Western Europe

Eyewear is expected to record low single-digit growth in current value terms in Italy in 2024. Growth is set to be supported by Italian consumers’ recovery in purchasing power. Indeed, most categories’ volume sales are expected to see growth on the…

Contact lenses is set to see mid-single digit growth in current value terms in Italy in 2024, continuing the trend from the previous year, with the category being the most dynamic within eyewear. Growth in the category will be supported by Italians…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in the UK returned to positive value growth in 2023, after experiencing a decline the previous year. This growth was mainly driven by a significant rise in unit prices across the category, boosted by constantly…

The market for cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Greece saw a decline in volume sales in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. While the largest product area, fine cut tobacco, has proved to be more resilient than cigarettes,…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in the UK declined by double digits in 2023, even though smoking prevalence experienced a limited drop. The main reason behind the highest decline in legal cigarette sales in the last decade was the significant unit…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in Greece posted a decline in 2023, following the sluggish performance of the previous year. This occurred within the context of rising levels of health awareness in the country, which had a negative impact on…

As with many other alcoholic drinks categories, total volume sales of cider/perry in the UK marginally declined in 2023. Cider/perry in the off-trade channel is quite mature, and following a boost from pandemic-related restrictions, demand continued…

Total volume sales of beer in the UK declined in 2023. However, while off-trade volume sales continued to stabilise following the boost which came as a result of the pandemic, leading to another marginal dip in 2023 via this channel, at-home…

2023 was undoubtedly a challenging year for alcoholic drinks in the UK. Overall, volume sales in both on-trade and off-trade fell when compared to 2022. On the other hand, value sales continued to rise, mainly driven by unit price increases as a…

In 2023, tobacco in Sweden witnessed steady growth in retail volume and current value terms, although rates have slowed down year-on-year. Retail volume sales of cigarettes and smoking tobacco continued to plummet in Sweden, while cigars and nicotine…

The challenging economic environment and relevant price increases due to persistently high inflation and tax revisions affected the market performance in 2023, mainly to the detriment of cigarettes and fine cut tobacco. Cigarettes saw a decline in…

Sales of traditional tobacco products in Belgium continued to decline rapidly in 2023, primarily due to an increase in excise taxes on cigarettes and smoking tobacco. The diminishing price gap with neighbouring countries, such as France, has also…

Sweden continues to invest in its unique ‘harm reduction’ policy in efforts to try to reduce smoking cigarettes. Indeed, the country’s low smoking rate is widely reported in the international media. In 2022-2023, there was a clear increase in vaping…

Heated tobacco products continued to see outstanding growth in retail volume terms in 2023 with the category becoming among the most popular smoking alternatives to combustion tobacco. Tabaqueira SA - Empresa Industrial de Tabacos SA (GBO Philip…

E-vapour products, as a product area, experienced significant growth in 2023, driven by a combination of factors. The increase in excise taxes on cigarettes and smoking tobacco prompted many consumers to switch to e-vapour products, seeing them as a…

Smoking tobacco and cigarillos are both steadily losing popularity in Sweden, particularly among young adults who have been switching to snus and nicotine pouches. Border trade is typical in tobacco products within the Nordic region, with the return…

Despite the prices of cigarillos increasing these products still benefited from a more favourable taxation during 2023, and lower average prices compared to cigarettes. Due to a more significant increase in the prices of cigarettes some consumers…

Smoking tobacco experienced a significant decline in Belgium during 2023, primarily driven by escalating prices following recent excise hikes. The skyrocketing prices have led to a sharp reduction in sales, particularly to French consumers who…

In 2023, retail volume sales of cigarettes declined marginally in Sweden. The Swedish government’s strategy to reduce the smoking rate has been successful with smoking prevalence steadily falling to a record low of 5.5% in 2023, which is extremely…

Despite the positive impact from sales to tourists, this was not enough to prevent cigarettes from declining in in retail volume terms in 2023. The difficult economic context, high inflation and relevant price increases on cigarettes due to tax…