Romania

Gardening registered double-digit growth in current value terms across all categories in 2023, with more consumers becoming aware of the available products on the market. Retailers have been offering an increasingly diverse array of products, both in…

The prevailing economic landscape in Romania in 2023 was characterised by persistent inflationary pressures, exerting upward pressure on unit prices across various product categories, including wipes. Rising costs associated with raw materials and…

Grocery retailers dominate sales in 2023

The high growth for convenience retailers in 2023 in Romania, was driven by rising interest in proximity shopping. Price growth over the level of inflation limited consumers' purchases to basic food items. Reduction of purchasing power due to…

Cigarettes saw strong growth in retail volume terms in 2023. Sales were boosted by the end of the pandemic and the return to more normalised behaviour in terms of work and socialising. The end of the pandemic lowered concerns about the complications…

Although eyewear in Romania is set to expand in total volume and current value sales terms in 2024, growth rates are expected to be weaker than those recorded in 2023. The downturn is mainly explained by stubbornly high inflation, which continues to…

In 2023, sun care in Romania witnessed another year of surging retail volume and current value sales, remaining one of the most rapidly expanding categories within beauty and personal care. Part of the reason for continued dynamism was that sales of…

Depilatories continued to experience low retail volume growth and a strong current value increase in Romania in 2023. This category is characterised by its maturity and limited premiumisation, with the notable dominance of a few well-established…

Dog food in Romania is expected to see a return to positive volume growth in 2024, following the decline of the previous year. This will be due in a large part to waning inflationary pressures, which will make commercially-prepared products more…

In 2023, vending in Romania showcased positive retail value growth, benefiting from the elimination of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. This led consumers to return to office work, with free movement outside of the home, enabling the recovery of…

Overall, retail volume sales of toilet care rose moderately in 2023. As in 2022, this was due to the performance of the dominant type, toilet liquids/foam, and rim liquids, with other categories continuing to see reduced or negligible retail volume…

The demand for polishes continued on a downward trajectory in 2023. These products were considered non-essential or obsolete by a large share of the consumer base, especially younger people. Furthermore, substitution and cannibalisation continued to…

Vacuum cleaners continue to benefit from consumers’ higher standards of health and hygiene, as enhanced by the era of the pandemic. As such, keeping a clean home has become a high priority, supporting both volume and value sales of vacuum cleaners.…

Skin care was one of the most dynamic categories within beauty and personal care in 2023, experiencing robust growth in both retail volume and current value terms. Romanian consumers are increasingly interested in the regular use of skin care…

Pet products in Romania are set to see double-digit growth in current value terms in 2024, continuing the trend of the previous year. Despite the high cost of living, consumers will remain willing to lavish their pets with care and attention, in…

Despite the challenging economic climate, the demand for menstrual care products in Romania saw a steady increase in both value and volume sales throughout 2023. This growth can be attributed to a more educated and informed consumer base, which is…

The positive performance of dishwashing in Romania in 2023 was the result of Romanian consumers often cooking at home, as high inflation and strong pressure on purchasing power discouraged visits to foodservice establishments. However, hand…

In 2022, Romania’s packaging industry witnessed dynamic shifts influenced by economic challenges and consumer preferences. Larger pack sizes became the preferred choice across a variety of categories, offering consumers economic advantages amid…

Cigarettes remains the basic tobacco product for the majority of smokers in Romania and thus it was also the key growth driver for tobacco as a whole in 2023. Widespread distribution across all retail channels in Romania supports the positive…

With high inflation weakening purchasing power among the population, volume growth for sunglasses in Romania in 2024 looks set to be slower than in 2023. The category continues to perform reasonably well overall in this regard, however, in part…

Video games in Romania continued to experience dynamic current value growth in 2023. On the one hand, the improving technological infrastructure in the country and the rising popularity of gaming across all age groups were key positive factors. On…

In 2023, hair care in Romania demonstrated robust growth, with a low increase in retail volume terms, and a strong-single digit increase in current value terms. Current value growth was recorded across all categories, whilst a more mixed performance…

Colour cosmetics in Romania maintained retail volume and current value growth in 2023, as consumers’ lives continued to normalise after the end of COVID-19, although volume sales were still unable to recover to the pre-pandemic level. All the main…

Cat food in Romania is expected to see a return to positive growth in retail volume terms in 2024 as easing inflationary pressures render such products more affordable to the cat-owning population. In addition, the number of cats in the country will…

Inflation in 2023 influenced Romanians' shopping behaviour for retail tissue. Unit prices continued to rise due to increased costs associated with raw materials and energy, as well as the trend towards premiumisation. This led to further polarisation…

