Middle East

The tobacco market in Oman is still recovering after the introduction of a 100% excise tax in 2019. In this environment, consumer demand has shifted towards lower-priced cigarettes, while cigarettes volume sales continued to decline in 2022. The…

The Manama in Bahrain report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

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…

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…

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…

Retail sales of snacks in Israel saw modest growth in volume terms in 2023, following the stagnating performance of the previous year. As a result of the war in Ukraine, and the resultant energy crisis, the price of raw materials increased…

Volume sales of savoury snacks saw minimal growth in volume terms in 2023, as the major players, including Osem Food Industries, increased their prices. In the face of these price hikes, and with fewer discounts available, local consumers looked for…

The ice cream market in Israel continued its positive momentum in 2023, despite the fact that the leading players increased their prices at the end of the previous year. The indulgence trend continued to have a very strong impact on the market,…

Gum saw an improved performance in volume terms in 2023, following a sharp decline in the previous year. The latter was due falling sales of Strauss Group’s Must, Bazooka and Elite brands, following a salmonella scare in one its factories in April…

Retail sales of chocolate confectionery in Israel saw modest growth in volume terms in 2023, following the declining performance of the previous year. Growth was boosted by an improvement in the fortunes of leading chocolate confectionery company…

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,…

In 2023, snacks in Jordan is seeing impressive growth, benefiting from the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and return to normal. The return to schools and universities in particular is having a positive impact as students are the main consumers of…

Hair care, which is one of the biggest beauty and personal care categories in terms of packaging unit volume sales in the United Arab Emirates, continued to see relatively dynamic growth in 2022. This benefited the usage of HDPE bottles, the main…

The clean beauty trend has been taking over the beauty and personal care market in Saudi Arabia, just as it has done the world over. Consumers are increasingly seeking out cosmetics products that make use of all-natural ingredients, vegan formulas…

Cities are hubs for spending, with 80% of expenditure expected to be generated by urban areas in 2023. Spending growth in 2023 will, however, be sluggish, as cost of living challenges force consumers to be more conservative in their expenditure. Over…

Wine is not available in Saudi Arabia as alcoholic drinks are not permitted in the country under Islamic Law.

The event of the COVID-19 pandemic actually accelerated the demand for wine in Israel, pushing forward premium products during the era of the lockdowns. Indeed, the periods of home quarantine encouraged consumers to drink more wine at home, either…

Spirits is also seeing some cross-category trends. Namely, the event of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated at-home alcohol consumption, pushing forward premium products during the era of the lockdowns. Indeed, the periods of home quarantine encouraged…

The cocktail trend which is helping to support spirits is also supporting RTDs. A strong trend seen during the pandemic era was that for at-home cocktail making. Many locals started buying the ingredients to make cocktails and would invite friends…

There is a lack of innovation in cider/perry, thus suppressing potential growth in the category. For example, we are not seeing the same styles of numbers of product developments to stimulate consumer demand. Added to which, the consumer base of…