Croatia

Air care was one of the few categories that did not suffer from sharp price growth in 2022, but prices caught up in 2023, impacting demand in the year. However, air care overall still managed to achieve positive volume growth due to tourism as sales…

Airlines in Croatia become a far more competitive category during 2023 as the numbers of airline passengers being carried continue to increase amidst rebounding demand during the post-pandemic era. Indeed, by the end of the year, the airlines…

2022 was a tough year for alcoholic drinks in Croatia as high inflation impacted discretionary spending in the year. Fortunately, this was offset by strong growth in the on-trade channel as tourism was almost at its pre-pandemic level. Rising prices…

Growth of analgesics in 2023 can be mainly attributed to the full recovery of daily activity post pandemic. The main contributors here were the full operation of manual labour intensive industries (predominantly construction), a stronger flu season…

Despite strong rising prices, all away-from-home tissue categories in Croatia recorded growth in 2023 due to a remarkable tourist season. Despite inflation and general economic insecurities, inbound tourists have bounced back in the post-pandemic era…

Baby and child-specific sun care was among the top performing categories across baby and child-specific products in Croatia during 2023, with volume sales rising strongly despite steep unit price increases over the course of the year. The main reason…

Baby food is predicted to experience an increase in current value sales in 2023. Nonetheless, a significant portion of this value growth will be influenced by price hikes due to various factors, such as the escalation of energy prices and the ongoing…

Following steep price growth in baked goods in 2022, wheat and flour prices stabilised in 2023. This is particularly important for bread as it is heavily dependent on flour prices. Croatians are strong bread consumers, and it was expected that volume…

Demand for hand sanitisers continues to decline significantly over the course of 2023 as the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer behaviour continued to decline. As the sanitary situation has improved and the pandemic has officially come to…

The ongoing effects of the War in Ukraine continued to have a negative effect on the Croatian economy throughout 2023. Exports to Russia, Belarus and Ukraine were on hold throughout the year, while consumer spending remained under pressure across…

Beer sales have been revived with the recovery of tourism in Croatia. Following two years of pandemic-related restrictions, there were no border restrictions or on-trade measures imposed in 2022. However, while on-trade sales, which are largely…

Bleach was heavily used during the initial stage of the pandemic as consumers prioritised the effectiveness of bleach as they sought to removal any possible COVID-19 infection on surfaces. The pandemic was officially declared over in Croatia on 11…

During 2023, strong value growth was recorded in booking in Croatia, with both booking offline and booking online recording robust double-digit growth rates, although somewhat predictably booking online was the big winner during the year. The regular…

Bottled water is expected to register positive volume growth in 2023. Though tap water is of good quality in Croatia, bottled water is often purchased on-the-go, as well as by tourists. In addition, a certain cohort of consumers are switching to…

Whilst the rising production and logistics costs of 2022 have eased, breakfast cereals prices continue their upward trajectory in 2023 as retailers seek to maintain high margins, with no government system to keep them in check. The category still…

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

Despite the recovery of pre-pandemic lifestyles, with Croatians returning to office workplaces and spending less time at home, margarine sales continue to decrease. In recent years, margarine has been labelled as a less healthy option than butter,…

Carbonates is expected to register only marginal volume growth in 2023. Carbonates are a mature product area, with little room for further growth, and added to this, the population continues to decline. Some consumers are also switching to other…

Lactose-free varieties have gained popularity at the expense of standard cheese in 2023. While this is partly due to the well-established tendency towards rising health awareness among the population, many consumers have also become more willing to…

Chocolate confectionery is expected to register further current value and volume growth in 2023, with value growth higher than volume growth as inflation pushes prices up. Countlines, particularly for on-the-go formats.