Western Europe

Appliances and electronics specialists in Finland witnessed further decline in 2023, in volume and current value terms, as the economy fell into recession. Sales of ovens, cooktops and furniture-covered appliances were most affected as consumers were…

Apparel and footwear specialists continued to record single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 as the category continued on the path to recovery. Despite this sales remained lower than pre-pandemic levels as elevated inflation and a sharp…

The slowdown in the economy has not hit apparel and footwear specialists in Finland as hard as grocery retailers. Pent-up demand for clothing purchases since the pandemic, especially to wear at parties and celebrations, has sustained sales growth in…

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…