Slovakia

Sales in sweet biscuits, snack bars, and fruit snacks are in a slight overall volume slump in Slovakia in 2024, while value is better supported by unit price growth. That said, while sweet biscuits is seeing a volume slump, fruit snacks and snack…

Sugar confectionery sales are being influenced by high raw sugar prices in 2024, leading to inflated unit prices supporting value, while volume sales remain in an overall slump. Within this environment, consumers welcome price-based promotions and…

Snacks in Slovakia in 2024 is seeing flat total volume growth in 2024, with a slight negative-digit volume decline in retail terms and small positive growth in foodservice. Meanwhile, value sales are being better supported by ongoing unit price…

Savoury snacks is achieving small positive volume growth in Slovakia in 2024, with value sales being better supported by high unit prices. In a cross-category trend, consumers seeking savoury snacks are seeking price promotions and discounts, notably…

Ice cream is achieving positive volume sales in Slovakia in 2024, with stronger value sales being supported by another round of unit price hikes. However, the deterrent of the high prices is being balanced out by warm weather and out-of-home…

Gum is seeing positive sales in Slovakia in 2024, in both volume and value sales, and in both retail and foodservice. While value is also being supported by unit price hikes, due to the commodity prices of sweeteners, volume is being supported by…

Chocolate confectionery is seeing positive retail value sales in Slovakia in 2024, while volume remains in a slump. This situation is created by high unit prices and reduced consumer spending power. Added to which, we have seen soaring unit prices…

In spite of ongoing economic difficulties, wine in Slovakia managed to achieve modest growth in volume terms in 2023. Sales benefited from an excise tax hike on spirits, which served to make wine more affordable relative to the former, despite price…

Total volume sales of spirits in Slovakia continued to decline in 2023, Growth was impacted by mounting inflationary pressures, which weighed heavily on consumer purchasing power, especially when it came to discretionary items. Excise taxes for…

RTDs in Slovakia registered a decline in total volume terms ion 2023, in contrast to the positive performances of the previous two years. Inflationary pressures, which translated into higher production costs, led to an increase in retail unit prices,…

Cider/perry in Slovakia continued to decline at a rapid pace in volume terms in 2023, following the withdrawal of major brands, including Pivovary Topvar’s Kingswood, and Budejovicky Budvar’s Somersby cider, in the previous year. This resulted in…

Total volume sales of beer in Slovakia continued to decline in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than the previous year. Growth was impacted by mounting inflationary pressures, which weighed heavily on consumer purchasing power. While beer benefited from…

2023 key trends

Tobacco in Slovakia was impacted by new legislation in 2023, with this set to continue throughout the forecast period as new rules and regulation shape the industry’s progress. Cigarettes saw excise tax increases in both 2023 and 2024, leading to…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Slovakia saw double-digit rises in volume and current value sales growth in 2023. In February 2023, tobacco products were subject excise taxes increase, though retailers of e-vapour products…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Slovakia saw excise taxes rise sharply in 2023. This move attempted to improve the situation of the Slovak fiscal budget. However, in combination with squeezed household budgets. of Slovak households, raised…

Slovakia’s cigarettes market continued to decline in 2023 after new excise taxes were introduced, leaving smokers under growing economic pressure to downgrade to more affordable cigarettes or seek out alternatives. Rising demand for soft cigarette…

In 2024, cat litter sales remain stable supporting the positive development of pet products in Slovakia. Consumers typically buy cat litter on price discounts and will compare prices using online tools from Heureka.sk and other retailers to identify…

The performance of pet care in Slovakia is being hampered by unit price growth and marginal fluctuations in pet populations during 2024, with retail volume sales rising only slightly. In current value terms, pet care posted healthy growth thanks to…

Unit price growth and changes in the pet population were the two major factors determining other pet food sales growth in Slovakia during 2023, although prices began to stabilise in 2024. For mammals and reptiles, the pet population was down slightly…

Dog food is facing marginal retail volume growth in 2024, with consumer purchasing power still under pressure in Slovakia and unit price growth occurring in most categories. The steepest price increases were observed in dog treats forcing owners to…

The cat food category in Slovakia is feeling the pressure from a slowdown in household cat ownership in 2024. Pet abandonment is on the rise with some Slovaks postponing their decision to get a new cat altogether due to rising costs. Retail volume…

In 2023, the post-pandemic recovery in sun care continued, although retail volume sales remained below pre-pandemic levels in Slovakia. Despite the growing pressure on purchasing power and rising prices, exceptionally good weather in Slovakia boosted…

Skin care in Slovakia recorded healthy retail value growth in 2023, partly driven by price increases linked to rising costs and stronger consumer demand. Facial care registered very positive results with strong influence over category growth since it…

Premium skin and sun care in Slovakia recorded strong growth in 2023 despite challenging inflation. Over the review period, premium skin care has established a solid position among Slovak consumers. There has been a gradual increase in premium brands…

