Western Europe

Writing instruments occupy a modest share of the overall personal accessories market in Switzerland, thus exerting minimal influence on the sector. In 2023, the category witnessed stagnant growth in value terms, with a slight decline in volume sales…

The Swiss market for traditional and connected watches, renowned globally for its high-quality timepieces, is undergoing an evolution characterised by an expanding interest in various watch types, transcending the boundaries of luxury. A notable…

The interest and demand for personal accessories in Switzerland, encompassing bags and luggage, jewellery, traditional and connected watches, and writing instruments, were poised to remain robust in 2023. However, following two years of robust growth…

Building on the positive momentum from the previous year, jewellery in Switzerland witnessed dynamic growth in 2023, led by the growing demand for costume jewellery. This trend, reminiscent of 2022, underscored shifting consumer preferences towards…

In 2023, bags and luggage witnessed a stagnant performance in terms of value sales growth in Switzerland, coupled with a slight decline in demand. Although demand remained robust compared to pre-pandemic levels, there was a slight dip from the…

As consumers could finally travel, and return to workplaces and educational establishments, bags and luggage has continued on the recovery path that started in 2022. Despite a higher cost of living, which brought some expected conservativeness to…

In 2022, prices continued the steady rise that started before the pandemic, with significant increases since then, mainly driven by soaring energy costs. The recovery from the pandemic was slow, due to several COVID-19 variants affecting schools and…

In 2023, analogue quartz watches took a prominent position in Germany’s market, seamlessly integrating traditional craftsmanship with technological advances. These timepieces blend classic aesthetics with up-to-date design elements, particularly…

Personal accessories faced slow growth in 2023, due to economic uncertainty. Consumer confidence revived somewhat towards the end of the year, but spending is expected to remain constrained, due to the global financial and labour crises. Hybrid and…

After 2022 saw double-digit growth in jewellery sales in Germany, 2023 showed signs of a slowdown. Among the drivers that led to a revival in the jewellery industry in 2022 were a renewed sense of freedom to socialise and enjoy life after two years…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

Spain’s birth rate continues to fall with couples having fewer children, starting a family a later in life or even choosing not to have children at all. According to the latest data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE), Spain’s birth…

Sales of traditional watches saw a strong recovery in 2021 as COVID-19 restrictions were eased and there was a partial recovery in demand. This positivity was short lived, however, with the global economy being plunged into uncertainty in 2022…

2023 saw a return to relative normality in Spain with the World Health Organisation declaring the health crisis to be over. All COVID-19 related restrictions had been lifted by July 2023 which helped to boost consumer confidence and resulted in…

Jewellery witnessed slower growth in retail volume terms in 2023 compared to 2022 with sales remaining well below pre-pandemic levels. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 the price of food and energy has risen sharply, while most…

After a strong recovery in 2021 as Spain started to ease its COVID-19 restrictions demand has since slowed considerably with sales of bags and luggage seeing only a moderate recovery in retail volume terms in 2022 while in 2023 sales stagnated. The…

There is an ongoing shift from unbranded and counterfeit products towards recognised brands, driven by increased parental awareness of the potential health risks associated with generic and unbranded items. This shift indicates a growing preference…

Writing instruments saw a decline in volume terms in 2023, following the sluggish performance of the previous year. While writing instruments remain essential in schools, they are less used in offices and universities. As technology involves,…

Before the onset of COVID-19, the industry raced ahead, promoting swift turnover in consumer choices. However, in the post-COVID era, a shift has occurred towards a slower, more thoughtful approach. Consumers are now leaning towards timeless pieces…

Traditional and connected watches registered a marked slowdown in growth in current value terms in 2023, when set against the previous two years, which saw sales bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Value growth was driven largely by inflation and…

The Turkish economy has grappled with prolonged economic instability and high inflation, resulting in restrained volume sales. Lengthy recovery post two significant earthquakes, impacting a fifth of the population, and the country's unstable economic…

Sales of personal accessories in Sweden continued to expand in current value terms in 2023, although the rate of growth was more modest compared to the previous year. Performance was boosted by a return to pre-pandemic lifestyles, including increased…

Weddings in Turkey gained momentum post-pandemic in 2021 and 2022. However, a slowdown in 2023 is evident, resulting in lower growth rates in jewellery sales compared to the years 2021 and 2022. Notably, millennials and Gen Z prefer to allocate their…

