Tobacco

Cigarettes were in decline in Western Europe in 2022, but sales of next-generation products were increasing – with this expected to continue in the coming years. Disposable vapes recorded dynamic growth in the UK, the region’s biggest e-vapour…

In 2023, the retail value sales of cigarettes in Austria continued their downward trajectory, dropping below pre-COVID-19 volume sales levels of 2019. During the pandemic, cigarette consumption had seen a temporary boost due to increased consumption…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in 2022. This was partly due to progressive increases in excise duties, which affected the affordability of traditional tobacco products. Consequently, some consumers opted to travel to…

Retail volumes sales of cigarettes in Denmark continued to see a double-digit decline in 2023. This performance fits with a general downward trajectory in the smoking prevalence for cigarettes in the market, as taxation, health and wellness trends…

Volume sales of cigarettes in Finland continued to decline in 2023. Finns are very aware of the harmful impact of smoking, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is a clear polarisation taking place between those who smoke and…

Cigarettes saw volume sales decline in France in 2023. Legal sales of cigarettes were forced to take another backseat in 2023. Having seen no tax increase in 2022 (the immediate post-pandemic period), taxes rose again in 2023, which resulted in a…

During the pandemic, cigarette consumption benefitted from remote working as well as high levels of stress among the local population. Moreover, consumers were not able to cross borders during the lockdowns to buy their cigarettes in neighbouring…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes rose, but only very marginally, in 2022. Following over a decade of strong retail volume sales decline, the category is starting to show signs of stabilisation. However, the competition with heated tobacco remained…

Cigarette sales in Ireland registered significant volume declines in 2022, as a result of a return to pre-pandemic levels of international travel, which saw cross-border and duty-free sales increase once more. This trend, which has been seen across…

Cigarettes saw a slightly stronger volume decline in 2022 than witnessed in 2021, as the era of the COVID-19 pandemic has come to an end and consumers have returned to their out-of-home lifestyles. This decline is to be expected, as the circumstances…

In 2022, the retail volume sales of cigarettes experienced a decline in Norway as a result of the reopening of borders and the resumption of cross-border trade, particularly with Sweden. The popularity of tobacco products in cross-border trade and…

Although smoking prevalence continued to decline in Portugal, despite the gradual shift to non-combustible products, retail volume and current value sales increased in 2022. The recovery of tourism in the aftermath of the pandemic supported a rebound…

Cigarettes saw positive growth in retail volume terms in 2022, with sales being driven by an increase in tourism, the return of cross-border purchases and an increase in out-of-home activities and social events. Nonetheless, despite these growth…

Sweden’s smoking population is extremely low by European and indeed global standards, with numbers continuing to decline in 2022 as consumers transition away from cigarettes. This translated into another year of decline for cigarettes, at least in…

The long-term trend of declining volume sales of cigarettes continued in 2022, with consumers increasingly aware of the levels of harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke. Cigarettes posted negative performances in both retail volume and current value…

Some smokers have been switching to cheaper brands of cigarettes in order to reduce their expenditure on these products. This was being driven by the reduction in purchasing power as a result of the high inflation rates being seen in the Netherlands,…

In 2021, cigarettes recorded positive volume growth for the first time since 2009, mainly due to travel restrictions, with consumers being unable to purchase cigarettes in duty free or via illicit trade, driving sales towards taxable UK channels,…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in Turkey declined sharply in 2022. The contraction was mainly due to spiralling inflation fuelled by the depreciation of the lira, the global recovery from the pandemic and the fallout of Russia’s invasion of…

The pandemic caused notable behavioural change in most consumers, with government regulations contributing to disparate affects on the channel distribution, brand success and overall growth of cigarette markets across Western Europe. Rising taxation,…

Volume sales of cigars and cigarillos continued to decrease in Austria in 2023, but at a significantly slower rate than cigarettes. Demand for these products experienced a strong push during the pandemic, and volume sales for both cigars and…