Euromonitor Podcasts

A revised excise tax for alcoholic drinks in Lithuania is set to begin on April 1, 2014, increasing taxes on wine by 14 percent, beer by 10 percent and spirits by 1 percent. This is good news for the spirits industry, as taxes on spirits will be raised the least, therefore making spirits more affordable to consumers. However, the flow of illicitly traded alcoholic drinks may increase in the countr...

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Although the eurozone contracted by 0.4 percent in 2013, the largest economies in the region showed positive growth that will continue into 2014. Germany will achieve a small economic boost in 2014 dependent on exports, meaning any external shocks could weaken the economy. France will also see positive but weak growth alongside high unemployment rates and structural reforms are imperative to revit...

Il mercato del giardinaggio in Italia ha registrato una caduta del 4% nel 2013, a causa della congiuntura economica negativa e delle avverse condizioni ambientali nella primavera del 2013. Tuttavia, i prodotti naturali ed organici usati per il giardinaggio hanno tratto beneficio dalla crescente attenzione degli italiani per l’ambiente e per la salute. Alcune aziende del settore hanno lanciato nuov...

The home and garden market in Italy fell by 4 percent in 2013 amidst a poor economy and an unexpected rainy season. Home and garden companies however, can leverage Italians organic and natural product preference to grow sales as consumers demonstrate increased interest in non-chemical products, recycling and environmental sustainability. Over the next five years, Euromonitor expects a myriad of pr...

2014 will see tissue and hygiene companies investing more heavily in emerging markets and divesting in developed markets. In developing countries such as China, tissue and hygiene companies will move from higher to lower populated cities, targeting rural consumers. In developed countries, more divestments are taking place as private label products become a real threat. For example, in 2013 Kimberl...

China’s wages are increasing and the world is looking for another country able to manufacture goods at lower costs. India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam could all potentially take away manufacturing jobs from China. Investors are not only looking for countries offering low wages but also good infrastructure, and all four countries meet those requirements. Vietnam, for example, is already...

The periphery economies of the Eurozone, Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, saw the largest falls in their respective GDPs during the economic crisis and all received bailouts. Although the four countries are performing better as of late, all have a long way to go in their economic recovery. Portugal narrowly avoided a second bailout in 2013 and is expected to return to economic growth in 2014....

The market for tablet-based laundry detergent in Italy took a sharp decline in 2013 following impressive growth in previous years. Consumers in Italy, worried about a possible economic downturn, are conserving not only their money but also their washing detergent, making sure to wash with only the necessary amount. The control that liquid detergent provides means Italians are not buying tablet-bas...

The Networked Readiness Index (NRI) is a ranking published yearly by the World Economic Forum measuring the likelihood a country exploits opportunities in information and communications technologies and is used to benchmark the sophistication and development of a countries IT infrastructure. This measure is important for businesses looking to enter new countries as it can easily determine if a cou...

Kraft and Mondelez recently released their first full year results after the historic splitting of Kraft Foods Inc. The results see Kraft recording relatively stagnant growth while Mondelez only grew slightly. However, Mondelez is better positioned to take on the global market, as its portfolio contains products growing faster in emerging markets such as confectionary and biscuits. In order for Kr...

A 2010 national survey of consumers in Colombia found poor of the nutritional habits.  To change these habits, the country has been airing television ads, internet campaigns and publishing health information in newspapers and magazines. One important way Colombian are addressing their issues are with an increased uptake in vitamins and supplements. While an exercise routine or dietary change may b...

En una encuesta nacional que se hizo a los consumidores colombianos en 2010 se reveló que los colombianos tienen malos hábitos nutricionales.  Para cambiar estos hábitos, en el país han estado saliendo al aire anuncios de televisión, campañas de internet y se ha estado publicando información acerca de temas relacionados con la salud en periódicos y revistas. Una manera importante en que los consum...

