Eastern Europe

Industry stakeholders are increasingly debating between sustainability and technology leadership strategies in the appliances market. As margins continue to shrink, leadership in either category is critical to maintain continued competitiveness. In…

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…

Vacuum cleaners continue to benefit from consumers’ higher standards of health and hygiene, as enhanced by the era of the pandemic. As such, keeping a clean home has become a high priority, supporting both volume and value sales of vacuum cleaners.…

Vacuum cleaners witnessed a recovery in 2023, as inflationary conditions eased slightly. Despite the essential status that vacuum cleaners have in virtually all Polish homes, the high inflation that swept across Europe during 2022 put pressure on…

Small cooking appliances are benefitting from the factors which are also stimulating sales in food preparation appliances. Consumers are placing a key focus on healthy diets and lifestyles, thus seek kitchen appliances which help them in this area.…

In general terms, small cooking appliances are seeing steady growth trend in retail volume terms, with demand underpinned by the elevated interest in cooking a home that has been seen among the population of Poland since the onset of the COVID-19…

Refrigeration appliances remains in a volume slump in 2023, following the boost to sales seen in the earlier review period, supported by the cocooning and home-renovation trends seen during the era of the pandemic. For example, freezers were popular…

Retail volume sales of refrigeration appliances witnessed further decline in 2023 as consumers grappled with higher costs of living. The purchase of new appliances has been weakened by the slowdown in the housing market, as fewer people moved homes.…

Personal care appliances see another year of growth in 2023, following the reopening of society after the previous pandemic restrictions. This led to people returning to workplaces and re-embracing their social lives, thus paying more attention to…

Personal care appliances witnessed steady retail volume growth in 2023, although demand has weakened slightly year-on-year, due to the high cost of living. The demand for personal care appliances stems from the growing emphasis on self-care and…

Sales in microwaves remain in a slump which is expected to deepen further over the coming years. This is largely due to a widely held perception that food prepared in a microwave is unhealthy due to the loss of nutrients. On the other hand, the more…

Microwaves is enjoying steady volume growth as household penetration steadily rises. The category received a boost in 2022 following the surge of migrants from Ukraine. This was due to the huge numbers of people crossing the border into eastern…

Large cooking appliances face the same challenges as other major appliances (with the exception of dishwashers), leading to a slump in volume sales. Such big-ticket purchases are regarded as notable investments during a time of economic uncertainty,…

Large cooking appliances continue to volume sales decline in 2023 for the second consecutive year, due to several factors. With many consumers having purchased functional and durable large cooking appliances in the pandemic, there was lower levels of…

Sales in home laundry appliances are facing similar challenges to those seen in other major consumer appliances, as such products are regarded as big investments during a time of economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures, and high energy prices.…

In 2023, home laundry appliances are showing signs of recovery, with a slight increase in retail volume sales. After a notable decline in 2022, consumers have returned to purchasing home laundry appliances. This recovery may be attributed to several…

Food preparation appliances are maintaining positive volume sales in 2023, supported by consumers’ focus on healthy diets and lifestyles. Many households remain interested in upgrading their food preparation appliances due to the focus on preparing…

Food preparation appliances continue to see robust volume growth in 2023, underpinned by the strong emphasis on home cooking. There has been a growing interest in healthy eating among Polish consumers, leading to a stronger emphasis on home-made…

Dishwashers buck the general category trend of major appliances by achieving decent volume sales in 2023. This is attributed to the category being quite new in Romania, with low penetration. Beko (SC Arctic SA) is the most prominent brand, with…

Dishwashers is witnessing steady growth in volume terms in 2023, with demand recovering for these appliances year-on-year. The rising penetration of dishwashers can be attributed to various factors, including the convenience and time-saving benefits,…

Inflation remains a key factor for consumer appliances in Romania in 2023, as consumers’ purchasing power continues to be affected by these economic pressures. In this context, volume sales of major appliances remain low, as many consumers are…

High inflation continues to cause significant implications for the Polish economy and its consumers in 2023, leading to a decrease in purchasing power as the prices of goods and services increased. Many households are struggling with high costs of…

Air treatment products is the winner in 2023, showing the strongest retail volume growth across the consumer appliances categories. This growth is being stimulated by a rising number of heatwaves in the country and increasingly crowded (and hot)…

With Poland witnessing rising average temperatures, air conditioning devices are becoming more popular. Recent years have seen temperatures reach very high levels, with at least one heat wave sweeping for the country every summer, causing discomfort…

Cylinder vacuum cleaners remained the largest category among vacuum cleaners in 2023. Most consumers in the country own a powerful cylinder vacuum cleaner at home, with many using them sparingly when wanting to do a complete and thorough cleaning of…

