Euromonitor Podcasts

The economic impact of the current US government shutdown is directly proportional to the amount of time it continues, says Sarah Boumphrey, Head of Countries and Consumers Research at Euromonitor. The longer the shutdown, the more GDP and consumer confidence will decline. The more frightening situation is the looming negotiations regarding the debt ceiling. Considering the shutdown, many analysts...

What’s more important to the success of an energy drink – the functionality and flavour of the beverage or the marketing strategy? Jonas Feliciano, Beverages Industry Analyst at Euromonitor, argues the two go hand in hand and Red Bull’s rise to prominence is a perfect example. The association of energy drinks with extreme sports and edgy lifestyle can be pinpointed to Red Bull’s marketing strategy...

In almost every country in Europe, the youth unemployment rate exceeds the total unemployment rate. These high rates are having a negative impact on the consumer goods industry, as unemployed young people lack spending power. Speculation is mounting that higher education is no longer worth the cost, and some institutes in Europe are reporting falling rates of attendance. However, Carrie Lennard, G...

Angela Merkel was reelected in Germany’s national elections on Sunday, September 22, somewhat of a rarity in the eurozone with leaders supporting austerity measures facing election challenges. Carrie Lennard, Government, Labour and Education manager at Euromonitor states that Merkel’s reelection will positively impact the eurozone, with the region in need of strong, decisive leaders. Germany is th...

New telecommunications technologies, such as fiber optic lines and 4G wireless networks, are helping consumers around the world connect to the internet and with each other at increasingly faster rates. Businesses that use landline driven connections, such as fiber options, benefit due to faster and more stable connectivity. Consumers, who tend to lean towards mobile telecommunications, also benefi...

Los consumidores chilenos están experimentando estilos de vida donde el trabajo consume gran parte de su tiempo, por lo que tienen menos tiempo para hacer sus compras. Los canales de venta enfocados en la conveniencia, como las tiendas de conveniencia, tiendas de estaciones de servicio e internet se benefician de esta tendencia. En este podcast, Fernando Cruz, analista de investigación en Euromoni...

Michael Schaefer, Head of Beverages and Foodservice, discusses the growing importance of locally-developed concepts serving foreign items tailored to local consumers. Commonplace in developed markets like the UK and US, where chains like PF Chang’s or Wagamama offer modernised, localised takes on foreign cuisines, such concepts are also beginning to appear in markets like China or the UAE, reflect...

On the surface, wheat prices seemed to be stagnant in August.  However, the USDA called for high crop prospects in Spain, France and Germany which lowered wheat prices. Freezing temperatures in Argentina and the subsequent crop loss raised prices and wheat futures leveled out going into September. Francisco Redruello, Senior Food Analyst at Euromonitor, also discusses corn, sugar, cocoa and skim m...

China is set to overtake the US to become the largest market for food and beverage ingredients in 2014. China will consume 87 million tonnes of food and beverage ingredients in the next five years, and three quarters of that is expected to come from commodity ingredients alone - meat and grains for instance. Value added ingredients such as flavours and artificial sweeteners are also projected to p...

After years of emphasis on premiumisation, brand repositioning and outlet remodelling, American fast food is firmly revisiting its value core. Consumers have demonstrated their commitment to the lowest value tier, leaving operators with the difficult task of promoting low-margin items without losing out on profitability. In this podcast, Euromonitor International’s Global Foodservice Analyst Eliza...

Africa’s gross domestic product expanded by 229% between 2000-2012, well above the global average, with no signs of slowing production. Between the country’s abundant natural resources and demand from Asia Pacific, Africa is set to continue growing labour productivity and exports. Lots of brands claim to be number one… but can they prove it? At Euromonitor International, we help brands build trust...

Sales of metal beverage cans recently have declined but new innovations are expected to increase sales. For example, Budweiser released a bow-tie shaped can in the US market as a brand awareness initiative. Coca-Cola released a can in Singapore that twists into two separate cans for sharing. This continuing innovation could help bring the metal can back to prevalence. Lots of brands claim to be nu...

