Middle East

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in business models and consumer behaviour, as well as altering the ways and the geography many of us live, work, study and play. Understanding what changes will stick after the pandemic…

To help companies understand which categories are most primed for sustained e-commerce growth post-pandemic, Euromonitor developed the E-Commerce Readiness Model. This tool uses analytic modelling to determine which countries and categories have the…

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has shaken up consumer goods and service industries in the Middle East, putting pressure on supply chains and depressing sales as lockdowns and job losses squeeze discretionary spending. Essential items such as packaged food,…

As consumers prepare fewer meals overall, while demanding more assistance for the ones they do, spending and brand equity will accrue to those companies providing fresh prepared meals on demand, from delivery aggregators to retailers, restaurant…

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the consumer goods market in Sub-Saharan Africa, with recovery expected to take place over time. Consumers expenditure has been negatively affected, as value seeking consumers shift to essential products. The…

Retail demand for sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks recovered to pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2023 in the United Arab Emirates. On the other hand, current value sales fully recovered the previous year, driven by rising unit…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruits snacks is one of the best-performing categories within local snacks in 2023. Stronger demand is being driven by the reopening of schools and local consumers resuming their normal lives now that restrictions in…

The health and wellness trend continued to exert a strong influence on the category in 2022, with protein/energy bars posting the fastest growth in volume terms. Local consumers are increasingly interested in increasing their protein intake, which is…

Like many snacks categories in the United Arab Emirates, sugar confectionery was negatively affected in 2020 by the emergence of the pandemic, whereby lockdown measures and the closure of schools resulted in a significant decline in sales. In the…

Demand for sugar confectionery was negatively impacted in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, which led to lockdowns and schools being closed. Limited mobility and on-the-go impulse purchases, especially amongst children, were major factors in the…

Sugar confectionery saw a return to positive volume growth in 2023, following a decline in the previous year. The latter was primarily due to was due falling sales of Strauss Group’s Must and Elite brands, following a salmonella scare in one its…

Snacks in the United Arab Emirates play a significant role in consumers’ lives. The motivation for purchasing snacks can be for various reasons, including an energy boost, hunger management, nutrient intake, mood enhancement, and social engagement.…

Saudi Arabia continues to move towards its Vision 2030 goal of diversifying the local economy, which is having a significant impact on the country’s openness to trade. New developments are being constantly undertaken, while new investments…

Sales continue to rise in all snacks categories as population growth and high income levels support rising demand. Consumers are looking to healthier options at a time of spreading knowledge about the dangers of highly processed foods and their role…

After being negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, sales of snacks finally began to improve in 2022. The removal of pandemic-related restrictions and the return of tourism in 2023 continued to support rising demand. While the…

Healthy growth rates were recorded in both volume and value terms in the Middle East and Africa snacks market in 2023. This followed stagnating volume sales and a decline in real value terms in 2022, when consumers in many countries were seeing their…

With consumer spending still under huge pressure, Lebanon’s snacks brands faced muted demand in 2023, although volume sales did increase in all categories of snacks over the course of the year. Local players remain dominant in most categories,…

Snacks remain popular in Kuwait seeing healthy growth in 2022 and 2023. Sales are being supported by the expansion of modern grocery retailers and the rise of e-commerce which is improving access to a range of snacks. Despite this, the country’s high…