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, sweet spreads witnessed a moderate decline in retail volume, primarily driven by reduced consumer demand for chocolate spreads and jams and preserves. These categories faced challenges due to the ongoing negative impact of health and…

In 2023, all sauces, dips, and condiments witnessed positive moderate retail volume growth, except for mayonnaise and mustard, which experienced a moderate decline. This decline can be attributed to various factors, including the impact of health and…

In 2023, meals and soups experienced continued robust retail volume growth, propelled by the solid performance of shelf-stable ready meals and frozen pizza. Despite being the largest category, soups faced a moderate decline due to shifting consumer…

In 2023, edible oils witnessed stagnant retail volume growth, primarily due to static consumer demand and the saturation of leading categories, notably sunflower oil. Despite this, inflation significantly impacted unit prices, resulting in robust…

In 2023, cooking ingredients and meals experienced robust volume growth alongside strong double-digit percentage increases in value terms. These achievements were largely driven by ongoing inflationary pressure and rising unit prices across all…

Retail volume sales of honey remained well below 2021 levels in 2023 despite positive growth over the course of the year and this is due to the dramatic declines previously seen in demand for honey as armed conflict gripped Ukraine during 2022. With…

Thanks to its natural and healthy product image, honey has benefitted from consumer concerns about wellbeing and immunity. Many local households purchase honey from local beekeepers, trusting the quality of local honey more than that which is sold in…

Rising health awareness among Slovenia consumers is directing the development of new products in sweet spreads. Towards the end of the review period Natureta, one of the most popular brands in jams, launched a new jam with low-sugar content. K-NORMA,…

Rising unit prices has led to value sales growth for sweet spreads, while volume sales remain under pressure as consumers focus their dwindling budgets on paying for essential foodstuffs and services. Sweet spreads sales have also been limited by a…

Sweet spreads is facing a slowdown in retail volume sales in 2023, with Serbians returning to their pre-pandemic lifestyles and spending less time at home. Consumers are opting to eat fewer meals and snacks at home and are visiting foodservice…

The higher costs of raw ingredients, glass packaging, energy and logistics weighed significantly on the high increases in prices of products on retailers’ shelves. As a result, there is expected to be only a very marginal rise in overall retail…

In the first half of 2023, sweet spreads in Poland witnessed a surge in innovative flavour profiles, highlighting a trend towards experimental taste combinations. Bartnik Mazowiecki, notably, introduced Kokosowy Orzeszek, a unique blend of hazelnut…

Sweet spreads is expected to register moderate current value and volume growth in 2023, despite high inflation. While home-made jams and preserves are still popular in Lithuania, with the price of sugar and fruit increasing, it can be more economical…

Inflation continues to have an impact on sweet spreads in 2023. While there is expected to be double-digit current value growth, constant value growth is expected to be minimal, with inflation cutting into profit margins. Volume growth is also…

Retail sales of sweet spreads continued to see positive growth in volume terms in 2023, with chocolate spreads leading the way. Here, Nutella (Ferrero) was by far the dominant player, with smaller contributions from a host of private label…

In 2023, sweet spreads in Georgis is enjoying robust growth. The trend towards indulgent snacking plays a pivotal role in this upsurge. International brands, spearheaded by Ferrero’s iconic Nutella, followed by Krüger’s Nussa, have been at the…

Nut and seed based spreads demonstrated the fastest volume growth in 2023 thanks to the growing number of vegetarians who rely on nuts and seeds as a key source of protein and nutrition. In addition, the category is still in its early stages of…

Chocolate spreads and jams and preserves are set to post negative results in retail volume terms for a third consecutive year in 2023. This is partly due to rising health-consciousness in Croatia, as these product types are typically high in sugar.…

Sweet spreads in Bulgaria saw an increase in both volume and value, driven by the gradual process of inflation stabilisation and further price hikes in the first quarter of the year. However, the category that continued to experience a decline was…

2023 saw sweet spreads register a static sales performance in retail volume terms and this stagnant growth trend was mainly the result of declining consumer demand for chocolate spreads, a category that has fallen foul of the mounting consumer…

2023 saw sauces, dips and condiments subject to a complex matrix of different trends, some of which derived from the ongoing war in Ukraine, while others were simply a reflection of the general consumer trends that were in effect before the onset of…

As a result of inflation, many low- to middle-income Czech consumers have been discouraged from dining at foodservice establishments, leading to a concomitant increase in home cooking. This is positively impacting demand for, and therefore sales of,…

The growing popularity of international cuisine is contributing to the growth of sauces, dips, and condiments in 2023. Mexican and Asian culinary trends are gaining ground rapidly, and consumers are seeking out a widening variety of products from a…

Products inspired by oriental cuisine continue to attract consumer attention in 2023, supported by expanding specialised shelf space at retail stores. Product innovation is also a significant factor, with K-Asia product line extensions from Kaufland…

