Western Europe

Nappies/diapers/pants in Ireland witnessed only marginal volume growth in 2023, with newborn nappies/diapers and standard nappies/diapers both seeing declines. The long-term trend of falling birth rates is reducing demand for nappies, especially for…

In 2023, nappies/diapers/pants in Greece was subject to price hikes; the result of an increase in production and logistics costs. Despite the increase in prices in 2022, retail prices rose further across all subcategories in 2023 as manufacturers and…

Amidst the backdrop of continued decline in birth rates during 2023, Finland's nappies/diapers/pants market witnessed a marginal decrease in volume sales. However, this decline was counterbalanced by a surge in value, attributed to price escalations…

In 2023, retail value sales of menstrual care recorded moderate growth in the Netherlands. More initiatives to compensate for menstrual poverty were seen in 2023 especially in some cities, where such activities have been in place for some time at the…

The rise of pharmacies as “information hubs” in 2023 is connected to the performance of menstrual care in Italy. Indeed, pharmacies are increasingly becoming hubs for female consumers, around different topics, and including sensitive subjects. For…

Menstrual care in Ireland registered solid volume growth in 2023. Together with the necessity status of these products, the continued expansion of the female population aged 12-54 ensured overall demand remained stable. There has been fairly…

In 2023, the menstrual care landscape in Greece was impacted by rising production costs and supply chain pressures, which urged companies to increase retail prices. This led to overall positive, double-digit retail value growth. To continue…

Amidst external fluctuations, the landscape of menstrual care products in Finland exhibited resilience in 2023, with volume sales maintaining relative stability, underscoring the essential nature of these products. While a decline in towel sales…

Although more stable than in the previous year, inflation rates still remained high in Italy in 2023 with the price of food and other grocery and non-grocery items continuing to rise. In the context of high inflation, hypermarkets continued to…

Hypermarkets remains the leading retail (not only grocery retail) channel in Finland, with around a third of overall sales of grocery retailers in 2023. Hypermarkets has managed to maintain its extend its lead over supermarkets (the second biggest…

Home products specialists saw healthy growth in current value terms in 2023 albeit this was largely due to the impact of inflation rather than a significant increase in demand. Consumers continued to invest in their domestic spaces in 2023 with this…

In 2023, current value sales slowed in home products specialists as consumer confidence weakened and Finland entered recession. Consumers cut back expenditure on home improvements and home furnishings as household budgets were allocated to more…

Health and beauty specialists saw moderate growth in current value terms in 2023, although this was largely the result of price inflation rather than an increase in demand. When it comes to pharmacies small and independent players account for most…

Health and beauty specialists in Finland is the second biggest non-grocery channel in Finland and is a category of growing importance. One of the main reasons for this growth is that pharmacy products are mostly essential. A high share of overall…

General merchandise stores recorded dynamic double-digit growth in current value terms in 2022 with department stores and variety stores both seeing elevated sales. This performance was backed by a renewed sense of optimism as concerns around the…

Variety stores in Finland witnessed a stellar performance in 2023, with current value growth reaching double-digits. Providing a wide offering of cheap products, variety stores have proved attractive to consumers in the economic downturn, as these…

Despite the easing of inflationary pressures in Italy over 2023, price increases and thus inflation rates remained high in the country. Therefore, price and value remained the most pressing concerns for many consumers when choosing to shop for their…

Discounters in Finland registered stagnant current value growth in 2023, as inflation remained high and the Finnish economy weakened. Discounters proved a more attractive choice to consumers seeking affordable brands and private label. The location…

After two years of solid growth, direct selling experienced a decline in current value terms in 2023. However, performances varied within direct selling in 2023 with some categories continuing to perform well in 2023, but especially those with a…

Direct selling has always been a marginal retail channel in Finland, and has in recent years seen a clear decrease – sales fell in 2023 for the seventh year in a row in current value terms. Even more worryingly, direct selling underperformed…