Eastern Europe

RTD coffee is regarded as offering a convenient alternative to energy drinks for consumers who tend to perceive coffee as a healthier option. The convenience trend in Estonia is leading to a growing number of busy local consumers looking for…

Even before the onset of COVID-19, the review period had seen strong growth in demand for ready meals packaging, but the pandemic added impetus to this trend in 2020. With consumers spending more time at home during the year, they ate more meals…

There was a sharp acceleration in the rate of growth in demand for sauces, dressings and condiments packaging during 2020, as consumers spent more time at home and prepared and ate more meals and snacks there. There was particularly strong growth in…

Demand for ready meals packaging was expanding rapidly in Romania during the review period, prior to the onset of pandemic. Urbanisation was the main driver of this growth, as accelerating lifestyles meant that many consumers had less time to prepare…

COVID-19 led to an acceleration in demand growth for sauces, dressings and condiments packaging in Romania during 2020, as consumers spent more time at home and prepared and ate more meals there. On the other hand, the closure of horeca…

Plant-based milk is expected to register healthy current value and volume growth in 2022. As yet, plant-based cheese and yoghurt do not register any discernible value sales, The growth is supported by increased allergies, such as lactose intolerance,…

There are currently no store cards in circulation in Hungary. Magyar Cetelem Bank stopped offering store cards in 2008 and no retailers have since signalled any intention to relaunch such services. Instead, retailers are collaborating with banks to…

During 2022, there remained no store cards in circulation in Poland as the entire store cards concept is seen as obsolete and there are currently no issuers or operators with any interest in offering store cards to consumers. Previously, Sygma Bank…

TEDi Betriebs sro, with a majority of standalone outlets, remained the leading player in general merchandise stores in 2022 and was followed by Tchibo Slovensko. The latter focuses on marketing and promotions and runs weekly discounts on a limited…

Health and beauty direct selling continued to dominate retail value sales in 2022, especially through beauty and personal care products. Traditionally, direct selling in Latvia is a well-known channel for beauty products. Moreover, health and beauty…

Before the pandemic, direct selling vendors were making efforts to improve their digital presence by providing both social media communication and e-commerce services in order to meet the demands of their customers and remain relevant. This shift to…

Grocery retailers saw strong current value growth in 2022. As the situation stabilised with the reduced threat of Coronavirus (COVID-19), smaller formats like food/drink/tobacco specialists, small local grocers and convenience stores also started to…

The war in Ukraine has had a profound impact on grocery retailers in Lithuania during 2022. As a result of the conflict, grocery prices have increased significantly, and the consumer base has grown due to refugees from Ukraine. This has led to an…

Consumers continued to move back offline in terms of non-grocery retailers. As the threat of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and related retail and consumer movement restrictions eased, consumers were more willing and able to return to visiting…

Lithuania implemented strict lockdown measures until the spring of 2022, which meant that only essential stores were open for consumers. However, as summer arrived, there was a noticeable increase in traffic to offline stores, indicating a growing…

As in other markets, retail in Latvia continued to see the increased adoption of e-commerce at the end of the review period. While visible prior to the onset of Coronavirus (COVID-19), the pandemic accelerated the global shift towards online…

Due to the increasing number of online retailers and brands, a continually expanding network of lockers in the country, a variety of delivery methods, secure and convenient payment systems, and a growing pool of customers, retail e-commerce continued…

The War in Ukraine had a strong impact on Latvia in 2022, creating conditions for high inflation and economic and political uncertainty. This, in turn, affected consumer priorities and spending patterns in retail arenas. Meanwhile, retail in Latvia…

Inflation has had an impact on consumer behaviour, leading them to become more cautious about their spending, with essential goods taking priority during 2022. Moreover, discounters serve as a major driver of retail offline, thanks to their best…

Although value sales through direct selling are low in Georgia, they showed a slight increase in 2022. There is a shift away from this channel due to growing competition from online players, which provide a greater assortment of products and the…