Retail volume sales declined in 2023 due to the rising cost of living and inflation, with many consumers cutting down on purchases of products they felt were unessential, such as small cooking appliances. As such, instead of purchasing new small…

There was a slight decline in retail volume sales noted in refrigeration appliances in 2023, with sales of freezers falling. These products significantly consume energy, and with the substantial price increase seen in 2023, most consumers were not…

Hair care appliances held most of the retail volume share among personal care appliances in 2023, with these products attracting more consumers and recording growth. Significant price increases were seen in beauty salons and for consumers. This led…

Microwaves gained positive retail volume sales in 2023, driven by several factors. Firstly, these appliances were offered at significantly lower prices when compared to other major appliances, not impacted as significantly by price hikes during the…

Large cooking appliances saw a slight retail volume decline in 2023 due to high and growing price points. Large appliances have higher prices, and as such, consumers postpone their purchasing during a time of rising living costs. With a decline in…

The home laundry appliances landscape recorded an overall retail volume decline in 2023, challenged by inflation and rising price points. Automatic dryers continued to decline in terms of retail volume in 2023. Media in the country were active in…

The high and rising energy prices led some consumers to cook less in 2023 to save costs, with others focusing on shorter cooking times. In addition, many postponed the replacement of food preparation appliances to save money and spend on necessary…

Built-in dishwashers benefited from the increasing need for convenient appliances in households, especially for consumers with new kitchen builds that want new appliances to integrate. Built-in dishwashers are increasingly selected over freestanding…

Consumer appliances in Hungary recorded a retail volume decline in 2023, negatively impacted by rising inflation and reduced consumer spending power. With lower disposable incomes, many consumers focused on essential, necessary spending, with those…

In 2023, retail volume sales of air treatment products fell in Hungary, recording a decline. The country's most popular air conditioner type, split air conditioners, saw significant double-digit growth in 2022, with sales bolstered by the support of…

Following a spike in sales during the outbreak of COVID-19, demand for robotic vacuum cleaners has lowered in 2023. The war in Ukraine and rising energy prices only accelerated this decline, with the product suffering from not being viewed as a…

Retail volume and value sales of small cooking appliances declined in 2023. As in other categories of consumer appliances, the COVID-19 pandemic drove forward purchases of small cooking appliances impacted by periods of home seclusion. Moving into…

Freestanding is the most popular format within refrigeration appliances, with 92% of overall volume in 2023. Built-in refrigeration appliances did not experience the same boom as freestanding refrigeration appliances did during COVID-19, as these…

Body shavers witnessed a further retail volume decline in 2023, as these products were fast-selling during the outbreak of COVID-19, in line with heightened time spent in the household. As such, body shavers saw a decline compared to the previous…

Freestanding microwaves continued to dominate retail volume sales during 2023, with consumers tending to switch to built-in models when they remodel the kitchen or buy a new home. However, the housing market's slowdown has hampered demand for…

Although the mortgage market began stabilising in March 2023, the drop in new mortgages during 2021 and 2022 led to a slowdown in the real estate market. This impacted built-in kitchen sales, challenging appliance manufacturers while leading to a…

Sales of home laundry appliances continued to slump in 2023, with many consumers having already updated their white goods during the lockdown-inspired home renovations. One of the trends seen during COVID-19 was a demand for quieter washing machines,…

Cordless mixers and blenders are yet to be popular in the Czech Republic, with many consumers preferring traditional models; not only because they are more affordable, but out of habit. Manufacturers will continue to offer cordless models, set to be…

Dishwashers saw a strong uplift in sales during the outbreak of COVID-19, with long periods of home seclusion leading consumers to invest in home appliances. Many of these investments were made as consumers wanted to improve their living…

Both retail volume and retail value growth in consumer appliances declined in the Czech Republic in 2023, with sales facing several challenges. Following two years of record sales driven by COVID-19 and lockdowns, which led many consumers to focus on…

The growth of air treatment products slowed down significantly in 2023, notably due to reduced sales of air purifiers. These were top sellers during the outbreak of COVID-19, benefiting from a heightened interest in health and hygiene. As such, in…

In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with rising income inequality being among the key ones. Nevertheless, addressing the income inequality through catering to the Bottom of the Pyramid and the Middle Class…

Consumers are facing increased pressure from rising prices as global inflation reaches 7% in 2023. The impact of higher costs of living is felt from top earners in developed markets to struggling households in emerging and developing countries.…

Companies face numerous challenges in 2023 after recent record-breaking sales. They include weakened demand, high interest rates on debts, and tighter consumer credit conditions. Elevated inventory levels are also of concern.

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. In 2023, global inflation is expected to ease from its peak in 2022, but remaining significantly above-trend. Geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market are…