Eastern Europe

Sports drinks is expected to register continuing healthy volume growth in what is an emerging product area. With consumers increasingly looking to be healthier and more active, this is driving volume growth of sports drinks. There is also a cohort of…

Only energy drinks is projected to see positive off-trade volume growth over 2023 as a whole. While there was a slow shift back to foodservice, as consumers more fully resumed pre-Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic work, social and travel norms,…

The soft drinks landscape in Romania recorded stagnate retail volume sales in 2023, with a similar performance to 2022. The main factors negatively impacting sales included rising inflation, the increased cost of raw materials and declining…

Soft drinks is expected to register muted volume growth in 2023, as a continuing declining population dampens volume sales somewhat. On the other hand, significant numbers of inbound visitors to Croatia in 2023, is expected to give volume sales a…

The off-trade demand for RTD tea in Slovakia suffered from colder than usual weather in 2023, as a cold spring combined with fewer tropical days during summer to negatively impact sales. In addition to this climatic factor, consumers were trying to…

RTD tea registered another year of strong growth in 2023, benefitting from a positive perception during rising health trends. Compared to other soft drink areas, RTD tea remains a highly concentrated market, with a small number of brands and…

RTD tea is expected to register moderate volume growth in 2023, despite continuing population decline. In particular, there has been some shift from carbonates and juice and this is expected to support volume growth. RTD tea is made up of still RTD…

More hectic and on-the-go lifestyles as consumers resumed work, social and travel norms, as the threat of COVID-19 and related restrictions were lifted, stimulated a demand for RTD coffee. However, demand limitation barriers arose in the form of the…

Coffee consumption has been soaring in Romania, with a strong performance both in the online and the offline. In the context of a growing coffee culture in the country, RTD coffee registered another year of strong volume growth. The performance is…

Value sales are still low for RTD coffee in Croatia, in what is an emerging product area. In 2023, RTD coffee is expected to register moderate volume growth, though continuing rising prices dampen volume growth to an extent, especially as many of RTD…

Other hot drinks is expected to register healthy constant value and positive volume growth in 2023. Within foodservice, volume growth is very healthier, reaching the double-digits, and boosted by increasing numbers of foreign tourists, as well as an…

The competition from cheaper drinks alternatives, such as flavoured bottled water and non alcoholic beer, was increasingly felt by juice in Slovakia towards the end of the review period. This was because the typical Slovak consumer was increasingly…

Juices continued outperforming carbonates in 2023, which are regarded as a healthier alternative. However, with rising levels of inflation and unit price increases, many Romanian consumers migrated to private labels. The juice category is becoming…

Stanic, with its To and Juicy brands, continues to lead current value and retail volume sales of juice in 2023, with consumers seeing the brands as good price/quality combinations. Second-leading player Vindija also maintains a double-digit value…

Hot drinks is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023, though volume sales are expected to decline, driven by a poor performance in coffee. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high…

Unfavourable weather in spring and summer 2023 restricted the growth potential of energy drinks in both the retail and foodservice channels. In addition, weak purchasing power continued to limit local consumers’ ability to spend on relatively…

As interest in more active lifestyle grows, and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions has increased movement, energy drinks has seen a positive performance in 2023. Aggressive promotion, both offline and online, is also contributing positively to the…

Energy drinks is expected to be the best performing soft drink in terms of volume growth in 2023. Energy drinks are particularly popular among the under 25 age group and are widely consumed at festivals and parties. It is also popular as a cocktail…

Liquid concentrates maintained a larger market size than powder concentrates, underpinned by a stronger retail presence and heavier marketing support. Highlighting the advantages of liquid concentrates, such as ease-of-use and flavour variety, has…

Concentrates saw low levels of volume growth in 2023, being a mature landscape with little room for growth. In addition, due to sugar content, concentrates are not always perceived as healthy products, and the rising interest in health and wellness…