Slovakia

Air care is managing to achieve small positive volume gains, while value sales are supported by the price hikes which are affecting home care overall. Indeed, air care attracts consumers who are keen to try new formats and scents and move from the…

In 2023, air passenger traffic continues to recover from the harsh fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with retail value sales nearing pre-pandemic levels. Slovaks are returning to similar air travel patterns as seen before the pandemic, spurred…

2023 key trends

Diclofenac and naproxen are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics used to relieve mild pain. Both categories saw retail current value sales surge in 2022. Retail current value sales are set to continue to grow over 2023 in both categories,…

Apparel and footwear specialists registered a fall in current value sales in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and cut back on spending on non-essentials. Also, when consumers did purchase, they traded…

It was a poor trading year for appliances and electronics specialists in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still high, consumers prioritised essentials and postponed purchases, if at all possible. As such, there was a significant fall in both current…

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…

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…

Retail volume sales of baby food in Slovakia saw a modest contraction in 2023. While the category was fairly resilient to the impact of price increases, due to the fact parents are accustomed to prioritising the health and wellbeing of their…

In 2023, commodity prices of wheat experienced a significant decrease from the heights of 2022. However, this reduction did not translate into lower unit prices in retail stores. The main contributing factor was the persistent increase in other…

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…

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…

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…

Bleach is an uninteresting category which remains in a volume slump, which is only expected to deepen over the coming years. Consumers are increasingly perceiving bleach as old-fashioned and toxic, thus resulting in low demand. In turn, players are…

Consumer demand for outbound travel remains strong in 2023, despite the ongoing cost of living crisis, and this has enabled travel intermediaries to register a strong performance in terms of booking sales. Travellers are taking advantage of…

The demand for bottled water continued to suffer during 2023, as unfavourable weather conditions and weak purchasing power negatively impacted volume consumption. This was mostly visible in retail, as foodservice saw a late and slow recovery from the…

With the lifting of pandemic restrictions and the restoration of consumer mobility, Slovaks are now leading more hectic lifestyles, spending less time at home and opting for breakfast at home less frequently than in 2021 or 2022. This, coupled with…

Retail volume sales of butter began to recover in 2023, following a steep decline in the previous year. The latter was due mainly to rising raw milk and energy prices, which had an impact on production costs, and ultimately, unit prices With high…

Bars/pubs registered very healthy double-digit constant value growth in 2023, in spite of high inflation. There were also a significant number of openings. The introduction of a permanent reduced 10% VAT rate bolstered the sector. That being said,…

The demand for carbonates was negatively impacted by a cool early summer and cold weather in spring 2023. A further decrease in off-trade volume sales can partly be attributed from the recovery of the on-trade channel, which caused a shift in the…

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…

Retail volume sales of cheese continued to decline in 2023, albeit at a lower rate than the previous year. Growth was hampered by inflationary pressures, which made it harder for Slovak households to afford to consume the product on a daily basis.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Retail current value sales of coffee were driven by sharp rises in average current unit prices towards the end of the review period, as the prices of commodities and production and supply costs increased substantially. This led to thriftier shopping…

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…

Liquid concentrates maintained a larger market size than powder concentrates, underpinned by a stronger retail presence and heavier marketing support. Highlighting the advantages of liquid concentrates, such as ease-of-use and flavour variety, has…

Retail locations registered the highest value growth, as retail locations continue to be sought after locations, due to their high footfall. Also, in 2023, the Eurovea shopping centre in Bratislava expanded its food hall and it is now the largest…

While inflation remained high in 2023, government measures aimed at protecting the hospitality sector benefitted consumer foodservice. In particular, the reduced 10% VAT rate (from a previous 20%), which was introduced during the pandemic, was made…

Consumer health in Slovakia is affected by changes in purchasing behaviour as a result of the fading Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the effects of the war in Ukraine and a cost of living crisis amid high inflation. However, the issue of high…

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

Cooking ingredients and meals in Slovakia continues to feel the impact of rising unit prices in 2023, driving up value sales growth. As a result, Slovak consumers are becoming thriftier, allocating more of their budgets to essential expenditures such…

In Slovakia, cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies was characterised by very strong increases in retail volume sales of OTC remedies for sore throats, coughs and colds. The high demand was the result of extremely high morbidity throughout the…

Thriftier shopping habits continued to impact retail volume sales of dairy products and alternatives in 2023. Despite the implementation of government measures aimed at reducing the impact of energy prices on Slovak households, the rate of inflation…

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…

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…

Hair loss treatments is expected to continue to see strong retail volume and current value growth over 2023. Indeed, hair loss treatments is projected to record the fastest retail volume growth at the end of the review period. Mild-to-severe hair…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic brought spikes in retail volume and current value growth across most categories of dietary supplements in 2020 and 2021. Dietary supplements with immune system positioning saw particularly strong interest from…

The return of international travel to pre-Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic levels and the resumption of hectic lifestyles boost the demand for digestive remedies. More and more consumers are keen to resume their pre-pandemic travel norms, regardless…

Direct selling in Slovakia registered a further fall in both current and constant values sales in 2023. A shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

Discounters in Slovakia were one of the better performing grocery retailers in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and prioritised value for money. As such, discounters registered an increase in current value sales,…

Automatic dishwashing is seeing positive gains in both value and volume terms, whilst hand dishwashing remains in a volume slump. This is interesting as, during times of high inflation, hand dishwashing is seen as a more cost-effective option.…

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…

Drinking milk products in Slovakia saw a sluggish performance in retail volume terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. This was partly due to high raw milk and energy costs, which had a negative impact on retail prices. This led to…

In 2023 edible oils is suffering from high unit prices and rising production costs as a result of the ongoing war in neighbouring Ukraine, driving up value sales. Volume sales growth, meanwhile, is undermined thanks to dwindling purchasing power. The…

Unfavourable weather in spring and summer 2023 restricted the growth potential of energy drinks in both the retail and foodservice channels. In addition, weak purchasing power continued to limit local consumers’ ability to spend on relatively…

As the incidence of allergies is rising in Slovakia, consumers continue to purchase allergy eye care products. Over 2023, allergy eye care is expected to follow strong double-digit retail volume growth in 2022 with a good, if much slower, increment.…

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…