Bread is a daily staple of most households in Mexico ensuring there is always a steady demand for these products. However, with Mexico introducing a lockdown in response to COVID-19 this has provided a further boost to sales of bread with consumers unable to eat out, children forced to study at home and many employees also having to work from home. Prior to COVID-19 there had been a growing trend towards unpackaged bread which is cheaper, but which is also perceived to be fresher and…

In an effort to control the spread of COVID-19 the Mexican government introduced a nationwide lockdown at the end of March which sparked fears among consumers of food shortages. This led to a spike in demand for staples and in particular products which carry a long shelf life. Given the importance of rice, pasta and noodles in the Mexican diet these products were a key beneficiary of stockpiling, with this resulting in some supply shortages during the early stages of the lockdown.…

During the lockdown the government asked consumers to avoid making non-essential trips outside of the home to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Concerned about supply shortages in grocery retailers during this period many consumers stockpiled products, with this favouring processed fruit and vegetables which can be easily stored, and which typically carry a long shelf life. By stocking up on products this also helped limit the number of shopping trips that consumers had to make.

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Mayonnaise is decreasing in popularity in Lithuania as a result of changing cooking habits, with many consumers preferring not to spend time cooking food from scratch and eating fewer traditional dishes, such as baltoji misraine. However, despite the decreasing popularity of mayonnaise, mayonnaise-based spreads, such as mayonnaise with hard cheese, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, will see strong growth in 2020, as the traditional view of mayonnaise as a topping for sandwiches and hot dogs…

Prepared salads will retain its status as the most dynamic ready meal in Lithuania in 2020. The strong increase in demand for prepared salads is due to its position as the healthiest option in ready meals as well as its increasing availability and the wider visibility of these products on retail shelves. Previously, many of the products in prepared salads were heavy in mayonnaise and other oily dressings, giving these products a less than optimum image in terms of health and wellness.…

In 2020, ready meals has seen the strongest retail volume growth rate of any year in the review period, along with an even more dynamic current value growth rate, partly due to price rises. The category has seen higher growth due to the COVID-19 lockdown in the first half of the year, when consumers were encouraged to stay at home where possible, including for work and schooling. More time spent at home meant consumers had to make most of their meals themselves, and were therefore looking…

At the start of the review period ready meals sales were suffering due to consumers not perceiving ready meals as part of a healthy lifestyle. However, convenience, as well as a widening variety of ready meals, attracted consumers who wanted to spend less time in their kitchens preparing food. As such, the increasingly hectic lifestyles of Danish consumers shaped consumption patterns and fuelled strong current value and volume growth in ready meals over the review period. In 2020, these…

Soup will continue to see current value growth in all categories in 2020, as it is a favoured comfort food, particularly when the weather is cold and wet outside, and it is quick and easy to prepare. Shelf stable soup will observe the fastest current value growth in 2020 as it was a popular meal choice during lockdown. However, growth was not as much as it could have been, due to the government assuring consumers that there would be undisturbed supply of soup to retail, thus limiting…

Table sauces is one of the categories benefiting from the current boom in the convenience trend in Denmark and will see current value growth in 2020. Besides being easy to use, they are frequently consumed as an accompaniment to easy meal solutions such as ready meals, and, as ready meals has seen increased demand in 2020 due to consumers staying at home to avoid COVID-19, this has benefitted table sauces. Most products in the category are considered unhealthy, but it is not uncommon for…

The number of credit card holders is much lower than the number of debit card holders in Poland, as credit cards are still perceived as a risky banking product. The number of credit cards in circulation was already showing a decline in 2019 as consumers showed an increasing preference for debit cards in line with their intention to better manage their finances from a current account. However, Polish customers who consciously decide to use credit cards tend to pay off their debt quickly and…

Pre-paid cards recorded declines across the category in 2020, with the number of transactions seeing a stronger decline compared to 2019, a trend driven by closed loop pre-paid cards. The latter holds the higher share in terms of cards in circulation, dominated by transportation or so-called city cards which are used to pay for public transport in the country. This explains the much higher number of transactions made through closed loop pre-paid cards in comparison to open loop yet the…

There was no presence of store cards in Poland in 2020, nor is there the likelihood of their re-entry to financial cards over the forecast period with the sole issuer of store cards in the country, Sygma Bank Polska, withdrawing from the market in 2015. Even prior to 2015, the bank was gradually withdrawing store cards from its offer due to the growing popularity of retailer co-branded credit cards issued by players such as Santander Consumer Bank, Crédit Agricole, and Bank BGZ PNB Paribas.…

Charge cards, particularly personal charge cards, were already losing their popularity in Poland prior to the emergence of the pandemic, as consumers increasingly replaced them with credit cards, as the latter offered greater flexibility in terms of making repayments. Polish consumers are relatively unfamiliar with the concept of charge cards, and have limited knowledge regarding their functionality. Moreover, banks do not actively promote personal charge cards to customers in the same way…

The emergence of COVID-19 in Poland and the subsequent lockdown measures initially introduced in March 2020 resulted in unprecedented economic decline for the country, which has also negatively impacted financial cards and payments for the most part. This was linked to rising redundancy levels and decreasing disposable incomes with consumers employed by the previously booming tourism industry in addition to foodservice, particularly hard hit due to the closure of borders and foodservice…

The emergence of COVID-19 accelerated the ongoing migration towards non-cash payments in Poland, further strengthening the already dominant position of contactless smart cards. While initial uncertainty at the beginning of the pandemic in terms of accessing their savings resulted in some consumers making higher withdrawals of cash from ATMs, this was a short-lived trend. It became increasingly apparent through various media reports that the handling of cash and the touching of key pads to…

The COVID-19 outbreak and consequent social distancing and home seclusion has translated into reduced outdoor exercise. Temporary closure of gyms also means that Singaporeans are barred from exercising outside their homes. Combined with rising obesity levels, the lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyles attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic will indirectly result in higher demand for meal replacement products as dieters are likely to turn to weight management products in order to continue…

With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing during the second and third quarters of 2020, the Saudi authorities took a very serious and strict approach to social distancing. Among the most important measures adopted to curb the spread of the virus were the various curfews and quarantines that were imposed upon the country’s population. This led to very many people working from home, mainly white-collar professionals and office workers. As a result, many of the functions of these roles that…

The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent social distancing has resulted in reduced participation in outdoor sports and activities. Temporary closures of non-essential services due to the lockdown also mean that Singaporeans are barred from working out in gyms. With most forms of exercise limited to indoor workouts or low-intensity outdoor exercises, consumers are less likely to consume sports nutrition products. As a result, the lack of sports and exercise will heavily reduce demand for sports…

Although not as common as fever or dry cough, diarrhoea has often been recorded as one of the first signs of COVID-19, with around 20% of COVID-19 patients experiencing the symptom. While this might translate to a minor stockpiling of diarrhoeal remedies, the extent of such purchases is not the same as for analgesics and cough remedies. Furthermore, major retailing channels, including drugstores and pharmacies, tend to limit their inventory of digestive remedies in order to stock up on…

Various lifestyle changes have emerged due to the onset of COVID-19, some of which include the stark decline of outdoor sports, as well as a drop in visits to gyms as a result of social distancing. As such, the risk of contracting fungal infections will fall in tandem with the reduction of exposure to fungus and ringworms present in public gyms and showers.

Euromonitor International's Dermatologicals in Singapore report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market…