Retailing

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…

Global consumers are struggling with the cost of living crisis, as inflation remains high while household income growth lags. Consumers are adopting recessionary habits, such as trading down and being more selective in their spending. Rather than…

Consumers are facing increased pressure from rising prices as global inflation reaches 7% in 2023. The impact of higher costs of living is felt from top earners in developed markets to struggling households in emerging and developing countries.…

Although disposable income slowly recovered in 2023 compared to repeatedly high inflation, consumers remained relatively frugal in their spending on apparel and footwear. Many made savings by opting for apparel or footwear and reduced their shopping…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Belgium saw relatively modest growth in current value terms in 2023, when compared to the previous two years. This was mainly due to inflationary pressures, which led to rising prices, as players sought to protect…

Apparel and footwear specialists saw decline in Denmark in 2023 as the impact of challenging economic conditions and the rising cost of living squeezed purchasing power and significantly dampened consumer confidence. Moreover, pure play online…

The slowdown in the economy has not hit apparel and footwear specialists in Finland as hard as grocery retailers. Pent-up demand for clothing purchases since the pandemic, especially to wear at parties and celebrations, has sustained sales growth in…

In 2021 and 2022, apparel and footwear specialist retailers in France saw strong current value growth as they began their post-pandemic recovery. However, inflationary pressures have since reduced household spending on discretionary goods. In 2023…

In 2023, apparel and footwear specialists in Germany, including H&M, experienced modest growth compared to the double-digit rise recorded the previous year due to an easing of pandemic restrictions and pent-up demand, yet sales remained below…

Apparel and footwear specialists saw current value growth in 2023. Inflation and continued price increases have been driving more and more consumers into the second-hand market, which is gradually gaining ground in Greece. Recently, the Bulgarian…

Apparel and footwear specialists maintained double-digit value growth in 2023, following a significant sales boom the previous year. The 2022 sales boost was attributed to this being the first full year without pandemic-related restrictions, driven…

Apparel and footwear specialists continued to record single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 as the category continued on the path to recovery. Despite this sales remained lower than pre-pandemic levels as elevated inflation and a sharp…

Apparel and footwear saw current value growth rise on a par with recent years, with inflation fuelling some growth. This followed a few tough years during the pandemic era when people stayed at home and retail sales were naturally limited. Saved…

Sales of apparel and footwear specialists in Portugal continued to grow in 2023, although at a slower pace when compared to 2022. 2022 was a year of strong recovery following the outbreak of COVID-19, when the channel recorded double-digit growth.…

The combined impact of the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 created widespread instability in the local economy with high inflation and a sharp rise in prices continuing to be seen in 2023. This limited the recovery of apparel and…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Sweden had to deal with unstable macroeconomic and geopolitical environments towards the end of the review period. The high inflation rates in 2022 and 2023 forced consumers to prioritise purchases of essential…

Apparel and footwear specialists in Switzerland saw a decline in current value sales in 2023 due to consumer price sensitivity, which led to the prioritisation of essential products and a shift towards private label lines and discounters. Moreover,…

Apparel and footwear specialists registered modest growth in current value terms in 2023 although this was down to inflation rather than an increase in demand. Consumers were looking to make savings in 2023 due to pressure on disposable income which…

After a year of strong double-digit value growth in 2022 for apparel and footwear specialists in the UK, the channel maintained its positive trajectory in 2023 to outperform all other non-grocery retailers, except for leisure and personal goods…

With inflation very still high, apparel and footwear specialists in Turkey registered both a double-digit percentage increase in current and constant value sales. However, there was slight contraction in the number of outlets, as rising costs led…

Consumer restraint affected the entire retail market in 2023, but appliances and electronics specialists was one of the categories most negatively affected.

2023 proved to be a difficult year for appliances and electronics specialists in Belgium. This was mainly due to inflationary pressures, which placed a strain on household budgets. With consumers remaining pessimistic about the general economic…

Appliances and electronics specialists continued to see declining sales in Denmark in 2023 for a number of reasons. First of all, the category had seen strong growth during the COVID-19 crisis on the back of consumers turning their attention to their…

Appliances and electronics specialists in Finland witnessed further decline in 2023, in volume and current value terms, as the economy fell into recession. Sales of ovens, cooktops and furniture-covered appliances were most affected as consumers were…

Current value sales in appliances and electronic specialists slumped in 2023 after slowing down in 2022. This downward trend is partly explained by the post-pandemic normalisation of sales in tech and consumer and home appliance products, with surges…

Despite a recovery to pre-pandemic value sales levels in 2022, driven by high inflation and pent-up demand for in-store shopping as mobility restrictions eased, appliances and electronics specialists in Germany returned to decline in 2023. This was…

