China

The closure of workplaces and schools and the imposition of enforced home seclusion during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in an increase in at-home food consumption. This notably led to higher growth in retail, whilst negatively…

In 2020, rice, pasta and noodles was one of the most notable beneficiaries of the increase in home cooking resulting from the closure of foodservice channels, workplaces and schools and restrictions on public movement as part of efforts to contain…

Retail sales of processed meat, seafood and alternatives to meat saw stronger growth in 2020. The closure of foodservice channels as part of measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 resulted in the transfer of some sales from foodservice to…

Processed fruit and vegetables suffered a month of logistical disruptions in the early part of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, with manufacturing affected by measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus. Furthermore, the category was…

In 2020, although breakfast cereals maintained retail current value growth, retail volume sales declined due to disruption from COVID-19. It was the largest category, hot cereals, which dragged down retail volume growth, as the only category to see…

The production and distribution of packaged baked goods was briefly disturbed when COVID-19 first emerged at the beginning of 2020. However, over the whole year sales boomed, for two major reasons. First, many consumers quickly shifted to e-commerce…

Sweet spreads maintained slow retail volume growth and solid retail current value growth in 2020 during the worst of the pandemic, and the performance is expected to remain similar in 2021. Honey remains the largest category within sweet spreads, and…

In 2020, soup bucked the previous declining trend and turned to growth in both retail volume and current value terms. The closure of foodservice channels and home seclusion during the first year of COVID-19 in the country led to a significant…

Sauces, dressings and condiments saw dynamic retail volume and current value growth in 2020, due to home seclusion and the switch from foodservice to retail sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although growth is set to continue in 2021, a slower rate…

After seeing higher retail volume and current value growth than before the pandemic in 2020, overall ready meals is set to turn to decline in 2021, although sales are expected to remain higher than the level seen in 2019, before the emergence of…

After seeing a particularly strong retail volume increase in 2020, sales of edible oils are expected to turn to slight decline in 2021. As foodservice outlets were temporarily closed due to COVID-19 and people stayed at home during the worst of the…

Cooking ingredients and meals in China was strongly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the closure of consumer foodservice outlets and home seclusion, sales to foodservice were hit hard, seeing a significant volume decline in this year.…

In early 2021, fast fashion brand H&M faced a backlash after it refused to use Xinjiang cotton and expressed concern about the alleged use of forced labour in cotton production. The backlash from this decision then widened to brands associated with…

Although sportswear weathered the pandemic as the most resilient category within apparel and footwear, slight current value decline was still registered in 2020 due to retail disruption. However, the category quickly returned to dynamic growth, with…

This is no doubt that “China Cool” has been a key fashion movement in recent years, boosted by growing national pride and local players’ elevated brand image. For example, sportswear brands such as Li-Ning and Anta saw a surge in support from local…

Online expansion and a digital strategy have gained unprecedented importance for apparel companies to maintain growth momentum in the market. A leading player in jeans in the Chinese market, Levi Strauss Asia Pacific, has been actively propelling…

When China gradually lifted COVID-19 restrictions, participation in sports and exercise saw a significant jump, as consumers were increasingly aware of health and fitness due to the pandemic. Sports socks also benefited from this trend accordingly.…

Footwear in China pulled through the pandemic in 2020 seeing only a slow decline, as the resilience of sports footwear cushioned the sales slump seen by non-sports footwear. The category was back on a strong growth track in 2021, seeing a…

The impact of COVID-19, compounded by the falling birth rate, which showed a steep decline in 2020, has brought uncertainty to the growth momentum of childrenswear. With the third-child policy coming into effect in 2021, the possible changes in…

As COVID-19 has been controlled relatively well in the Chinese market, and bricks-and-mortar stores resumed their operations, apparel and footwear saw a quick recovery in 2021 after its strong decline in 2020, reaching value sales exceeding the…