Retailing

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Traditional grocery retailers in 2021 have seen a slight positive growth, in contrast to the broadly negative trends generated over the review period as these independent players were pushed out of the marketplace by modern grocery retailers. This…

Modern grocery retailers have continued to see strong growth in 2021, with value sales in real terms matching that seen in 2020; both years saw growth well above the average generated in the pre-pandemic period. There are a number of factors driving…

The pandemic continues to have a very positive impact on the growth of mobile e-commerce channel, as restrictions on movement and retail opening pushed many consumers online. Penetration of smartphones in Latvia continues to rise, driving sales. It…

Mixed retailers have seen a return to positive growth in 2021, following the decline in 2020 caused by the pandemic. However, this has not been enough to restore value sales to pre-pandemic levels, and broadly speaking the whole category has been in…

Sales via health and beauty specialists have tailed off during the pandemic, largely as a result of lockdown; with restrictions on socialisation and the workplace, there was less demand for a mix of products including cosmetics, skin care and…

E-commerce has continued to accelerate in 2021, generating strong double digit growth for the fifth year in succession. The pandemic has been key in sustaining this in 2020 and 2021; restrictions on movement and shop opening hours has shunted many…

Apparel and footwear sales have seen positive growth in 2021, following a steep drop in sales in 2020 as a result of the first wave of the pandemic. Sales have largely been driven by the reopening of the economy, and the easing of many quarantine…

The digital revolution has been rewiring retail for years. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic accelerated this transition as e-commerce became the default setting for many housebound consumers. The crisis-inspired surge in e-commerce is leading to a…