Coca-Cola Life, Coke’s first product sweetened with stevia, recently launched in Argentina. Coke’s launch plan is not random; Argentina’s health and wellness market has grown by 20 percent or more every year since 2003. In the soft drinks category, Coca-Cola Life is challenging the popular flavored waters category that combines low-calorie content with vitamins or antioxidants. Stevia, which is sw...

Emirates Airlines is the leading regional airline in the Middle East and North Africa with more than 11% of the airline market. It reaches 133 destinations as of June 2013 and plans to expand aggressively; especially in North America where talks with American Airlines are underway. Although several low cost carriers have opened recently in the region, these airlines are not expected to take away f...

The Belgian retailer Delhaize recently exited the Hungarian market due to a new tax in the country. This “special retail tax” impacts foreign retailers only, and combined with increasing competition in the retailing market, forced Delhaize’s three brands, Cora, Math and Profi, to sell their property to other retailers. The exit comes at a good time for retailers in Hungary seeking to expand their...

Sarah Boumphrey, Head of Countries and Consumers at Euromonitor, discusses the reasons behind the world’s fastest and slowest growing economies of 2013. The fastest growing economies are all African and the slowest growing economies are located in Europe – all of which will end 2013 with smaller economies than they started with. Sarah also explores the largest and smallest countries in terms of di...

The founder of EasyJet, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, is launching a low-cost food store to rival the likes of Lidl and Aldi in the United Kingdom. EasyFoodstore will focus on a limited range of basic, no name brand foods at bargain prices. Euromonitor Retail Analysts Antonia Brandston and Raphael Moreau state that the market is large for discounters; however, it will be hard to make this particular b...

Smart Homes are homes that feature highly automated functionality – not just computers, audio/visual elements and security, but also temperature, window and door operation and lighting control. These elements can be controlled via systems that many consumers already have: wifi and smartphones. Daphne Kasriel, Consumers Editor at Euromonitor, walks through the benefits and potential risks of owning...

Собственные торговые марки активно развиваются на российском рынке продуктов питания.  Объем их продаж вырос на 22% в 2012 в стоимостном выражении. По словам аналитика Марии Милашевич, основным импульсом к такому развитию  стал экономический кризис. Потребитель стал еще более чувствителен к цене и рационален в выборе, что способствует развитию собственных торговых марок на сегодняшнем рынке. Кроме...

Private label in packaged food is expanding in Russia due to price conscious shopping since the global recession. New retail chains are expanding their own private label offerings to entice Russian consumers, especially in categories where brand loyalty is low, such as milk and cereal. However, private label manufacturers will still face challenges, including the preconceived notion that private l...

China is the largest global market for consumer appliances and its retailing landscape has a huge influence on sales and competition.  In the past, domestic manufacturers were seen as a lower alternative to foreign manufacturers, however domestic brands are shifting to energy efficient and high tech products in order to compete with other foreign companies. With high internet penetration in China,...

Gross domestic product (GDP) and Gross national income (GNI) are two of the most commonly used expressions in macroeconomic analysis and are often used interchangeably. Hilary Walsh, Economy, Finance and Trade Manager at Euromonitor explains the difference between the two terms and their application in understanding different economic aspects of a country. Lots of brands claim to be number one… bu...

Tesco announced on August 9 th , 2013 that China Resources Enterprises will take an 80% stake in all of Tesco’s Chinese operations. Tesco has seen its rankings in the country steadily decline from 20 th in 2007 to 26 th in 2012, despite expanding its store network in recent years. Rising rent has already forced some Tesco outlets to close, and if the trend continues, more stores will be forced to...

Consumers in Chile routinely add mayonnaise to their French fries but also many other foods - including hamburgers, potatoes, sweet corn and hot dogs. An estimated 2.28 Kilograms of Mayonnaise will be consumed per person in the country in 2013 and the premiumisation of the mayonnaise category is driving up market values.  Brands such as Hellman’s Premium and Kraft are the fastest growing in the ca...

Los chilenos añaden rutinariamente mayonesa a las papas fritas pero también a muchas otras comidas que incluyen hamburguesas, papas, maíz y hot dogs.  Alrededor de 2,28 kgs de mayonesa serán consumidos por persona en el país en 2013 y la premiumización está empujando el aspecto de valor del mercado aún más arriba.  Marcas como Hellman’s Premium y Kraft son las de más rápido crecimiento en el merca...