Eastern Europe

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…

In 2023, the sports drinks category saw off-trade volume growth as demand was driven by the health and wellness trend and the growing gym culture, which has continued to accelerate, despite the demographic problems facing the country. The health and…

Sports drinks is seeing robust off-trade volume growth, bucking the general trends which are suppressing sales in soft drinks as a whole. Sales in sports drinks are supported by consumers returning to gymnasiums and other sporting activities in the…

Soft drinks achieved minimal off-trade volume growth and double-digit off-trade value growth in North Macedonia in 2023 amidst rising unit prices and the broader impact of inflation. The on-trade recovery of soft drinks continued during the year,…

Sales in soft drinks remain in a decline in Lithuania in 2023, albeit showing a less steep slump in off-trade volume terms than seen in 2022. This is attributed to ongoing economic challenges, starting with the era of the pandemic, following into the…

The health and wellness trend, which is exerting a strong influence across soft drinks, has had a particularly marked impact on the development of the RTD tea category. With increasing awareness of the rise in the prevalence of obesity and other…

RTD tea remains in a slump in 2023, despite seeing some upticks to the category’s performance in earlier years due to the novelty value. Overall, however, RTD tea is not a traditional or popular beverage in Lithuania, carries no clear benefit…

RTD coffee continued to rebound from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in 2023, as consumers returned to their familiar hectic lifestyles in the absence of movement restrictions and once again demanded soft drinks for on-the-go consumption. RTD…

Whilst RTD coffee sees positive off-trade volume growth, the category is mostly uninteresting for consumers in Lithuania, with overall volumes sold remaining minimal. RTD coffee faces direct and strong competition from hot brewed coffee and energy…

Juice achieved stable off-trade volume growth in 2023 with sales supported by the continued consumer demand for the largest product categories, especially nectars and juice drinks. In addition, the continued shift from carbonates to juice is having a…

Juice sales continue to decline in Lithuania, due to such products losing their perceived “healthy” image due to high sugar content, along with high prices placing downwards pressure on demand. Traditionally, juice had been perceived as a “healthier”…

In 2023, energy drinks saw off-trade volume sales rise as demand was driven by the younger generation of consumers, mostly Millennials and Gen Z, whose demand increased as they resumed partying and socialising after the disruption resulting from the…

Energy drinks is the other robustly performing category, along with sports drinks. Whilst energy drinks took a hit during the pandemic lockdowns, off-trade volume growth has followed a most positive trajectory over the review period and this…

Concentrates registered decline in off-trade volume terms in 2023 as liquid concentrates sales fell due to diminishing consumer demand. At the same time, thanks to the significant unit price increases in the context of high rates of general…

Concentrates is an uninteresting category in Lithuania, with low interest and few developments. One key reason for this is the unhealthy image of concentrates, due to the high sugar content in such products.

In 2023, carbonates achieved minimal off-trade volume growth as consumer demand was significantly impacted by the negative image that carbonates has gained amongst increasingly health conscious consumers, largely, though not entirely, due to the…

Carbonates continues to face challenges, due to the majority of drinks in the category deemed to be unhealthy due to their high sugar content. Added to which, the current economic conditions mean consumers are prioritising essentials over…

Tap water in most parts of the country remains suitable for human consumption and in certain areas is of excellent quality despite ongoing concerns about overall environmental pollution. However, as health and wellness trends continue to impact soft…

Bottled water is generally seen as a more “premium” niche in Lithuania, due to the high quality of the tap water in the country. This means that consumers do not typically add bottled water to their shopping lists as a necessity and, in this sense,…

The sport drinks category is growing well in Slovenia, due to the growing importance of sports and fitness activities in Slovenia. Many individuals are now focused on being active while being more educated on the benefits that sports drinks offer.…