Following Olympia’s EUR50 million investment in Public, which left Olympia owning 98% of the Public-Media Markt venture in Greece and Cyprus, the Media Markt stores have been rebranded Public + home and specialise in white appliances. Consequently,…

Appliances and electronics specialists saw sales plummet in Ireland in 2023, following positive growth in 2022. This slump is attributed to consumers seeing lower spending power due to inflationary pressures and the cost-of-living crisis, whereas in…

It was another tough year for appliances and electronics specialists in Italy in 2023 with the category seeing a decline in current value terms for the second consecutive year. Sales slumped in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 before recording a…

Appliances and electronics in Norway registered an uplift in value sales in 2023, largely due to inflationary pressures, which pushed up retail prices. Consumer demand weakened as interest rate hikes took hold, whilst the weak currency led to higher…

Appliances and electronic specialists in Portugal saw positive retail value growth in 2023, reaching the highest value results since the beginning of the historic period. However, much of this was driven by rising price points due to ongoing…

Appliances and electronics specialists saw only modest growth in current value terms in 2023, with the challenging economic environment impacting spending on non-essential items. Although inflation was lower than in 2022 it still remained higher than…

Appliances and electronics specialists in Sweden was one of the few channels that posted a decrease in retail value sales in 2022 and 2023. This was the case even in current terms, even though the inflation rate reached a high single-digit figure in…

Appliance and electronics specialists recorded a decline in current retail value sales in Switzerland in 2023 as a result of a combination of factors. Average prices across the category, combined with the higher cost of living in general, dampened…

BCC was declared bankrupt by a court in the Netherlands in September 2023 with the retailer finding itself unable to stay afloat amidst rising costs and falling demand. The bankruptcy was also seen to be due to a failure to innovate or successfully…

In 2022, appliances and electronics specialists in the UK was the only non-grocery retail channel to experience a decline in sales. Due to the cost-of-living crisis and the squeeze on discretionary budgets, many consumers were forced to be…

Appliance and electronics specialists were one of the worst performing retail sectors in Turkey in 2023. With most products imported, it registered even higher prices increases than other sectors, due to significant devaluation of the Turkish lira.…

Euromonitor International’s Commerce 2040 series outlines a vision for how consumers might shop in two decades. This report focuses on how the competing forces that are reshaping retail will impact the future of the store. In particular, the shift…

In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with income inequality, mass migration and rising uncertainty about another crisis being among the major ones. Nevertheless, within this lie untapped opportunities. This…

In the upcoming years, consumers and businesses face an array of challenges, with rising income inequality being among the key ones. Nevertheless, addressing the income inequality through catering to the Bottom of the Pyramid and the Middle Class…

Just like grocery retailers as a whole, convenience retailers saw strong growth in value sales in 2023, although this was almost entirely price driven as inflation remained at unusually high levels for a second consecutive year. Demand itself only…

Convenience stores represented the most dynamic category within grocery retailing in Belgium in 2023. While not known for being the cheapest channel, the return of consumers to their busy, pre-pandemic lifestyles provided a boost to sales. As such,…

As life returned to normal in Denmark in 2023 consumers also continued to shop more in convenience stores, with the channel benefiting from the increased level of activity from commuters and other consumers needing snacks and other items on the go.…

In 2023, convenience retailers in Finland witnessed only marginal current value growth, with much of this fuelled by high levels of inflation. Sales have suffered from lower purchasing power caused by the rising cost of living, with consumers…

The quick commerce (q-commerce) sector in France, with its ultra-fast grocery delivery services, expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, gaining ground across urban areas. This growth was fuelled by lockdowns that pushed demand for services…

Convenience retailers in Germany recorded a resilient performance in 2023, despite a slowdown compared to the rapid growth witnessed in 2022 when cultural, leisure and professional events, including major trade, resumed at full capacity following…

Convenience retailers witnessed growth in Greece in 2023 as more and more people visited their stores for their daily purchases. This trend started during the COVID-19 crisis, when consumers procured essential goods from nearby stores, and now it has…

Inflationary pressures, notably in food, drove value growth in convenience retailers in 2023. Here we note the cost of everyday essentials, such as butter, milk, flour, and eggs. While this supports value sales due to the higher prices, retailers in…

The geopolitical developments of 2022 and 2023 have had a big impact on retail in Italy. Russia's war in Ukraine continued in 2023 with no sign of resolution at the time of writing, while the emergence of further instability in other parts of the…

The twin challenges of high inflation and heightened competition continue to impact the performance of convenience retailers in Norway, only prolonging its recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Convenience stores and forecourt retailers…