Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities...
Understand the key trends shaping demand and future opportunities across industries in Eastern Europe, with the latest regional and country-level analysis and market statistics.
AFH tissue and hygiene in Bulgaria continued to steadily recover from the harsh impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions in hotels and restaurants, which is the biggest AFH channel, hindered sales in 2020 as many establishments were…
In 2023, vending in Romania showcased positive retail value growth, benefiting from the elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. This led consumers to return to office work, with free movement outside of the home, enabling the recovery of…
In 2023, supermarkets in Romania recorded double-digit retail value growth; the result of having excellent locations in crowded neighbourhoods. As such, these stores increasingly benefit from proximity while offering a broader range of products…
The performance of small local grocers in Romania in 2023, was negatively impacted by the declining number of outlets across the nation. In addition, the elimination of all COVID-19 restrictions in 2022 propelled travelling and bolstered spending in…
After several years of accelerated evolution, 2023 was a challenging year for e-commerce in Romania.
In 2023, hypermarkets in Romania continued to see retail value growth; however, footfall declined. The social function of hypermarkets before COVID-19 was a place for shopping and entertainment. This has diminished significantly since 2021, with the…
In 2023, home product specialists in Romania showcased positive growth driven by home improvement and gardening stores. Consumers in Romania have showcased a rising interest in DIY and gardening, which began during home seclusion and the outbreak of…
Within health and beauty specialist retailers in Romania in 2023, chemists/pharmacies held the most significant retail value sales by far. These outlets have the largest number of stores, with a strong sales position that continued to be in place…
In 2023, general merchandise stores in Romania were represented in totality by variety stores. However, variety stores is an underdeveloped retail channel, which remains unfamiliar to most local consumers. Variety stores have never really developed…
Strong, double-digit retail value growth for discounters in Romania in 2023 resulted from heightened footfall driven by rising inflation. As bills rose, consumers were forced to reevaluate their spending habits, including migrating to other channels…
The decline of direct selling in 2023 in Romania was a continuation of the results noted in 2022. Much of this decline was due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, which began in March 2022, and resulted in a strong uplift of consumers in…
The high growth for convenience retailers in 2023 in Romania, was driven by rising interest in proximity shopping. Price growth over the level of inflation limited consumers' purchases to basic food items. Reduction of purchasing power due to…
Following strong growth during COVID-19, in 2023, appliances and electronics specialists in Romania registered a downward trend. For larger appliances, sales were sustained in 2023 as consumers applied for vouchers through a scrappage scheme, driving…
Apparel and footwear specialists in Romania recorded strong, double-digit retail value growth in 2023. This positive performance is partly driven by consumers returning to physical stores, after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in March 2022. The…
Vending was one of the better performing retail channels in Slovakia in 2023, with current value sales increasing. Convenience and on-the-go consumption drove consumer demand. While hot drinks continued to be the most popular product sold through…
Sales in vending were being supported in Hungary in 2023, due to the number of vending machines increasing. Vending is seen as a beneficial model for retail, as it does not require a cashier to serve the customers, thus cuts down on labour and…
Supermarkets in Slovakia lost out to discounters in 2023, as continuing high inflation saw consumers increasingly shop in discounters. Consumers also sought out discounts in supermarkets as they were highly price sensitive. As such, supermarket…
Supermarkets saw a decline in value sales in Hungary in 2023, following the positive performance seen in 2022 as the channel benefitted from the normalisation patterns following the era of the pandemic. In 2023, however, the channel is being affected…
2023 was not a good year for small local grocers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in such outlets, as prices tend to be higher than in other larger grocery retailers. As such, both constant and current…