Asia Pacific

This report assesses the business environment in Azerbaijan, focusing on the regulatory environment, stability of the financial system, FDI intake, labour market flexibility and skillset, trade openness, mobility infrastructure, ICT adoption and…

Lack of government integrity, prevalent corruption, skills shortages, and difficult access to financing are among the key obstacles to doing business in Bangladesh. Low internet penetration is another major factor hindering faster economic…

Households in Asia Pacific are experiencing major structural transformation. The growth in urban concentrated households is resulting in changing consumption patterns, while lifestyle changes are resulting in changing household compositions from…

Sales at grocery retailers were back in decline in Asia Pacific in 2022, with the impact of spiking case numbers in China, as it continued to pursue its zero-COVID policy, dragging down the overall regional performance. This followed a strong…

This report assesses the business environment in Laos, focusing on the regulatory environment, stability of the financial system, FDI intake, labour market flexibility and skillset, trade openness, mobility infrastructure, ICT adoption and innovative…

The report examines the economic landscape of Pakistan and provides information on major monetary indicators, foreign trade, investments and government finance. The economy in Pakistan grew in real terms in 2022, driven by rising public and private…

The world is rapidly evolving due economic, political, geographic and climate changes. This is contributing to a change in consumer’s habit and behaviour as they try to keep pace with these newer developments. Deeper understanding of these changes…

It is important to understand how urbanisation is being driven in emerging markets, and how new suburban developments are occurring in developed markets, what changes in household types and sizes will occur, and how the modern home will evolve,…

Despite the deleterious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uzbekistan recorded positive annual real GDP growth of 1.9% in 2020. With the reopening of the economy, as well as higher state investment and a recovery in remittance inflows that bolstered…

Sri Lanka experienced an economic crisis in 2022 with hyperinflation and severe import restrictions due to a lack of dollars. Many retailers struggled to meet demand with the country experiencing severe shortages, including for key products such as…

In 2022, retail in Pakistan was severely impacted by the devastating floods and the economic crisis. Dwindling consumer purchasing power, supply chain disruptions, reduced agriculture output, weak lending activity by commercial banks and currency…

Retail in Myanmar witnessed double-digit growth in current value terms in 2022 but this was largely driven by high inflation and the depreciation of the local currency exchange rate. Households became more price sensitive amidst declining purchasing…

Inflation remains high, making imported goods more expensive for consumers and restricting purchases of non-essentials, despite a degree of post-COVID-19 recovery. Retailing remains underdeveloped, with informal retailing dominant and benefiting from…

Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine negatively impacted the economy and led to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices boosted the local economy, its usual outflow to the…

The reopening of society after the pandemic is beneficial for Cambodia retail. While the majority of consumers still shop in traditional outlets, the retail landscape in developed cities is being modernised. This is driven by a growing number of…

Retail generated positive growth in 2022 despite high inflation and pressure on consumer spending. Higher levels of investment from key players boosted chained grocery retailing and e-commerce as consumers become more accustomed to more modern and…

Following the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that caused oil prices to collapse in 2020 and annual real GDP to contract by 4.2% in 2020, the Azerbaijani economy rebounded strongly and grew by 5.6% in annual real terms in 2021. This is partly…

In 2022, retail e-commerce continued to gain significant value share in Uzbekistan. However, its penetration level still lagged behind neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan. Several factors hindered the further development of retail e-commerce in…

Clicky, a fast-fashion e-commerce platform focused on apparel, footwear and accessories, has received investments from notable investors such as Fatima Ventures and Souq, a UAE-based company that was later acquired by Amazon. In December 2021, the…

E-commerce continued to grow but at a slower rate, partly due to the geopolitical situation. The war in Ukraine has resulted in supply chain disruptions, higher transportation tariffs and high inflation also higher prices for imports, due to currency…