Africa

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Healthy growth rates were recorded in both volume and value terms in the Middle East and Africa snacks market in 2023. This followed stagnating volume sales and a decline in real value terms in 2022, when consumers in many countries were seeing their…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

Volume sales of snacks are expected to continue on a growth path in 2023 with growth seen across all categories. The resumption of society and busy lifestyles is promoting snacking, although inflationary pressures are making consumers price…

Retail volume sales of snacks are expected to continue expanding in 2023 thanks to a return to normality in the wake of the pandemic. Demand for confectionery as well as sweet biscuits, snack bars, and fruit snacks, however, is being hampered by…

Sweet biscuits is the only category within sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks with notable sales. Plain biscuits are the most popular, followed by cookies, filled biscuits, chocolate coated biscuits, and wafers. Despite rising prices, retail…

Sugar confectionery is set to decline in retail volume terms in 2023, although it will continue to see current value growth due to price rises. The prices of raw materials have been rising. For instance, reduced local production of sugar cane,…

Snacks is set to maintain retail volume growth in 2023, although this is expected to remain low. Amidst mounting inflationary pressure, an acceleration in unit price growth has been limiting volume growth, as sales are largely impulse-driven, but is…

Savoury snacks recorded robust retail volume and current value growth throughout the review period, and this is set to continue in 2023, driven by the strong performance of potato chips. This is being driven by the youth population, especially…

Ice cream is set to see a second year of retail volume growth in 2023, although sales are still not expected to return to the pre-pandemic level, as ice cream is increasingly regarded as an occasional indulgence by local middle-class consumers.…

Gum is set to maintain slow retail volume growth and more dynamic current value growth in 2023, with fairly similar rises expected for both bubble gum and chewing gum. The former is mainly consumed by children, and the latter by adults. Despite the…

Chocolate confectionery is set to see low retail volume growth in 2023, although current value growth is expected to be far higher, amidst inflation. Modern grocery distribution channels are important for sales of chocolate confectionery in Kenya,…

The snacks market is set to be hampered by high inflation in 2023, leading to muted growth of non-essential categories, such as boxed assortments. While the market is recovering from the economic shock of COVID-19, with sales maintaining positive…

In 2023, the market for sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in Nigeria is witnessing moderate downturn in volume sales, continuing the significant decline that began in 2022. This trend was largely driven by enduring inflationary conditions -…

After years of robust volume growth, even under challenging economic conditions, sugar confectionery in Nigeria saw a significant downturn in 2022 in a trend that has carried on into 2023 albeit at a substantially more tempered pace. The main factors…

2023 is proving to be a challenging year for snacks in Nigeria, as high inflation continues. Decline in volume sales is affecting all categories, though generally at a much milder rate than was seen in 2022’s sharp fall. Inflationary pressures mean…

The snacks market in Ghana is set to experience a slight decline in retail volume sales in 2023, while current value sales are expected to grow strongly on the back of sharp increases in price. Prices have risen as manufacturers have passed on…

The savoury snacks market in Nigeria is recording a decline in volume sales in 2023, primarily due to the heightened unit prices that have been sharply escalating since 2022. Inflationary pressures have negatively impacted consumer spending power,…

Ice cream consumption in Nigeria has taken a downturn in volume terms in 2023, following a significant drop in 2022. This decline can be largely attributed to the prevailing inflationary conditions spurred by a depreciated local currency and various…

2023 is witnessing a small drop in volume sales for gum in Nigeria, continuing on from the sharper decline seen in the previous year, 2022. The decline is primarily driven by soaring unit prices, catalysed by persistent inflationary pressures in the…

Volume sales in chocolate confectionery in Nigeria continue to trend downwards in 2023, following the considerable decline witnessed in 2022. The prevailing macroeconomic conditions in Nigeria, particularly rampant inflation, has persisted from 2022…

National Brands is set to continue to lead sweet biscuits in retail value terms in 2023, despite strong competition from private label lines and rising unit prices in South Africa. During 2023 unit prices are set to increase by double digits, driven…

Sugar confectionery is set to record high single-digit retail current value growth in 2023; however, rising unit prices are expected to drive down retail volume demand. Most categories are projected to see double-digit growth in unit prices as a…

2023 has marked another tough year for consumers in South Africa, with double-digit food inflation, rising interest rates, and continuous rolling blackouts (loadshedding). Loadshedding has affected the entire supply chain, as well as consumers, as…

The top players in savoury snacks are set to continue to record value share declines in 2023, mainly driven by higher unit prices. The weather continues to hamper the local production of potatoes used in the production of potato chips. While the…

Rolling blackouts (loadshedding) have persisted in 2023, averaging stage 4 for the year (at the time of writing this report), which means that consumers experience power cuts for three to four two-hour slots per day. As a result, consumers have cut…