Tooth whiteners outpaced growth in Slovakia’s oral care category, in both retail volume and current value terms. Despite the rising prices seen in 2023, consumers did not lose interest in home whitening kits and whitening strips. The reason behind…

In 2023, men’s grooming in Slovakia witnessed robust current value growth, fuelled mostly by men’s skin care, which outperformed the entire category in current value and retail volume terms. Facial hair and beards are popular in Slovakia, which has…

Mass beauty and personal care in Slovakia recorded healthy growth in current value terms, albeit boosted by high inflation. In 2023, energy, transport and production costs remained high, which forced manufacturers to increase unit prices. Although…

Despite the decrease in retail volume sales, hair care recorded positive growth in current value sales, primarily due to price increases. Lower purchasing power led consumers to limit their spending, with more consumers choosing to dye their hair at…

Premium fragrances recorded high single-digit current value growth in 2023, with retail volume sales being notably slower and impacted by stubbornly high inflation. Mass fragrances declined in in both retail value and volume terms, with economic…

Permanent and semi-permanent hair removal continues to be popular among Slovak consumers, providing strong limitations to the sale of traditional depilatories. In 2023, the category recorded only modest current value growth, mostly driven by rising…

Deodorants in Slovakia recorded only modest current value growth in 2023 as consumers frequently traded down to cheaper brands and private label. Retail volume sales remained negative with the exception of deodorant creams, which saw only marginal…

Colour cosmetics continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia. A large proportion of current value growth has been driven by inflation and rising prices in 2023. Many consumers are turning towards colour cosmetics to indulge and treat…

Beauty and personal care in Slovakia registered strong current value growth in 2023 underpinned by soaring inflation which triggered price increases across all categories. The Slovak economy has remained somewhat resilient despite significant…

Competition is intense among grocery retailers and drugstores in Slovakia. However, with an increasing number of discounters being established in the country these players are increasing value share. Lidl reached a total of 153 stores in 2023, which…

In 2023, healthy growth was recorded in baby and child-specific products in Slovakia. High inflationary pressures on price underpinned current value growth. Demand remains solid as parents deem these products as essential products for their…

Sales of wipes in Slovakia continued to enjoy steady growth in retail volume terms, while current value growth benefited from rising prices. Consumers have become more hygiene conscious since the outbreak of COVID-19, with this helping to support the…

Tissue and hygiene in Slovakia recorded only slight volume growth in 2023, as strong inflationary pressures limited consumer expenditure and prevented an increase in spend year-on-year. Robust price increases in tissue and hygiene ultimately led to…

The growth of Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence in Slovakia remained stable in 2023, as consumers tend to use these products for a long time. Compared to retail, products prescribed by the doctor are fully reimbursed by an insurance company, and…

Retail tissue in Slovakia bucked the downward economic trend in 2023, by posting a solid increase in volume sales. Healthy growth in toilet paper supported this trend aided by brand and private label innovations. Economy toilet paper was launched by…

In Slovakia, retail adult incontinence products for light and moderate/heavy users witnessed sales growth in 2023. Increasing numbers of consumers are suffering with incontinence problems as the population is ageing. Manufacturers have ramped up…

Demand for nappies/diapers/pants in Slovakia was negatively affected by rising prices and lower birth rates in the country, which resulted in retail volume decline in 2023. Some consumers chose to make products last longer and made fewer purchases to…

Menstrual care in Slovakia was affected by rising prices across all types of products in 2023, however retail volume growth witnessed steady progress. Consumers are widely accustomed to buying their favourite brands and switching to cheaper brands is…

Sales of away-from-home tissue are heavily linked to the performance of the Slovakian economy in 2023. Although the economy remained robust, there were some signs of weakness and companies remained cautious in the face of high inflation. Only a very…

Vending was one of the better performing retail channels in Slovakia in 2023, with current value sales increasing. Convenience and on-the-go consumption drove consumer demand. While hot drinks continued to be the most popular product sold through…

Supermarkets in Slovakia lost out to discounters in 2023, as continuing high inflation saw consumers increasingly shop in discounters. Consumers also sought out discounts in supermarkets as they were highly price sensitive. As such, supermarket…

2023 was not a good year for small local grocers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in such outlets, as prices tend to be higher than in other larger grocery retailers. As such, both constant and current…

It was a poor trading year for retail in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still being high, as well increasing interest rates leading to higher mortgage payments, consumers felt the pinch. As such, there was only marginal growth in current value…

Retail e-commerce registered a modest increase in current value sales in Slovakia. However, with appliances and electronics continuing to be the most popular products sold online, and with weak consumer sentiment leading consumers to postpone larger…

Hypermarkets were the best performing grocery channel in Slovakia in 2023 in terms of value growth. Recent openings of new outlets boosted value sales, including the new Kaufland Bratislava outlet discussed below. However, with inflation still high,…