Western Europe

Depopulation in Italy from 2021-2040 will result from negative natural change, with positive net migration unable to reverse this demographic trend. While urbanisation continues, significant cities will contract, in line with the shrinking…

Wipes overall saw current value sales flatline in France in 2023. General purpose wipes declined deeply in both volume and current value terms, with pandemic-inspired habits falling away. Though local consumers continue to wash their hands more…

Consistent with the observations across tissue and hygiene, wipes in Denmark saw pronounced increases in retail price points, which impacted category performance. Higher prices for wipes were driven by cost inflation, covering factors like energy,…

Vending saw dynamic current value growth in Greece in 2023, though sales remained far below the level seen in 2021. Vending in Greece declined dramatically after the closure of ThesGala-Pies Cooperative’s fresh milk vending machines, which had…

Tissue and hygiene in France saw continued robust current value growth in 2023, at double the rate of the previous year and marking the second consecutive year of rapid current value rises driven by persistent inflationary pressures. Despite supply…

In tissue and hygiene in Denmark, retail and away-from-home (AFH) current value sales continued to grow strongly in 2023, driven mainly by price increases. Price inflation remained elevated compared to the early-to-mid-review period, but lower than…

Supermarkets saw value growth in Greece in 2023. Players in the channel expand their networks mainly through acquisitions, primarily focusing on the acquisition of small local chains in order to open stores all over Greece. Smaller chains were hit…

While small local grocers saw current value growth in Greece in 2023, the channel’s expansion was less rapid than that seen in other areas of grocery retailing. Grocery stores that specialise in Asian, Mexican and other ethnic cuisines did see an…

Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence in France continued its positive growth trend in 2023, in terms of both volume and current value sales, benefitting from the essential nature of the category’s products. There was a small deceleration in the first…

Noteworthy unit price increases in 2023 also affected Rx/Reimbursement adult incontinence in Denmark. Significant price increases were driven by cost inflation covering aspects like energy, material sourcing, labour, logistics and supply chain…

Retail tissue in France saw a slight dip in overall volume sales in 2023, resulting from ongoing economic pressure on consumers. Over 2022 and 2023, local consumers shifted towards more budget-friendly solutions, with prices lower in products that…

Notable price increases in retail tissue in Denmark in 2023 were driven by cost inflation covering aspects like energy, material sourcing, labour, logistics and supply chain constraints. Price increases were consistent with the movements across…

Retail faced notable challenges in Greece in 2023. Inflation was - and continues to be - very high and prices were constantly rising. Retailers, regardless of industry, were forced to raise their prices as they could not absorb the increases in the…

Retail e-commerce saw more modest current value growth in Greece in 2023, following three consecutive years of double-digit expansion. The fact that the penetration rate of e-commerce in many categories was relatively low by Western European…

In terms of impact on volume sales, demographic trends supported adult incontinence more than any other category within tissue and hygiene in France in 2023. The country’s elderly population keeps on expanding, increasing the number of potential…

As in other categories, retail adult incontinence in Denmark was affected by higher product prices at the end of the review period. Higher manufacturer and retailer input costs, for example, increased operating costs, such as material sourcing,…

Volume falls in nappies/diapers/pants in France in 2023 were relatively gentle, with the category’s essential products leaving little room for substantial purchasing declines. The recorded decrease was mainly a result of France’s falling birth rate,…

Nappies/diapers/pants in Denmark was affected by significant retail price point increases, driven by higher input costs (energy, material sourcing, labour, logistics, supply chain constraints). This supported retail value over volume growth in 2023.…

Menstrual care in France saw volume declines and strong current value rises in 2023. Inflationary pressures left many local consumers struggling to make ends meet - an especially sharp problem for women who needed to buy menstrual care products.…

Menstrual care in Denmark was affected by high inflation. While the rate of inflation in 2023 was lower than in 2022 it was still relatively high for Denmark at the end of the review period. Higher input costs, such as material sourcing, labour,…