Western Europe

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…

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…

Vending in the UK was significantly disrupted by the pandemic as vending machines predominantly target closed sites such as academic institutions, hospitals and businesses, which also experienced a substantial decrease in footfall. The channel fully…

Supermarkets in the UK was the only grocery retail channel in 2022 to witness value sales decline, in a year characterised by soaring food prices, skyrocketing cost of utilities, high inflation, and a cost-of-living crisis, which all contributed to a…

Unlike larger store formats within grocery retailers, such as warehouse clubs, discounters, and hypermarkets, which have a strong focus on lower-priced products as well as the ability to limit the transfer of increased costs on to consumers, small…

In 2023, soaring inflation rates, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, low consumer confidence and limited spending subdued the retail industry in the UK. Consumers continued to downgrade product purchases to mitigate the negative effects of the…

After a challenging 2022 due to high inflation, the emergence of the cost-of-living crisis, and additional pressure on operators due to a surge in utility prices, all of which affected the disposable incomes of local consumers and subsequently led to…

Despite increased competition from discounters and warehouse clubs, which offer low-cost products appealing to the elevated number of price-sensitive consumers in 2023, hypermarkets in the UK maintained positive sales growth. Amid the cost-of-living…

Home products specialists witnessed a surge in value sales in 2021, following declines due to pandemic-related restrictions. However, the channel did not return to 2019 sales levels until 2022. The cost-of-living crisis that began in 2022 and…

In 2023, health and beauty specialists in the UK maintained its positive trajectory despite rising price sensitivity among consumers and a significant squeeze on disposable incomes. Pricing strategies, and discounted offers in particular, played an…

In 2023, a year characterised by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and high inflation, Poundland was one of the more active players in general merchandise stores in the UK, placing a strong focus on pricing and expanding its product range. In March…

Due to high inflation towards the end of the review period, resulting in elevated prices of goods and services, consumers became increasingly price conscious, supporting the second consecutive year of value growth for discounters in the UK. As…

Amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, local consumers turned to direct selling in the UK as a way to augment their household earnings. Data released by the UK’s Direct Selling Association (DSA) revealed a significant surge in the number of people…

Despite price increases as a result of inflation that continued to drive the local population to adopt more conscious spending patterns in 2023, convenience retailers in the UK maintained a positive trajectory during the year as proximity and…

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…

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…

Vending saw strong growth in current value terms in 2023 for the third straight year with sales seeing an almost full recovery to pre-pandemic levels. Drinks and tobacco vending, the most important category, also saw strong growth in 2023. The return…

In 2023, consumers in Finland returned to normal lifestyles, with more citizens working in offices and travelling, and with more mobility, vending witnessed solid value growth to surpass pre-pandemic levels. Also, local “vending hubs” and their…

Supermarkets is the grocery retailers channel with the highest penetration in Italy and it saw moderate growth in current value terms in 2023 as inflation started to show signs of stabilising, albeit prices continued to rise. Aside from the impact of…

In 2023, high inflation rates led to a second year of higher prices in supermarkets, which meant consumers in Finland had to be more careful regarding what they purchased. Even with inflation, current value sales declined in 2023, as consumers made…