Retail sales of jewellery continued to expand in current value terms in 2023, although the rate of growth was slower than the previous year. Following the resurgence of family events, such as weddings, in 2022, following enforced delays due to the…

Turkey welcomed 44.5 million tourists in 2022, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry of Turkey. Tourists arriving in September and August contributed to the sales of new season products, intending to carry them home and wear them in autumn,…

Bags and luggage displayed a positive performance in current value terms in 2023, Besides inflationary pressures, coupled with rising unit prices, growth was driven primarily by the revival of outbound travel, coupled with a continued premiumisation…

The return to normal life following COVID-19 is anticipated to continue benefiting writing instruments in 2023, particularly due to the return of regular school attendance. For instance, products such as ball point pens, and especially markers and…

The ongoing shift towards digitalisation has influenced the consumption patterns of markers and highlighters, prompting manufacturers to adapt their marketing strategies by promoting alternative uses. Notably, there is a growing trend in hobbies and…

Sales of writing instruments increased in both volume and value terms in 2023 thanks to the continued normalisation of lifestyles, including returns to school and a strong reduction in smart working. The good performance of the category was largely a…

As in 2022, the start of the academic school year in 2023 marked a poor performance for writing instruments with another drop in sales during the most crucial period for this category. Demand for writing instruments was positive in 2020 and 2021,…

After disruption to sales due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, traditional watches resumed its pre-pandemic slow and steady declining trend in volume terms in 2022, a trend which is set to continue in 2023. Indeed, in 2023, every category within…

Despite a projected decline in luxury product demand in the Netherlands, mechanical watches continue to garner enthusiasm and promotional efforts. Mainstream manufacturers' consistent introduction of new models forecasts steady growth for mechanical…

The traditional and connected watches category registered growth in both volume and value terms in Italy in 2023. Value growth outpaced the rise in volume sales on the back of rising prices during the year. During and after the COVID-19 crisis,…

Sales of traditional and connected watches in France remain positive in 2023, notably due to the ongoing growth of inbound and domestic tourism, and consumers’ footfall in Paris and the larger cities of France. Luxury brands (EUR3,000-5,000)…

Personal accessories is anticipated to keep expanding in retail volume terms in the UK in 2023, due to continued indulgence amongst consumers in the country, as well as the resurgence and growth of inbound tourism. While sales are also anticipated to…

Personal accessories is anticipated to experience subdued growth in 2023, influenced by factors such as inflation, increased energy costs, and higher taxes, leading to a dampened demand. This slower recovery follows a previous year of rapid growth.…

Personal accessories continued to perform very well in Italy in 2023, seeing sales rise across categories as Italian consumers returned fully to normal life after the long years of the pandemic. At the same time, travelling, going out and working…

Generally, 2023 has been a positive year for value sales of personal accessories in France, while overall demand is declining, depending on the category. The main contributor to value growth is a normalisation effect post-pandemic, inflation and…

The shift in consumer preference towards preferring experiences, and products that provide experiences, such as travelling, or purchasing a home, rather than owning things, is continuing to have a negative impact on sales of jewellery in the UK.…

Jewellery, as a product area, is anticipated to experience positive albeit subdued growth in 2023. Economic uncertainty coupled with escalating prices has led to a more cautious approach among Dutch consumers regarding expenditure on non-essential…

Jewellery performed well in Italy in 2023 despite a high rate of inflation and an increase in prices, especially for fine jewellery, which saw stronger growth than custom jewellery in both volume and value terms during the year. In fact, the…

Jewellery remains a resilient performer in France, already recovering to 2019’s retail volume sales levels in 2021. Ongoing demand is not only due to a positive offsetting effect post-pandemic. There is a kind of paradox in a country with elevated…

Bags and luggage is set to maintain growth in both retail volume and current value terms in the UK in 2023. Although volume sales are expected to increase in most categories, it is significant to note that luggage is anticipated to see the…

Bags and luggage is projected to experience robust growth in 2023, driven by an upsurge in travel activities and a growing preference among Dutch consumers for shorter, more frequent getaways. This trend is significantly contributing to an increased…

Bags and luggage continued to perform well in Italy in 2023 thanks to rising internal demand, as well as good trends for production and sales. The category continued its post-pandemic recovery during the year, but at two speeds. In fact, on one side,…

Following on from increasing demand for bags and luggage in 2022 due to improving mobility, the category that had been battered by the impact of the pandemic and various lockdowns has witnessed another year of double-digit current value growth,…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

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…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…