Western Europe

The rising popularity of cats as household companions is leading to significant expansion of the cat population, driving up the demand for cat litter in Germany. This surge in feline ownership is creating a robust market opportunity for manufacturers…

Pet care in Germany is experiencing some shifts, driven by changing consumer behaviours and market dynamics. Despite a slowdown in the growth of the pet population, the industry continues to flourish, propelled by enduring trends such as…

Other pet food in Germany is only experiencing marginal volume growth in 2024. Post-pandemic Germany is witnessing a discernible preference shift towards traditional pets such as dogs and cats, with small mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish garnering…

Dog food in Germany is experiencing pronounced polarisation of price segments, with mid-priced dry dog food recording a decline in 2024, while both premium and economy segments are enjoying notable growth. This trend is being driven by evolving…

Demand for premium cat food in Germany continues to grow in 2024. Notably, the cat population in Germany is increasing at a faster rate than the dog population, creating a larger customer base for cat food. This demographic shift is heightening…

In 2023, the homewares category in Sweden faced significant challenges as consumers delayed purchases due to the rising cost of living, driven by inflation, higher interest rates, and increased energy and food prices. Consequently, the category…

In 2023, the home improvement category in Sweden witnessed a notable decline, primarily attributed to the crash in the real estate market. With dwindling property demand and reduced construction activity amid an ailing economy, the housing sector…

In 2023, the global surge in demand for LED lamps was propelled by multiple factors, creating a cohesive narrative of growth and opportunity. Initially, the momentum stemmed from the renowned energy efficiency of these products, a trait highly…

In 2023, the home and garden market in Sweden experienced a decline due to a decrease in consumer confidence. This, coupled with rising inflation and interest rates, contributed to a negative economic outlook. This downturn led to a reduction in the…

In 2023, the gardening category in Sweden experienced declining growth across categories such as fertilisers, gardening equipment, and watering products. This downturn was primarily driven by consumers postponing purchases due to the rising cost of…

Tobacco saw continued decline in France in 2023 in both volume and value terms. The increase in taxes on cigarettes during the year led to higher prices, with popular brands such as Marlboro Red 20 priced at EUR11.50, Camel Filters 20 at EUR11.00,…

Retail sales of tobacco in Finland continued to fall in volume terms in 2023, consistent with the downward trend in smoking prevalence across the country. Finns are very aware of the harmful impact of smoking, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic,…

Overall, tobacco in Denmark saw a further strong decline in retail volume sales in 2023. However, there were oases of retail volume growth to be found within the industry. In general, tobacco consumption continued to be adversely affected by…

In Austria, retail volume sales of cigarettes experienced a notable decline in 2023, falling below pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time. This decline follows a pandemic-induced increase when travel restrictions limited access to cheaper cigarettes…

The sales of sunglasses in the Netherlands continue to thrive, benefiting from their positioning not only as essential protective accessories but also as fashion complements. With a heightened awareness of the dangers of UV light and an increasing…

Having exceeded 2019 retail volume and current value sales for the first time in 2023, sunglasses in Spain continues to recover from the slump caused by the exigencies of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sunglasses is projected to see the fastest…

The performance of sunglasses is heavily influenced by the weather in France as well as tourism trends. In 2022, sales of sunglasses peaked due to high temperatures throughout the summer and the strong revival of national and international tourism in…

Spectacles are expected to record positive growth in 2024, driven by a continuous increase in the consumer base in the Netherlands. Dutch consumers view spectacle frames as essential items, similar to spectacle lenses, making them less likely to…

Spectacles in Spain is expected to see modest, and slower, retail volume growth over 2024, compared to 2023. However, supported by an increase in the average retail unit price, retail value (constant 2024 prices) sales are projected to rise for the…

Spectacles in France continues to grow at a healthy pace in 2024, in both retail volume and current value terms, with unit prices declining in both frames and lenses. Sales of spectacle lenses are slowing in 2024, due to the ongoing effect of the RAC…

As in 2022, smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Denmark did not see uniform retail volume sales developments at the end of the review period. In this vein, retail volume sales of chewing tobacco and e-vapour products continued…

Heated tobacco products saw strong growth in 2023, solidifying their position as the most established nicotine source next to cigarette smoking in Austria. Consumers widely perceive these products as less harmful than cigarettes, making them a…

The market for smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Finland saw especially buoyant growth in retail volume terms in 2023, following the deregulation of nicotine pouches in April of the same year. This meant that these products,…

The smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco category continued to expand in France at the end of the review period, reaching around EUR1.3 billion in 2023. The number of vapers in France also continued to increase, reaching around 2.7…

Homewares in Spain witnessed robust value growth during the pandemic years as lockdowns and home isolation fostered a widespread interest in home cooking. In 2023, however, without any restrictions on mobility, Spanish consumers returned to their…

