Slovakia

The number of households is set to increase slightly, while the average household size will remain unchanged in Slovakia over 2023-2028. Single person households will remain the dominant household type and the fastest household expenditure growth is…

The report examines the economic landscape of Slovakia and provides information on major monetary indicators, foreign trade and government finance. The economy expanded in real terms in 2023, driven by exports, investments. However, global economic…

In 2024, cat litter sales remain stable supporting the positive development of pet products in Slovakia. Consumers typically buy cat litter on price discounts and will compare prices using online tools from Heureka.sk and other retailers to identify…

The performance of pet care in Slovakia is being hampered by unit price growth and marginal fluctuations in pet populations during 2024, with retail volume sales rising only slightly. In current value terms, pet care posted healthy growth thanks to…

Unit price growth and changes in the pet population were the two major factors determining other pet food sales growth in Slovakia during 2023, although prices began to stabilise in 2024. For mammals and reptiles, the pet population was down slightly…

Dog food is facing marginal retail volume growth in 2024, with consumer purchasing power still under pressure in Slovakia and unit price growth occurring in most categories. The steepest price increases were observed in dog treats forcing owners to…

The cat food category in Slovakia is feeling the pressure from a slowdown in household cat ownership in 2024. Pet abandonment is on the rise with some Slovaks postponing their decision to get a new cat altogether due to rising costs. Retail volume…

In 2023, the post-pandemic recovery in sun care continued, although retail volume sales remained below pre-pandemic levels in Slovakia. Despite the growing pressure on purchasing power and rising prices, exceptionally good weather in Slovakia boosted…

Skin care in Slovakia recorded healthy retail value growth in 2023, partly driven by price increases linked to rising costs and stronger consumer demand. Facial care registered very positive results with strong influence over category growth since it…

Premium skin and sun care in Slovakia recorded strong growth in 2023 despite challenging inflation. Over the review period, premium skin care has established a solid position among Slovak consumers. There has been a gradual increase in premium brands…

Tooth whiteners outpaced growth in Slovakia’s oral care category, in both retail volume and current value terms. Despite the rising prices seen in 2023, consumers did not lose interest in home whitening kits and whitening strips. The reason behind…

In 2023, men’s grooming in Slovakia witnessed robust current value growth, fuelled mostly by men’s skin care, which outperformed the entire category in current value and retail volume terms. Facial hair and beards are popular in Slovakia, which has…

Mass beauty and personal care in Slovakia recorded healthy growth in current value terms, albeit boosted by high inflation. In 2023, energy, transport and production costs remained high, which forced manufacturers to increase unit prices. Although…

Despite the decrease in retail volume sales, hair care recorded positive growth in current value sales, primarily due to price increases. Lower purchasing power led consumers to limit their spending, with more consumers choosing to dye their hair at…

Premium fragrances recorded high single-digit current value growth in 2023, with retail volume sales being notably slower and impacted by stubbornly high inflation. Mass fragrances declined in in both retail value and volume terms, with economic…

Permanent and semi-permanent hair removal continues to be popular among Slovak consumers, providing strong limitations to the sale of traditional depilatories. In 2023, the category recorded only modest current value growth, mostly driven by rising…

Deodorants in Slovakia recorded only modest current value growth in 2023 as consumers frequently traded down to cheaper brands and private label. Retail volume sales remained negative with the exception of deodorant creams, which saw only marginal…

Colour cosmetics continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia. A large proportion of current value growth has been driven by inflation and rising prices in 2023. Many consumers are turning towards colour cosmetics to indulge and treat…

Beauty and personal care in Slovakia registered strong current value growth in 2023 underpinned by soaring inflation which triggered price increases across all categories. The Slovak economy has remained somewhat resilient despite significant…

Competition is intense among grocery retailers and drugstores in Slovakia. However, with an increasing number of discounters being established in the country these players are increasing value share. Lidl reached a total of 153 stores in 2023, which…

In 2023, healthy growth was recorded in baby and child-specific products in Slovakia. High inflationary pressures on price underpinned current value growth. Demand remains solid as parents deem these products as essential products for their…

Sales of wipes in Slovakia continued to enjoy steady growth in retail volume terms, while current value growth benefited from rising prices. Consumers have become more hygiene conscious since the outbreak of COVID-19, with this helping to support the…

Tissue and hygiene in Slovakia recorded only slight volume growth in 2023, as strong inflationary pressures limited consumer expenditure and prevented an increase in spend year-on-year. Robust price increases in tissue and hygiene ultimately led to…

The growth of Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence in Slovakia remained stable in 2023, as consumers tend to use these products for a long time. Compared to retail, products prescribed by the doctor are fully reimbursed by an insurance company, and…

