Hot Drinks in Tunisia

COVID-19 impact on hot drinks

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Tunisia was much less pronounced than what was seen in other North African countries during 2020. However, the government did implement a nationwide quarantine lockdown, which saw the consumer foodservice industry completely shuttered for several weeks during spring and early summer.

COVID-19 country impact

Tunisia was an early mover in terms of introducing measures to track the COVID-19 virus, installing thermal cameras in all the country's ports and airports in February. In spite of a change of government during February, the new administration continued the country’s preparations to combat the spread of the virus.

Company response

The competitive environment in hot drinks during 2020 remained a mixed bag of strong local players and the global leaders. Coffee companies remained prominent among the outright industry leaders, a reflection of the ubiquity of coffee in Tunisian society as well as the higher unit prices charged for coffee than for tea.

Retailing shift

The COVID-19 pandemic had little impact on the retail distribution of hot drinks over the course of 2020. The only major trend of note was a shift away from shopping in supermarkets and hypermarkets, in favour of traditional grocery retailers.

Foodservice vs retail split

A fairly substantial shift was noted in sales of hot drinks away from the on-trade towards the off-trade during 2020. This shift was particularly pronounced in coffee and tea, categories in which on-trade sales remain considerably higher than off-trade sales.

What next for hot drinks?

The forecast period is expected to see a return to strong positive sales growth across all categories of hot drinks. The Tunisian economy is likely to recover strongly from the economic recession that unfolded over the course of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic and the official response to it foreshadowed severe interruption to commercial activity in numerous key sectors of the Tunisian economy.

Files are delivered directly into your account within a few minutes of purchase.