Despite strong pressure on consumer purchasing power and soaring retail current unit prices, home insecticides registered a retail volume sales increase in 2023. While marginal overall, all categories, bar the mature spray/aerosol format, posted…

High inflation continued to exert strong pressure on the demand for home care in Romania in 2023, with retail current unit prices rising across all categories. Increases in the costs of raw materials and utilities put pressure on manufacturers,…

Romanian consumers remained very attached to their homes, and there was still a large part of the population that worked from home (or in a hybrid work system). In general, consumers are placing a higher importance on having a pleasant environment at…

The positive performance of consumer foodservice in 2023 was driven by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2022. However, high inflation was seen from the last quarter of 2022, coinciding with rising consumption of heat, gas and electricity…

Following interruption during COVID-19-related restrictions and widespread homeschooling, the accelerating ‘back to work’ trend has led to both volume and current value sales growth of writing instruments in Romania in 2023.

Amid challenging economic conditions, local consumers have shown a rising interest in investing in fine jewellery, particularly gold. Fine jewellery has also gained popularity as a high-value gift item. In addition, the lifting of pandemic…

Spectacles in Romania is set to see total volume sales contract for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the rate of decline expected to be slightly steeper than in 2023. Overall demand continues to be depressed by high inflation, in that rising…

Dinnerware and beverageware experienced growth in 2023 in current value terms which was attributed in part to a notable shift among Romanians towards premium products. The shift towards premium products, particularly in categories such as food…

In 2023, fragrances in Romania continued to experience current value growth, although volume sales maintained their declining trend. This phenomenon was attributed to consumers’ willingness to pay higher prices for fragrances, resulting in fewer…

The decline of direct selling in 2023 in Romania was a continuation of the results noted in 2022. Much of this decline was due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, which began in March 2022, and resulted in a strong uplift of consumers in…

Against a backdrop of soaring inflation and a sharp rise in the cost of living, disposable income continued to decline in 2023 forcing some Romanians to buy cheaper second-hand home furnishings or to postpone their purchases altogether. To attract…

In 2023, deodorants in Romania exhibited robust growth in current value terms, albeit seeing only a low increase in volume terms. This positive trend marked a rebound following the setback experienced during COVID-19, which led to contractions in…

In 2023, supermarkets in Romania recorded double-digit retail value growth; the result of having excellent locations in crowded neighbourhoods. As such, these stores increasingly benefit from proximity while offering a broader range of products…

In 2023, hypermarkets in Romania continued to see retail value growth; however, footfall declined. The social function of hypermarkets before COVID-19 was a place for shopping and entertainment. This has diminished significantly since 2021, with the…

While the COVID-19 pandemic stimulated surface care demand, with more consumption opportunities, a level of maturity and high inflation slowed down the category performance towards the end of the review period. In addition, consumers went out more…

In 2023, laundry care registered a modest overall decline in retail volume terms, although some categories, such as tablet detergents and liquid detergents, spot and stain removers and "other" laundry aids saw increases. The decline in the largest…

Following the hike in demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when consumers embraced bleach as an effective tool against germs and the virus, there has been a readjustment in demand in the category. Thus, bleach resumed its pre-pandemic…

Sales in microwaves remain in a slump which is expected to deepen further over the coming years. This is largely due to a widely held perception that food prepared in a microwave is unhealthy due to the loss of nutrients. On the other hand, the more…

Dishwashers buck the general category trend of major appliances by achieving decent volume sales in 2023. This is attributed to the category being quite new in Romania, with low penetration. Beko (SC Arctic SA) is the most prominent brand, with…

Despite high inflation and rising production costs, the prices of power tools and hand tools were seen to have stabilised and in some cases even declined in 2023. This was due to popular chained retailers such as Leroy Merlin optimising their supply…

While oral care saw little movement in Romania in retail volume terms in 2023, it demonstrated a significant current value growth trajectory, similar to that seen in 2022, due to continued price rises. Volume growth was observed for non-essential…

Pet Care in Romania is expected to see a return to positive volume growth in 2024, following the decline of the previous year. This will be due in a large part to waning inflationary pressures, which will have a positive impact on real household…

Strong, double-digit retail value growth for discounters in Romania in 2023 resulted from heightened footfall driven by rising inflation. As bills rose, consumers were forced to reevaluate their spending habits, including migrating to other channels…

Even though inflation remained high in Romania in 2023, personal accessories saw growth in both current value and volume terms. Romanians are increasingly preoccupied with improving their personal image, and despite declining purchasing power, they…

Refrigeration appliances remains in a volume slump in 2023, following the boost to sales seen in the earlier review period, supported by the cocooning and home-renovation trends seen during the era of the pandemic. For example, freezers were popular…