Explore the latest trends, demand drivers and growth opportunitie...
Explore the latest trends, demand drivers and growth opportunities in the Middle East, with in-depth market and data analysis from our in-country field researchers and regional experts.
The number of health-conscious consumers in the United Arab Emirates is rising, resulting in increasing demand for healthy snacks. The perception of a healthy diet has gradually changed in the domestic market. Local consumers used to consider sweets…
Total volume sales of beer in the United Arab Emirates continued to record double-digit growth in 2022, as consumers resumed socialising after restrictions were further eased. The strong volume growth recorded by beer was additionally fuelled by the…
Alcoholic drinks in the United Arab Emirates continued to demonstrate healthy growth in 2022 following a notable rebound the previous year. The United Arab Emirates is known for well-established luxury lifestyles enjoyed by much of the population,…
With alcoholic drinks prohibited under Islamic law, on- and off-trade sales in Saudi Arabian remained dependent on non alcoholic beer at the end of the review period. While off-trade sales of non alcoholic beer started to rebound in 2021 and 2022,…
Cigarettes remained the largest category in tobacco in Saudi Arabia in 2022, despite the growing trend towards heated tobacco. However, the number of people quitting smoking continues to increase, due to better informed health awareness among…
Heated tobacco products continue to boom in Saudi Arabia, gaining a lot of popularity – especially so among younger generations of consumers of the legal smoking age, who find such smoking methods fashionable and attractive. Indeed, many consumers…
Smoking tobacco, especially pipe tobacco, continues to dominate sales in the category, representing the water pipe tobacco (shisha), while cigars and cigarillos remain niche, with low popularity and a very select audience. Although cafés and…
British American Tobacco Plc (BAT) maintains its company lead (in both NBO and GBO terms) in cigarettes, while Marlboro Red from Philip Morris International Inc (PMI) is the top brand, with Marlboro variants pipping BAT’s Dunhill Carlton to the post.…
Although tobacco usage is declining globally, the United Arab Emirates maintains strong and rising consumer demand, and consistent growth was seen within the industry in 2022. After some turbulence in the growth rate due to COVID-19, most tobacco…
The product range available in open vaping systems in the United Arab Emirates has expanded, as Vaporesso entered the market in 2022. Vaporesso is a premium vape brand that is now present in 50 markets. It is from Shenzhen Smoore Technology Co Ltd,…
Amongst all the established traditional alternatives to cigarettes, pipe tobacco is the only one still growing as fast as cigarettes, while cigars, cigarillos, and fine cut tobacco are also seeing growth, but at a slower rate. One of the reasons is…
The cigarettes category in the United Arab Emirates is becoming less fragmented, with most volumes now being generated by the top global manufacturers. In 2022, brands from Philip Morris Management Services (Middle East) Ltd and Imperial Tobacco…
In contrast to previous decades, natural increase will be the sole contributor to population expansion in Qatar in 2021-2040, as net migration rates remain neutral for much of the timeframe. Nevertheless, foreign citizens will continue to account for…
A strict approach towards the sale of tobacco products and smoking in public and educational campaigns form the core of Qatar’s efforts to reduce smoking prevalence. Qatar has modernised and promulgated its tobacco laws in recent years and this…
The ongoing economic crisis in 2022 has forced many smokers to abandon imported global cigarette brands as prices have risen steeply, with local brand Cedars the big winner. Low awareness of the harms of smoking means that few smokers have chosen to…
Tobacco remains under pressure in 2022, despite the pandemic coming to an end. Cigarettes continues to see volume decline, while cigars and cigarillos have returned to growth after witnessing decline in 2021. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020…
While the COVID-19 pandemic did not negatively impact tobacco in 2022, tax-paid cigarettes remain under pressure due to rising taxes, falling income levels and the strong presence of illicit trade. Despite more intense efforts to control smuggling,…
Iraq’s tobacco industry began to struggle for positive volume growth in 2022 despite the rapid growth seen in reduced harm options such as heated tobacco and e-vapour products. In most cases, local smokers are intent on reducing the amount they smoke…
Consumer Types can be a powerful tool to help companies better understand and appeal to their target markets. By going beyond typical demographic-based segmentation, such as age or gender, and grouping consumers based on shared traits and…
Sales of consumer electronics were negatively impacted as consumers cut down on discretionary purchases as prices of electronics products escalated despite the economic uncertainties.