such big-ticket purchases are regarded as notable investments during a time of economic uncertainty,…

Juices continued outperforming carbonates in 2023, which are regarded as a healthier alternative. However, with rising levels of inflation and unit price increases, many Romanian consumers migrated to private labels. The juice category is becoming…