Home improvement in Spain witnessed a significant slowdown in performance, with current value sales falling into decline in 2023. The slump in domestic home renovations was aligned with the contraction in real estate and construction in Spain, both…

Home furnishings in Spain witnessed slower growth in current value terms over 2023, with inflation and price increases underpinning much of this progress. Demand for home furnishings was affected by the rising price of furniture and raw materials,…

Home and garden in Spain witnessed a notable slowdown in current value growth during 2023, with price increases largely responsible for this growth. The ongoing financial pressures suffered by Spanish consumers and the slowdown in Spain’s real estate…

Despite the strong interest in gardening as a leisure activity in Spain, current value growth slowed in 2023. The unusually harsh weather – a prolonged drought followed by heavy rain – disrupted the typical spring season when most gardening sales…

In 2024, sales of eyewear in the Netherlands are experiencing healthy growth, continuing the positive trend from the previous year. Despite facing challenges such as price increases and inflation, Dutch consumers consider eyewear an essential item…

Eyewear in Spain continues to see a return to pre-Coronavirus (COVID-19) consumption patterns in 2024. As in 2023, the end of COVID-19-related restrictions in the country has seen Spanish consumers resume out-of-home lifestyles, returning more fully…

In 2024, eyewear in France is witnessing slower growth compared to recent years, in both retail volume and current value terms. With inflation softening in 2024, French consumers and inbound tourists who can afford to pay for luxury products are…

Sales of contact lenses and solutions remain driven by daily disposable lenses in the Netherlands, continuing the trend evidenced during the latter part of the review period. Manufacturers are committed to increasing the penetration of daily…

Retail volume and current value sales of contact lenses and solutions in Spain are expected to see strong growth over 2024, albeit slower compared to 2023. Economic factors in 2024 continue to exert a strong influence on the category. In this vein,…

Sales of contact lenses and solutions in France are moderating in 2024 following a period of strong growth during and directly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The inconvenience of spectacle lenses fogging up while wearing masks had deterred some people…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco saw volumes continue to fall in France in 2023. By comparison with other categories, fine cut tobacco was spared during the COVID-19 years due to the fact that it was subject to lower taxation than cigarettes.…

The market for cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Finland showed a mixed performance in 2023. On a positive note, cigars managed to maintain the broadly positive growth trend which had been in evidence since the start of the pandemic. The…

Overall, retail volume sales of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Denmark continued to see a double-digit decline in 2023. The demand for these types of tobacco products remained negatively affected as they tend to have an older consumer…

Volume sales of cigars and cigarillos continued to decrease in Austria in 2023, but at a significantly slower rate than cigarettes. Demand for these products experienced a strong push during the pandemic, and volume sales for both cigars and…

Cigarettes saw volume sales decline in France in 2023. Legal sales of cigarettes were forced to take another backseat in 2023. Having seen no tax increase in 2022 (the immediate post-pandemic period), taxes rose again in 2023, which resulted in a…

Volume sales of cigarettes in Finland continued to decline in 2023. Finns are very aware of the harmful impact of smoking, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is a clear polarisation taking place between those who smoke and…

Retail volumes sales of cigarettes in Denmark continued to see a double-digit decline in 2023. This performance fits with a general downward trajectory in the smoking prevalence for cigarettes in the market, as taxation, health and wellness trends…

In 2023, the retail value sales of cigarettes in Austria continued their downward trajectory, dropping below pre-COVID-19 volume sales levels of 2019. During the pandemic, cigarette consumption had seen a temporary boost due to increased consumption…

With Turkey continuing to see elevated inflation in 2024, consumers continue show a more cautious attitude towards consumption. As such, consumers are postponing purchases of non-essential products, such as sunglasses, which is resulting in a decline…

Sunglasses in Sweden is one of the most dynamic categories in eyewear. Since the post-pandemic boom in sales, volume growth slowed in 2022 and 2023, but momentum is building in 2024. The strong premiumisation trend coupled with inflation continues to…

Overall growth in spectacles is set to remain steady if moderate in retail volume terms throughout 2024 fuelled by rising demand for progressive lenses. Demand for progressive spectacle lenses is being driven by Turkey’s ageing population, coupled…

Spectacles in Sweden continues to display solid retail volume and current value growth boosted by rising unit prices and inflation. The ageing population along with lifestyle changes, such as greater exposure to digital screens, is boosting demand…

In 2023, homewares in Germany only witnessed marginal current value sales growth. However, this was largely driven by inflation and price increases. Slowing demand was driven by high consumer price inflation and poor economic growth in the country,…

In 2023, value sales of home improvement in Germany witnessed a decline, in line with the contraction in new home construction projects and persistently high lending rates along with elevated raw material costs in the building trade, driving a…

In 2023, home furnishings in Germany witnessed a significant contraction of value sales, driven by adverse macroeconomic conditions. The country’s GDP declined in 2023, and geopolitical tensions, such as the war in Ukraine, continued to fuel…