Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia, sports nutrition had been registering a positive performance, despite negative sales growth in 2017. One factor spurring growth was the increasing numbers of women’s gyms opening in the Kingdom after changes to licensing laws in 2017 made it legal for women’s gyms to operate in the country. These women’s gyms proved popular despite high membership fees. In addition, sports nutrition was being heavily promoted by personal trainers…

Demand for wound care came under significant pressure during 2020, resulting in negative volume growth being seen in the category as the extended periods of curfew and quarantine that were imposed upon the population of Saudi Arabia during the second third course of the year reduced the opportunities for people to injure themselves whilst engaged in outdoor activities. Although many accidents occur in the home, the fact that gymnasiums remain closed and, in particular, the fact that children…

In response to the pressure that was expected to come on the Saudi health service as a result of the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kingdom during the second and third quarters of 2020, the Ministry of Health advised all dentists’ surgeries and dermatology clinics to accept only urgent appointments, in order to reserve treatment for critical patients and to hold all appointments pen for at least two weeks, unless particularly urgent. This restriction was subsequently relaxed to…

Acetaminophen had a very good year in 2020 as the use of both adult acetaminophen and paediatric acetaminophen increased substantially. In particular, sales increased substantially during the first peak period of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, with consumers responding positively to the recommendations of physicians and the National health authorities that acetaminophen is more effective in treating some of the most pronounced symptoms of the COVID-19 virus, including fever, headaches,…

Emerging stress factors relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 have increased incidence of insomnia and mental health disorders in 2020. Some of these stress factors include fear of contracting COVID-19, anxiety resulting from home seclusion, job losses due to the economic downturn and, in some cases, psychological stress due to domestic abuse. Stress levels are exacerbated by the fact that mental health services were unavailable during the Circuit Breaker lockdown. During this period, the…

Like systemic analgesics, cough, cold and allergy remedies saw a spike in sales in 2020, attributing to the effects of stockpiling and panic-buying among consumers. According to VIA, Euromonitor International’s e-commerce pricing and availably analytic tool, the median price index of cough, cold and allergy remedies products online surged from a base index of 100 to close to 130 in mid-February, before returning to normal in March. The spike in prices happened immediately after the…

The result of the Circuit Breaker lockdown due to COVID-19 in Singapore has greatly reduced the rate of smoking. First, home seclusion and social distancing translated into less need for smoking socially and outdoors. Next, the closure of all smoking corners, as well as mandatory mask wearing, also indicates greater inconvenience for smokers to smoke while outdoors. Furthermore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) also announced a prohibition on leaving the house just to smoke. Combined…

The outbreak of COVID-19 in Singapore led to the raising of the DORSCON risk assessment level from yellow to orange in early February 2020. Shortly after this decision, panic-buying of systemic analgesics ensued as consumers rushed to stock up on pain-relievers to ensure they were readily prepared. Stockpiling of analgesics took place both offline and online, with local drugstores Watsons and Guardian experiencing a spike in online traffic purchases immediately after the orange level alert…

The consumer health market in Singapore recorded a positive performance in 2020, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic contributing to overall growth. Across the industry, it is clear that some categories outperformed others, namely systemic analgesics, cough, cold remedies and immunity boosting vitamins and dietary supplements, as consumers prioritised products that could combat against the symptoms of COVID-19. Evidently, the pandemic brought upon a spike in prices as well as product…

The COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Saudi Arabia at a time when demand for digestive remedies was already under pressure due to increasing awareness of the importance of healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes that focus on attempts to avoid obesity, or at least maintain a healthy and manageable body weight. The official response to the COVID-19 pandemic intensified this pressure as obesity is widely known to be a key comorbidity factor in serious cases of COVID-19 syndrome. At the same…

Reduced participation in outdoor sports and strenuous exercise, coupled with the closure of sports centres and gyms due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, will contribute to lower incidences of sport injuries in 2020. In addition, the increase in the number of Singaporeans working from home will also reduce the risk of workplace injuries. While injuries arising from indoor incidents may increase in number, the large decline in outdoor injuries will negatively affect demand for wound…

The closure of offices due to COVID-19 has had a marked negative impact on sales of chilled ready meals, especially those sold through convenience stores. Chilled ready meals relies heavily on lunch sales to office workers. Indeed, buying bento boxes from convenience stores is one of the most popular lunch options for office workers. Major convenience store chains reported sharp declines in sales after the state of emergency was declared in Japan. Notably, those convenience stores with…

While most ready meals categories have recorded much improved demand in 2020, dinner mixes in particular have gained significantly in popularity due to the home cooking trend, which has arisen from COVID-19 lockdown and ongoing home seclusion in Australia. Meal kit players and brands such as General Mills, Marley Spoon and HelloFresh have been making gains within the category, as more consumers have switched from shopping in person to shopping online, given the lower risk of viral…

Consumers took to panic-buying goods during Q1 of 2020, worried that they would need supplies for periods of isolation, or that COVID-19 would impact stock levels in essential stores. As such, many consumers took to stockpiling shelf-stable processed meat and seafood, including canned, processed meat Spam and canned tuna; both of which are easy to store. This is set to see value growth boosted from 2% in 2019, to a projected 5% in 2020, with shelf stable meat moving from a decline in 2019,…

Due to panic-buying in the early stages of the pandemic, the stagnating processed fruits and vegetables saw a recovery in value and volume sales. Consumers were stockpiling products in preparation for a prolonged lockdown and for their long shelf life as well as affordability. This is set to see value growth boosted from 1% in 2019 to a projected 5% in 2020, with shelf stable tomatoes moving from a decline in 2019 to a prediction of 8% value growth. However, this unprecedented demand led to…

With home seclusion and lockdown measures in place during 2020, breakfast cereals is set to see a boost in value and volume sales, moving from 1% value growth in 2019, to a prediction of 5% for 2020.

Euromonitor International's Breakfast Cereals in Australia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2015-2019, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading…

Value growth for baked goods is set to increase from 3% in 2019 to a prediction of over 5% for 2020, with volume growth moving from 2% to a prediction of 4%. This increase is set to be impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19, with the lockdown period and consumers staying at home more often, boosting sales of foods eaten within the home. This was particularly the case for those working or studying from home, who demanded easy lunch options as well as snacks. With consumers spending more time at…

Euromonitor International's Store Card Transactions in Hong Kong, China report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs cards, smart cards, credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, pre-paid cards and store cards. It looks at key players in the market (issuers and operators), number of cards in circulation, numbers transactions and value of transactions. It offers strategic analysis of sector forecasts and trends to watch.

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Euromonitor International's Store Card Transactions in Hong Kong, China report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs cards, smart cards, credit cards, debit cards, charge cards, pre-paid cards and store cards. It looks at key players in the market (issuers and operators), number of cards in circulation, numbers transactions and value of transactions. It offers strategic analysis of sector forecasts and trends to watch.

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Open loop pre-paid cards account for most transactions when it comes to pre-paid cards, with closed loop pre-paid cards remaining a niche. The primary use for open loop pre-paid cards in Hong Kong is for paying for public transport and taxi rides. Therefore, with consumers spending more time at home for both work and leisure due to COVID-19 this has put a big dent in pre-paid card transactions in 2020. Furthermore, while open loop pre-paid cards can also often be used to pay for restaurant…