Western Europe

The pandemic caused notable behavioural change in most consumers, with government regulations contributing to disparate affects on the channel distribution, brand success and overall growth of cigarette markets across Western Europe. Rising taxation,…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in Turkey declined sharply in 2022. The contraction was mainly due to spiralling inflation fuelled by the depreciation of the lira, the global recovery from the pandemic and the fallout of Russia’s invasion of…

In 2021, cigarettes recorded positive volume growth for the first time since 2009, mainly due to travel restrictions, with consumers being unable to purchase cigarettes in duty free or via illicit trade, driving sales towards taxable UK channels,…

Some smokers have been switching to cheaper brands of cigarettes in order to reduce their expenditure on these products. This was being driven by the reduction in purchasing power as a result of the high inflation rates being seen in the Netherlands,…

The long-term trend of declining volume sales of cigarettes continued in 2022, with consumers increasingly aware of the levels of harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke. Cigarettes posted negative performances in both retail volume and current value…

Sweden’s smoking population is extremely low by European and indeed global standards, with numbers continuing to decline in 2022 as consumers transition away from cigarettes. This translated into another year of decline for cigarettes, at least in…

Cigarettes experienced significant value growth in Spain in 2023. The increase in value sales was driven by inflation and an increase in unit prices. However, even though value sales increased, volume sales registered a decline, largely due to the…

Although smoking prevalence continued to decline in Portugal, despite the gradual shift to non-combustible products, retail volume and current value sales increased in 2022. The recovery of tourism in the aftermath of the pandemic supported a rebound…

In 2022, the retail volume sales of cigarettes experienced a decline in Norway as a result of the reopening of borders and the resumption of cross-border trade, particularly with Sweden. The popularity of tobacco products in cross-border trade and…

Cigarettes in Italy continued to decline in volume terms in 2023, as the number of cigarette smokers diminish. At the same time, the rising tax on cigarettes is pushing up prices, supporting value sales but also acting as a deterrent to cigarette…