China

As in 2020, lockdowns introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19 increased home cooking occasions in China in 2022, driving packaging unit volume sales of cooking ingredients such as sauces, dips and condiments. Unit volume sales in the category…

The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus was resulting in case number spikes across China throughout much of 2022, prompting the authorities to enforce strict lockdown measures due to its zero-COVID policy. As consumers were confined to their homes,…

In spite of the re-emergence of COVID-19 in 2022, packaging unit volume sales in plant-based dairy continued to grow for a second year, following the significant decline seen in 2020 when the pandemic first emerged, resulting in availability issues…

Home audio and cinema in China is experiencing a downturn in 2023, following a temporary respite observed in 2020 during the pandemic lockdowns. The previous pandemic measures prompted financially affluent Chinese consumers to invest in sophisticated…

Oral care packaging remained the largest beauty and personal care packaging category in China in 2022 in terms of retail unit volume sales. Squeezable plastic tubes, folding cartons and blister and strip packs are the main packaging formats used in…

The cigars category is still at a nascent stage in China, given the relatively low penetration rate. However, in 2022 cigars witnessed robust growth in retail volume terms, in particular driven by domestically produced hand-rolled cigars, thanks to…

Processed fruit and vegetables is set to see dynamic retail volume and current value growth in China in 2023, with shelf stable fruit remaining the dominant category and driving growth. At the beginning of 2023, with COVID-19 lockdown restrictions…

Financial cards and payments in China is set to see a rebound in 2023, following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Consumers have taken the reopening of society as an opportunity to increase their discretionary spending, particularly in the areas…

The persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic in China in 2022, along with the country’s strict zero-COVID policy kept consumers within their homes for long periods during this year and consequently boosted interest in home cooking. This drove demand for…

Retail sales of yoghurt declined for the fourth successive year in current value terms in 2023, due in part to consumers' increasing health concerns. Consumers perceive yoghurt to contain a high amount of sugar, as well as preservatives and other…

Retail sales of dairy products and alternatives experienced a fairly static performance in current value terms in 2023, following the more significant decline of the previous year. This latter was predominantly due to disruptions caused by the…

COVID-19 lockdowns across the course of 2022 kept Chinese consumers at home more than usual at times over the year, increasing home cooking occasions and, consequently, demand for processed meat and seafood. Hotpot items such as lamb and beef enjoyed…

Despite the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions at the end of 2022, in 2023 consumers have not fully emerged from the shadow of COVID-19. Lingering health concerns and illness have led to an increased focus on health and immunity. This heightened…

In 2023, sauces, dips and condiments is set to turn to decline in retail volume and current value terms. This is primarily due to the Chinese government’s lifting of the zero-COVID policy in 2022. With no more lockdown measures in place, consumers’…

Even though cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies recorded over 40% current value growth in 2022, it is anticipated that the category will continue to achieve high single-digit growth in 2023. Starting from late 2022, the end of the zero-COVID…

In 2023, similar retail volume and current value growth rates are expected for processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat compared with 2021, after seeing a stronger performance in 2022. COVID-19 restrictions were lifted from the beginning of…

In 2023, sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in China is expected to witness full recovery from the mild decline seen in 2022 in retail current value terms. Sweet biscuits, which accounts for more than half of value sales, is expected to…

E-vapour products in China was devasted by a substantial package of industry regulations and policy updates throughout 2022, restricting the production, wholesale, and retail operations of e-cigarette players. The ban on flavoured e-vapour products,…

Flexible plastic is the most popular pack type in frozen ready meals, but folding cartons continues to gain share in this category, with this pack type helping to convey a premium image. This pack type is often used for frozen ready meals targeted at…

Oyster sauces continued to see rising demand in China in 2021, which benefited packaging volumes of glass bottles, the dominant pack type used in the packaging of oyster sauces, as well as the much smaller pack type of other rigid containers. Oyster…