Volume growth of sauces, dips and condiments has slowed slightly in 2023, but remains healthy as consumers look for more affordable options. Serbians are spending less time at home as they visit foodservice outlets more frequently, and are keen to…

The decreases in retail volume sales of sauces, dips and condiments in 2022 and 2023 owed much to the lifting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in March 2022. This was underpinned by the return to eating out and out-of-home social, leisure and…

In the first half of 2023, sauces, dips, and condiments witnessed significant growth. A key factor contributing to this trend was the introduction of numerous innovative products that redefined traditional offerings, appealing to the increasingly…

Inflation continues to have an impact on sauces, dips and condiments in 2023, with both constant value and volume sales expected to fall. With consumers being increasingly price sensitive, there is a degree of trading down. For instance, the high…

Inflation continues to have an impact on sauces, dips and condiments in 2023. While there is expected to be double-digit current value growth, constant value growth is expected to be minimal, with inflation cutting into profit margins. Volume growth…

The ongoing war in Ukraine created a number of challenges in 2023. In particular, there was a shortage of critical packaging materials, such as glass and aluminium. Extreme weather conditions placed further pressure on supply chains, with scarcities…

In 2023, sauces, dips and condiments in Georgia is enjoying positive retail growth in terms of volume sales. This uptick is a direct result of the tourism industry's rebound and the tempering of price inflations. However, despite renewed vigour, the…

Soy sauces recorded the fastest growth in both volume and value terms in 2023 thanks to the rising popularity of Japanese cuisine and Estonians cooking Asian dishes at home with soy sauce. In addition, soy sauces are increasingly being used to…

Chili sauces and barbecue sauces look set to be the most dynamic categories within sauces, dips and condiments in retail volume growth terms in 2023. While growth rates for both will be skewed somewhat by the ongoing emergence of sales from a…

Sauces, dips, and condiments in Bulgaria witnessed a slight decline in volume due to an increase in people's out-of-home activities. Furthermore, the consumption of non-essential foods like sauces decreased as a result of the sustained high prices…

Sauces, dips and condiments registered a moderate but positive sales performance in 2023 as retail volume sales increased and buoyant value growth was supported by high inflation and subsequent unit price increases. Demand increased across all…

Meals and soups recorded a relatively robust sales performance during 2023 as retail volume sales increased across all categories. This can be partly seen as the natural response to the dramatic decline seen in demand for meals and soups in the…

As a result of inflation, many low- to middle-income Czech consumers have been discouraged from dining at foodservice establishments, leading to a concomitant increase in home cooking. This benefits chilled ready meals and soups, which offer busy…

Meals and soups is rising in both volume and value terms in Slovenia in 2023. Increasingly busy lifestyles, work-from-home trends, a booming tourist season and persistent urbanisation are all contributing to overall growth for meals and soups thanks…

Demand for ready meals in 2023 is significantly impacted by the weakening purchasing power of Slovak households, which is causing consumers to cut back on spending. All category members are seeing volume sales declines. However, economy-priced ready…

In the post-pandemic era, many Serbians have resumed their busy lifestyles and this has stimulated demand for meals and soups. Frozen ready meals is witnessing the fastest retail volume growth thanks to its convenience and the diverse choice of…

Projected retail volume growth for some categories of meals and soups in 2023 is boosted by the total lifting of Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions since 2022. This has led to a return to the office for employees for whom many of these products…

Recent years have witnessed a surge in sales in ready meals and soups in Poland, thanks to innovative product launches. Dobrowolscy, renowned for high-quality delicatessen products, introduced a line of ready meals, Dobrowolscy od Kuchni, featuring…

Meals and soups is expected to register both current value and volume growth in 2023. With society fully opened up post pandemic, and consumers leading busy lives, they appreciate the convenience of meals and soups. Ready meals account for most value…

Meals and soup is expected to register double-digit current value growth, though constant value growth will be muted, as continuing high inflation eats into profit margins. All the same, there will be some volume growth. Growth is not expected to be…

Retail volume sales of meals and soups registered continued growth in 2023. With consumers leading increasingly busy lifestyles, there was a growing interest in convenient meal solutions, which boosted demand for products such as ready meals and…

Meals and soups in Georgia in 2023 is seeing the frozen ready meals segment maintaining its dynamic and robust presence, holding a substantial volume share of over 60%. This segment's dominance is a significant propellant for the broad spectrum of…

Chilled ready meals demonstrated the highest volume and value growth in 2023. These products became popular in Estonia following the lifting of pandemic quarantine restrictions and the return to work, with consumers opting for chilled ready meals as…

Growth in retail volume sales of ready meals in Croatia in 2023 looks set to be up substantially on 2022, with all categories expected to post improved results in this respect. This is mainly explained by the return to pre-pandemic routines, in that…

The Bulgarian market for meals and soups in 2023 remained nearly stagnant, with a slight negative trend, primarily driven by the increased frequency of dining out. The categories most affected by this shift were shelf-stable ready meals and dried…