Western Europe

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…

Western European snacks sales were relatively unaffected by the pandemic, other than showing a slight demand spike in retail value terms when COVID-19 hit the region in 2020. However, high inflation in the post-pandemic period negatively impacted the…

Sweet biscuits, snacks bars and fruit snacks recorded solid growth in value terms in 2023. Sweet biscuits continued to generate the lion’s share of value and volume sales during the year. Overall, the increase in levels of mobility after the period…

Sugar confectionery registered good growth in value and volume terms during 2023. Pastilles, gums, jellies and chews continued to generate the largest proportion of value sales and experienced good value growth in 2023, contributing strongly to the…

Austrian consumers are extremely fond of snacking. Whether confectionery, savoury snacks, ice cream or sweet biscuits, snacks bars and fruit snacks, consumers like to treat themselves with a snack. The demand for snacks remained stable in 2023 with…

Savoury snacks experienced significant growth in value terms during 2023. However, this significant value growth stemmed mainly from price increases, with inflation remaining high in Austria for the second consecutive year. Within snacks, savoury…

The trend towards plant-based products, including ice cream, continued in 2023. Plant-based ice cream recorded the most significant growth within ice cream during the year. Not only is the consumer interest in plant-based ice cream growing, but the…

After low demand during the pandemic years, gum sales were up in 2023, after experiencing a revival in 2022. The relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and the reduced incidence of wearing masks pushed up demand for chewing gum in 2023. Gum is mainly…

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…

The demand for chocolate confectionery remained stable in 2023, with a slight increase in volume terms but a solid rise in value sales. Value growth stemmed largely from increases in average unit prices. The overall rate of inflation in the country…

Private label – retailers’ alternatives to brands – tend to benefit from inflation. However, despite record inflation in France, Germany and the UK, the market share of private label in the three countries remained broadly stable across FMCGs in…

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…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks is a relatively well-established category in Ireland. Rising inflation is a key contributor to value growth in 2023, although volume sales have been pushed into decline. Sweet biscuits is the best…

Sugar confectionery is seeing retail volume sales decline as the war on sugar gains further momentum in Ireland. The pandemic intensified consumer’s focus on health and self-care with a growing awareness of nutrition and the negative health impacts…

Snacks in Ireland has come under pressure from rising prices in 2023. Many consumers perceive the higher prices as a deterrent and are switching to cheaper snacking options or reducing their snacking to some extent. Additionally, the increased prices…

In 2023, the savoury snack category in Ireland was characterized by a strong emphasis on taste and quality. Consumers prioritise these factors above all else when choosing their savoury snacks, leading to an increase in the variety of flavours…

Increasing numbers of ice cream producers are focusing on nostalgia to attract consumers who want something more than a novel flavour. The Fruit-tella ice cream is the first of its kind in the UK and combines three popular flavours into one product.…

Gum retail volume sales are stagnating in 2023 as the cost of living mitigates consumption slightly. Chewing gum is largely an impulse purchase, which make up two-thirds of gum purchases. Many consumers are therefore buying it on a whim rather than…

In 2023, chocolate confectionery in Ireland is driven by a strong consumer desire for indulgence and celebration. Chocolate is not merely a sweet treat, but a symbol of joy and festivity, making it a preferred choice for marking special occasions.…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks is set to post positive current retail value growth in 2023, thanks to the popularity of convenient snacking options, either at home or on-the-go. This is also being further boosted by the return to…

Challenges caused by a lack of raw ingredients have affected sweet biscuits in particular – with sweet biscuits being the most significant subcategory in sweet biscuits, snack bars, and fruit snacks. The lack of cereals coming from Ukraine, which was…

As opposed to other confectionery categories such as gum, sugar confectionery is a more diverse category. This allows the landscape to have robust growth opportunities, with innovations focused on reduced sugar variants and flavours and textures,…

Sugar confectionery is showing flat volume in 2023, which is expected to fall into small negative-figure declines over the coming years. Small positive value growth, on the other hand, is supported by increases in unit prices. However, overall, sugar…

The industry remains resilient in 2023, posting a positive performance despite challenging sales factors. For example, prices continue to be high in Switzerland, especially compared to neighbouring European countries, with a strong currency and the…

Global inflationary pressures, compounded by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, have affected sales of snacks in Portugal. We are seeing lower consumer spending power – especially for non-essentials – along with rising prices, and these issues are…

Savoury snacks is set to post strong growth in 2023. All categories are posting a positive performance as more consumption occasions are available, with consumers socialising through gatherings, barbeques and parties, enjoying savoury snacks. In…

Savoury snacks remain popular with consumers, following the boost to consumption seen during the era of the pandemic. Indeed, savoury snacks benefitted from the COVID-19 pandemic, as consumers spent longer periods of time at home, in front of the…

Ice cream is set to perform positively in 2023, benefiting from hot and long summers, social events and BBQs.