Wearable electronics, such as Google Glass and smart watches, help manufacturers explore an untapped personal electronics market. Although not all wearable electronics have caught on with consumers, devices centered on healthy living and fitness are expected to grow the most. The category as a whole is expected to expand rapidly in 2014 in Western Europe, globally by 2016 and will sell around 250...

Nestlé recently launched a new coffee pod system called the Nespresso VertuoLine, capable of brewing an 8 ounce cup of coffee and a 4 ounce cup of espresso.  Nespresso is a distance second in the North American coffee pod market behind Green Mountain, makers of the Keurig machine. With the VertuoLine, Nestlé hopes to gain ground on Green Mountain however pricing and limited access to the coffee po...

Digital consumption, the use of products or services via the Internet by consumers, is on a constant rise as more and more consumers gain Internet access. Consumption of entertainment based services will be the number one trend in 2014, with companies such as Netflix and Apple gaining massive amounts of subscribers and expand into emerging markets. Purchasing consumer appliances via the internet i...

AEON, one of Japan’s largest retailers, opened its first shopping mall location in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in January 2014. The mall is one of the largest in Vietnam and includes an AEON hypermarket inside the facility. Vietnam saw double digit value growth in retailing in the last five years, making it a prime target for AEON, which has similar outlets in only three other Asian countries. AEON...

El mercado mexicano de alimento para mascotas es el décimo más grande del mundo. Sin embargo más que su tamaño, el mayor interés en este mercado recae en su dinamismo, ya que viene creciendo a tasas anuales de alrededor del 13% (en valor) desde 2008. En este podcast, Beatriz Torres, Analista de Investigación en Euromonitor discute las tendencias que hay detrás de este crecimiento, así como el impa...

Mexico’s Grupo Bimbo recently announced it will purchase the Canada Bread Company, a division of Maple Leaf Foods. Grupo Bimbo is set to gain a strong portfolio of well-established Canadian brands, although the heavily saturated bakery segment in Canada will not shift dramatically. Strong competition from both George Weston, Canada’s largest food processing company, and local artisan bread compani...

Reducing sugar intake is a hot topic for health conscious consumers, media campaigns and even the World Health Organisation. Food manufacturers that release low-sugar versions of their products often find these items simply do not sell. Consumers either complain about the taste of these low-sugar variants or do not buy them outright, especially in indulgent categories such as confectionary. The be...

Brazil has been relatively untapped in the last five years by major multinational apparel companies due to the many entry barriers in the country. Weak infrastructure, high taxation on imports and soaring logistical costs were enough to delay apparel companies until now. Brazil’s economic boom is drawing the likes of Gap, Forever 21 and H&M into the country in 2014, although analysts speculate...

Fast-casual operator Chipotle is known for its sustainable practices and non-traditional advertising, but the chain is headed into new territory by launching an online TV show called “Farmed and Dangerous” premiering on Hulu.com. The show is a satirical look at the industrial farming industry in a similar vein to the company’s recent animated videos. With this show, Chipotle wants to connect to it...

Consumer appliance manufacturers want to boost profitability in both Western Europe and North America. With the market for washers already saturated in both markets, appliance manufacturers are pushing dryers in Western Europe where penetration is low. In North America, companies are innovating with new technologies such as the self-dosing washing machine. Industry Analysts Cristina Baus and Loren...

Euromonitor International is pleased to introduce Sound Bite, a new monthly podcast series discussing food markets worldwide. In this episode, Lamine Lahouasnia, Head of Packaged Food Research and Ildiko Szalai, Senior Food Analyst discuss the Chinese dairy and baby food market. The Chinese market is the main focus for many international food producers as the country currently has no international...

The European Union Trilogue, which consists of the Parliament, Council and Commission, recently agreed on a  final proposed draft of the revised Tobacco Products Directive with several key changes. Notably, all packs will carry a 65% graphic health warning, all flavouring, including menthol,  will be banned, e-cigarettes will be regulated more as tobacco products than as medicines and there will b...