Although retail volume sales of gum are expected to return to a slight decline in 2023, the category is set to record strong single-digit retail current value growth in 2023, primarily driven by price rises, value-added options, and flavour…

Chocolate confectionery is set to record solid retail current value growth in 2023, driven by unit price increases of around 10% in most categories. Meanwhile, without innovation in terms of flavours, and digital campaigns, stronger volume declines…

In 2022, the domestic player Société l'Appetissante SARL, added a new Choco Tom wafer to its sweet biscuits portfolio in Tunisia. Choco Tom is already a popular product in Tunisia and is also one of oldest sweet filled biscuits available. However,…

Sweet biscuits are the most popular type of snack in Morocco and as such, continued to see healthy volume growth in 2023, despite the economic downturn. This was supported by the trend towards away-from-home consumption, following the return to…

Pastilles, gummies, jellies and chews recorded the highest retail volume and current value growth in 2023, due to robust sales performance of local and international brands. The Tunisian company Société Tunisienne de Chocolaterie et de Confiserie…

Sugar confectionery is sizeable in Morocco and demand is supported largely by individually-sold sweets and lollipops, most often bought by children. In addition, volume sales are aided by local shopkeepers, who often give sweets instead of change to…

The snacks category in Tunisia is feeling the harsh impact of very high inflation rates and price increases in 2023. In current value terms, snacks is seeing double-digit growth partly fuelled by higher retail prices. In retail volume terms, snacks…

The Moroccan snacks market saw a positive performance in volume terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. Growth was boosted by a return to pre-pandemic lifestyles and the lifting of remaining travel restrictions. However, the average…

Despite the diversity of savoury snacks in Tunisia, potato chips remain the firm favourite among Tunisians. Affordable prices and aggressive promotions have kept the potato front of mind in the savoury snacks category, with marketing campaigns a key…

Savoury snacks saw a slightly improved performance in volume terms in 2023, with nuts, seeds and trail mixes leading the way, albeit from a fairly low base. While Moroccans are traditionally keen on nuts, they usually buy them in unpackaged,…

In 2022, Magnum and Häagen-Dazs launched into Tunisia, bringing these two international premium brands into a category which is dominated by domestic brands. As part of Magnum’s launch activity, social influencers on Facebook and Instagram were…

Volume sales of ice cream continued to expand at a modest rate in in 2023, following the trend of the previous year. Rising food and energy prices, due to the disruption of global supply chains, weakened the purchasing power of the majority of…

The illicit gum trade is showing strong growth in 2023 due to the expansion of brands available. Several imported brands that are legally imported to Tunisia, such as Kent and Mentos, are also available in the illegal trade. Consumers are attracted…

Retail sales of gum saw a modest performance in volume terms in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. Demand was restricted by the uncertain economic climate, which forced Moroccans to people cut back on unnecessary expenses, including…

Chocolate confectionery has been impacted by shortages in the supply of sugar, much of which needs to be imported. The shortages have had a severe impact on the local chocolate confectionery industry, which is dependent on this raw material. Several…

Retail sales of chocolate confectionery saw slightly slower growth in volume terms in 2023. This was attributable to inflationary pressures, which forced many Moroccan consumers to reduce spending on perceived non-essential or luxury purchases. Unit…

With high inflation continuing to place upward pressure on unit prices and erode purchasing power among Cameroonians, consumption of sweet biscuits has remained subdued in 2023, hence overall retail volume sales growth looks set to be unchanged in…

Growth in retail volume sales of sugar confectionery in Cameroon in 2023 looks set to be relatively modest, and only marginally above that recorded in 2022. This is mainly because high inflation fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic and…

Snacks is seeing steady growth in retail volume terms in Côte d’Ivoire in 2023, although elevated inflation has put pressure on prices and on the general cost of living. With a median age of just 19 years there is a large base of young consumers keen…

Growth in retail volume sales of snacks in Cameroon in 2023 is expected to be down slightly on 2022 and fall below the CAGR for the entire review period. Overall demand has remained subdued as high inflation fuelled by the global recovery from…

The snacks market in Angola is set to see solid growth during 2023, with ongoing demand supported by the fact that several snacks categories offer a wide range of products across the price spectrum. In addition, the robust expansion of local…

Savoury snacks has remained the smallest of the main snacks categories in Cameroon in retail volume sales terms in 2023. This is mainly explained by the traditional preference for sweeter and more indulgence-oriented snacks among local consumers. For…

Ice cream is one of the most popular snack foods in Cameroon, not only because of its indulgence appeal but also due to the hot climate. However, informal sales of cheaper unpackaged varieties by roadside vendors still account for a large share of…

The latter part of the review period saw a number of chewing gum manufacturers in Cameroon move to address longstanding consumer complaints about quality standards by reformulating established brands and launching new varieties with softer textures…