Retail tissue in Slovakia bucked the downward economic trend in 2023, by posting a solid increase in volume sales. Healthy growth in toilet paper supported this trend aided by brand and private label innovations. Economy toilet paper was launched by…

In Slovakia, retail adult incontinence products for light and moderate/heavy users witnessed sales growth in 2023. Increasing numbers of consumers are suffering with incontinence problems as the population is ageing. Manufacturers have ramped up…

Demand for nappies/diapers/pants in Slovakia was negatively affected by rising prices and lower birth rates in the country, which resulted in retail volume decline in 2023. Some consumers chose to make products last longer and made fewer purchases to…

Menstrual care in Slovakia was affected by rising prices across all types of products in 2023, however retail volume growth witnessed steady progress. Consumers are widely accustomed to buying their favourite brands and switching to cheaper brands is…

Sales of away-from-home tissue are heavily linked to the performance of the Slovakian economy in 2023. Although the economy remained robust, there were some signs of weakness and companies remained cautious in the face of high inflation. Only a very…

Vending was one of the better performing retail channels in Slovakia in 2023, with current value sales increasing. Convenience and on-the-go consumption drove consumer demand. While hot drinks continued to be the most popular product sold through…

Supermarkets in Slovakia lost out to discounters in 2023, as continuing high inflation saw consumers increasingly shop in discounters. Consumers also sought out discounts in supermarkets as they were highly price sensitive. As such, supermarket…

2023 was not a good year for small local grocers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in such outlets, as prices tend to be higher than in other larger grocery retailers. As such, both constant and current…

It was a poor trading year for retail in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still being high, as well increasing interest rates leading to higher mortgage payments, consumers felt the pinch. As such, there was only marginal growth in current value…

Retail e-commerce registered a modest increase in current value sales in Slovakia. However, with appliances and electronics continuing to be the most popular products sold online, and with weak consumer sentiment leading consumers to postpone larger…

Hypermarkets were the best performing grocery channel in Slovakia in 2023 in terms of value growth. Recent openings of new outlets boosted value sales, including the new Kaufland Bratislava outlet discussed below. However, with inflation still high,…

Home product specialists were the worst performing retail channel in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still high, consumers put off home renovation projects and also cut down on spend on homewares and home furnishings. As such, home products register…

Health and beauty specialists were the best performing retail channel in Slovakia in 2023 in terms of value growth. There was also a significant increase in outlet openings. However, it was a mixed bag. While pharmacies registered a healthy increase…

Discounters in Slovakia were one of the better performing grocery retailers in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and prioritised value for money. As such, discounters registered an increase in current value sales,…

Direct selling in Slovakia registered a further fall in both current and constant values sales in 2023. A shift away from direct selling to e-commerce led to a drop in sales, as e-commerce also provides the convenience of direct delivery. In fact,…

2023 was not a good year for convenience retailers in Slovakia. With inflation still being high, consumers cut back on spending in convenience retailers, as prices tend to be higher than in other grocery retailers. As such both constant and current…

It was a poor trading year for appliances and electronics specialists in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still high, consumers prioritised essentials and postponed purchases, if at all possible. As such, there was a significant fall in both current…

Apparel and footwear specialists registered a fall in current value sales in Slovakia in 2023. With inflation still being high, consumers were price sensitive and cut back on spending on non-essentials. Also, when consumers did purchase, they traded…

Toilet care is seeing flat volume sales, while value growth is supported by the price hikes which have affected categories across home care. While Bref (Henkel Slovensko spol sro) holds just under half of all brand shares in toilet care, followed by…

Sales in surface care are managing to see small positive volume sales, as well as value sales which are supported by the price hikes which are affecting home care overall. Overall, consumers are seeking affordable products which offer good…

Polishes is seeing a negative volume slump, while value sales are supported by price hikes affecting categories across home care as a whole. Indeed, polishes represents a category which consumers can easily substitute – especially with the growing…

Value growth in laundry care is being supported by inflationary price hikes, whilst volume sales remain in a decline. This is due to price-sensitive consumers budgeting in laundry care by using lower volumes of product per use, in addition to doing…

Home insecticides is managing to achieve marginal positive volume growth overall, while value is supported by price hikes which are affecting home care as a whole. The best-performing subcategories are electric insecticides (in both value and volume…

Inflationary pressures and strong price increases have affected consumer purchasing behaviour overall, and we are seeing this reflected in home care sales in Slovakia. Whist value sales are supported by the price increases, volume sales are in a…

Automatic dishwashing is seeing positive gains in both value and volume terms, whilst hand dishwashing remains in a volume slump. This is interesting as, during times of high inflation, hand dishwashing is seen as a more cost-effective option.…

Bleach is an uninteresting category which remains in a volume slump, which is only expected to deepen over the coming years. Consumers are increasingly perceiving bleach as old-fashioned and toxic, thus resulting in low demand. In turn, players are…