Eastern Europe

Sales of e-vapour products posted double-digit growth in current value terms in 2022, following a very successful couple of years in 2020 and 2021. Closed system single use products remained the most popular option in 2022 with the category remaining…

Closed system single use e-vapour products continued to register outstanding sales growth in Latvia in 2022, in the process recording the most impressive performance of any category across the country’s tobacco market during the year. These products…

RTDs saw heavy losses in total volume terms in 2022. In Lithuania, unlike in neighbouring Latvia, the category has a poor reputation with many consumers avoiding RTDs due to the perceived high sugar level in these drinks. Concerns over rising obesity…

RTDs have a strong presence in Latvia, where the category is well developed compared to the neighbouring Lithuanian market. With an array of brands vying for share, this is a saturated category where local manufacturers have carved out strong…

Cheaper RTDs are losing ground due to the strong competition from beer and wine, which offer a wide range of products at various price points to meet every budget. Meanwhile, more expensive RTDs are losing sales to cocktails. The Coronavirus…

Sales of cigarillos boomed in 2020 and 2021. Part of this growth stemmed from the excise tax tariff on these products, which allowed players to be more flexible with their pricing. Price fighter cigarillos in particular saw exceptional growth in…

2022 saw significant declines in demand for cigars and cigarillos. In cigars, the sales declines registered in 2022 form part of long-term negative sales trends that have been evident in the category for many years. In cigarillos meanwhile, declining…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued declining in 2022 and at a faster rate than during the previous year. Consumers are already aware of the threat posed by smoking, but the pandemic created a more immediate threat which served as further…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes generated positive growth during 2022, despite the declines seen in smoking prevalence in the country over the course of the year. The main reason for this seemingly anomalous situation is the significant decline…

Sales of cider/perry declined in 2022 after a brief revival in fortunes in 2021. Cider/perry has struggled to establish as significant demand as in other markets with it having a bad reputation for its high sugar content. With consumers becoming…

Cider witnessed strong growth in 2022 and continued to gain back the losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The consumer foodservice industry returned to operating at full capacity in 2022, leading to a resurgence in demand for cider, which is…

Cider/perry continued to see a dip in off-trade volume sales in 2022. The growing popularity of flavoured/mixed lager had a negative effect on cider/perry. Cider/perry retail unit prices rose in 2022 due to the galloping inflation in the country.…

2022 was a very good year for beer in Lithuania with sales seeing strong growth through both the off-trade and on-trade in volume terms. Life in Lithuania largely returned to relative normality in 2022 after the country’s pandemic restrictions were…

The beer category made a considerable recovery in 2022, with on-trade establishments fully re-opened from March 2022 as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were relaxed. On-trade volume sales soared as consumers returned to bars and restaurants, keen to…

As in 2021, ale posted the fastest total volume and value growth in 2022. This performance was connected with the trend for more premium, and expensive, beer, which is perceived to have a richer taste. Moreover, on-trade sales popularised ale more…

Alcoholic drinks saw steady growth in total volume terms in 2022. After the turmoil seen during the pandemic, sales began to stabilise in 2022 as COVID-19 fears subsided and restrictions were eased and consumers began to return to their old…

The Latvian economy began to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, but witnessed further instability from the geopolitical problems caused by the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, alcoholic drinks reaped the benefits of the eased pandemic…

Beer witnessed a trend for more premium, perceived healthier and more expensive products like ale, which also benefited from the return to the on-trade channel as Coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted. The prices of beer and other types of…

As with all fmcg industries in the country, the war has strongly impacted the tobacco market in Ukraine. For example, there is a much-diminished consumer base, with approximately eight million people – some 20% of the population – estimated to have…

Overall, the picture remained bleak for cigarettes in Estonia in 2022, with the category seeing a further sizeable drop in volume sales during the year. Several factors led to the volume decline in cigarettes. More people gave up smoking completely,…