Ice cream sales are continuing to normalise after the impacts of the pandemic, the era during which foodservice outlets were closed and consumers indulged in snacking at home. In ice cream this translated to a preference for larger-size formats of…

Gum is posting a negative performance in 2023, with both retail volume and value sales falling, despite rising price points. A major challenge for gum sales is the increased use of self-scan checkouts. Due to gum being an impulse and on-the-go…

Gum is slowly recovering from the declines in sales seen during the era of the COVID-19 restrictions. Gum consumption dropped substantially from the start of the pandemic, hampered by a decline in on-the-go consumption, with many consumers eventually…

Overall, despite economic uncertainties in the country, demand for chocolate confectionery is resilient in 2023.

Despite the increase in chocolate confectionery consumption during the pandemic, due to consumers spending more time at home and indulging in treats, the category continues to grow, both in volume and value. We are, however, seeing different trends…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in Germany continues to face strong price increases in 2023, following a significant rise the previous year, primarily driven by the soaring cost of ingredients. Key components such as grain, sugar, nuts,…

The pandemic period was challenging for sales of sugar confectionery in Germany. Not all snacks benefited from larger shopping trips to supermarkets and discounters, while less mobility and children staying home from school, dampened overall retail…

2023 is a promising year for Germany in many ways. The impact of the pandemic is waning and it is the first year without any major restrictions to negatively affect consumer behaviour; even at the beginning of 2022, some restrictions were still in…

Savoury snacks in Germany continues to experience dynamic price development and content reduction. In response to rising raw material costs, category players and retailers are adjusting their pricing strategies. This trend is mainly being driven by…

After enduring prolonged home seclusion during the pandemic and various restrictions imposed on foodservice and leisure activities, German consumers continue to eagerly seek activities outside of their homes in 2023 due to greater freedom. This shift…

While for many snacks, the pandemic period of home seclusion led to higher uptake in Germany, gum suffered from declining sales. Gum tends to be purchased spontaneously and, in addition to the taste and chewing experience, the product is also…

Germany was strongly impacted by the pandemic in 2020-2021, due to various restrictions imposed on the local population. However, the situation was positive for most retailers due to the closure of foodservice and limited leisure activities outside…

The growth of sweet biscuits in 2023 is driven by increased snacking habits among consumers in their homes. This trend is due to high inflation, discouraging people from going out for entertainment, focusing on home experiences instead. Furthermore,…

While current retail value sales see a boost in 2023, due to rising price points, current retail volume sales are set to struggle, recording a modest decline. Much of this decline results from resuming cross-border trade with Sweden, while the health…

In Turkey, boiled candy, toffees and chews sales are highly driven by the holiday seasons of Ramadan and Eid. This is because Turkish people often offer candy, chocolate or dessert during the celebrations to visitors, loved ones and family.

Sugar confectionery is set to post a moderate decline in 2023, primarily due to resuming cross-border trade with Sweden. Norwegian shopping habits have also returned to pre-pandemic patterns, with people spending more time outside of the home and…

Negative economic conditions, rising inflation, natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, and volatile political situations have created unrest in society. Consumers have dealt with increasing inflation since 2018, which peaked in 2022, and gave no…

Current retail value sales will see a minor increase in 2023; however, this will be driven by ongoing inflation and the increase in manufacturing and logistics costs, which are increasing retail price points. As such, while current retail value sales…

The pistachio, mixed products, and peanut categories have largely influenced the packaged nuts industry in 2023. Price variations among different nuts is largely determined by inflation and harvest conditions. Turkish consumers have a traditional…

Savoury snacks are expected to decline moderately in retail volume in 2023 due to resuming cross-border trade and reduced at-home consumption. Norwegian shopping habits are also gradually changing back to pre-pandemic times, with people spending more…

Ice cream is experiencing favourable growth, albeit with some challenges. Factors such as energy and electric prices, the cost of raw materials, and frozen distribution expenses are leading to a higher unit price increase compared to other product…

While current retail sales are set to rise in 2023, boosted by increased price points, ice cream is set to record a small decline in retail volume terms in 2023. However, in contrast to other areas on the snacks landscape, these items are relatively…