Euromonitor Podcasts

Medical Tourism, which is the act of travelling to another country for a medical procedure, is one of the fastest growing categories in travel in Eastern Europe. Many Europeans prefer to travel to Eastern Europe over other medical tourism destinations such as Singapore and India due to cheaper travel costs, the closer proximity of Eastern Europe and the cultural similarities. Dental treatment and...

Wheat futures dropped by two percent in May and was a frantic month for traders. During the first three weeks of the month, production output was upgraded and wheat prices were lowered. However, a strain of genetically modified wheat was discovered on farms in Oregon in the US, and several Asian countries withheld wheat orders as a result. The ensuing confusion caused prices to rise. Francisco Red...

The patterns of how consumers purchase hygiene products are changing as technology progresses. For instance, internet retailing of nappies / diapers has risen sharply in recent years. In fact, 40 percent of all diapers sold in South Korea are via online transactions. Ian Bell, Head of Tissue and Hygiene Research at Euromonitor, explains future opportunities for selling models, including thoughts o...

As women delay having children and the overall age of first time parents continues to rise, kids are still coming first in the family despite the lingering effects of a global recession. However, there is a price to pay for this, as parents are working longer hours and more jobs to keep their children well clothed and fed. Daphne Kasriel, Consumers Editor at Euromonitor, dives into this trend and...

Michael Kors exceeded Coach in absolute sales growth for the first time ever in 2012, sparked by a 67% increase in North American sales. Part of the success of the Michael Kors brand is due its evolution into other accessories such as watches. Competition between these brands will remain fierce in the upcoming years, with Coach expected to combat Michael Kors by introducing new products that targe...

The home care market in Japan caters to its aging population by recognizing not only that these consumers have the most money to spend on products, but they are also increasingly physically restricted. For instance, Kao Corporation released the Attack Sheet in 1999, a laundry detergent in a sheet format, which is a lighter alternative than a heavy container. Kao has recently released a highly conc...

Fresh Market, a grocery store owned by Ipsun in Belarus, is set to expand to Lithuania in 2013,  expand ing  in to  residential areas and offer ing  fresh items such as fruit, meat and fish. The grocery market in Lithuania is already highly concentrated, but Fresh Market hopes to gain a competitive advantage by tapping into a smaller, convenience store-type format. Fresh Market's long term pe...

The balance of payments (BOP) refers to a county's international transactions and judges how a country interacts with the rest of the world. Daniel Tarling-Hunter, Economist at Euromonitor, explains how the BOP is divided into current, capital and financial accounts, analyzing several countries through their balance of payments. Lots of brands claim to be number one… but can they prove it? At...

Consumers in India are pulling back on spending, especially in the categories of food and drink, leisure and apparel. Changing consumer attitudes are responsible for this pullback - consumers are weighing options and comparing features and prices before they buy. The economy in India has an enormous consumer base with increasing disposable income and the overall impact of the slowdown is not expec...

Rising futures was the theme for April, with Chicago wheat futures rising by eight percent due to weak exports from Russia. London Cocoa futures also rose in April, up five percent due to supply concerns from Indonesia, where rain is delaying the ongoing harvest. In a large surge, Fonterra skim milk powder increased by 27 percent.. Dry weather in New Zealand is forcing farmers to turn to expensive...

It is expected that in the Queen's Speech 2013, the plain packaging law for tobacco that was proposed in the UK will not be introduced. Shane MacGuill, Tobacco Industry Analyst, confirms the news in this podcast and discusses the significance of the decision for the tobacco industry. Abandoning the law may influence other governments looking to pass similar laws to abandon their efforts. This...

Euromonitor's annual survey of online respondents in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UK and the US revealed interesting traits about mothers on a global scale. In honor of Mother's Day, Eileen Bevis, Survey Manager at Euromonitor, compares mothers today to mothers fifty years ago, defines the role of the internet in mothers’ lives and compares the roles of mothers to fa...

The H7N9 virus - or Bird Flu as it is commonly called - is again spreading in China with 126 known infections as of May 1. Serena Jian, Senior Research Analyst for Home Care, Tissue and Hygiene at Euromonitor, says that previous outbreaks in China led to a boom in the home care industry, with concerned consumers rushing to stores to purchase items such as bleach, household antiseptics and disinfec...

Trends in government finance directly impact businesses and consumers and are a reliable way to judge the overall economic health of a country. Analyzing economic health can indicate if a business should enter a country. Carrie Lenard, Government, Labour and Education Manager, discusses how to interpret and use government net lending and borrow data in the first part of this podcast series. Lots o...

The homewares market performed well in Eastern Europe in 2012, with stove top cookware taking the top spot in category sales. In homewares retailing, IKEA showed strong growth as a result of diversified product lines at affordable prices. Counterfeit items, created to look like popular brands, pose a threat; however, homewares will continue modest growth and reach pre-crisis levels by 2016-2017. L...

Procter and Gamble recently launched a pod-type delivery system using its Ariel laundry detergent in parts of Europe. The launch followed a similar release, Persil Bio Gel Caps by Henkel. These new products mimic pod-based innovations seen in the automatic dishwashing segment. In both industries, pod-based delivery creates multi-functionality and adds value for money. For instance, laundry pods mi...

In Asia, the shape of the contact lens market is changing due to demand for specific types of lenses. One such segment is circle lenses, a type of lens that covers an area larger than the iris, giving the appearance of a larger eye. Users wear these lenses to create a childlike, doe-eyed appearance similar to that of a Japanese anime character. This trend is very popular in Asia, but will probably...

Raphael Moreau discusses Tesco's exit of the US Market. Lots of brands claim to be number one… but can they prove it? At Euromonitor International, we help brands build trust through evidence-based research. Our claim validation service ensures your marketing messages are backed by real data. Stand out in a crowded market.  Visit euromonitor.com/claims to learn more.

Kimberly Clark has exited the nappies / diapers business in Western Europe, but it is still developing its wipes offering in the area. Although baby hygiene products haven't performed specifically well in the past couple years, consumers have taken to buying baby wipes for other uses, such as makeup removal, and then flushing the wipes instead of throwing them away. Kimberly Clark plans to ve...

The categories of confectionary, sweet and savory snacks and biscuits / cookies all grew throughout the economic crisis and are still growing due to the changes in unit volume sizes in each category. Consumers looking to save money will often purchase a smaller pack size. This trend is especially prevalent in North America, where growing health concerns are taking sales away from these indulgent c...

Alcoholic drink sales are on the rise in the UAE, driven mainly by consumers going out to more hotels, bars, and restaurants. Sales are also getting a boost from tourists, who are spending more time and money in the UAE's nightlife scene. Vodka, which is popular among younger consumers in the country, is a key growth category. The trend of cocktail drinks is not just pushing sales of regular...

Kimberly Clark recently announced its exit from the open nappies / diapers industry in Western Europe, focusing solely on wipes and pants offerings. While Kimberly Clark most likely won't gain many opportunities in a lower end category such as wipes, they are the market leader in disposable pants and will likely look to expand their market share in that segment.  Lots of brands claim to be nu...

El vino ha sido, históricamente, una bebida de nicho en Chile, ya que las generaciones jóvenes prefieren cerveza o destilados antes que vino. Sin embargo, el espumante es la excepción con un aumento de 35% en sus ventas totales en volumen en 2012. El atractivo del espumante para los jóvenes ha ayudado a impulsar este crecimiento – especialmente entre las mujeres jóvenes profesionales, que han entr...

Wine has long been a niche alcoholic beverage in Chile, as younger generations prefer beer or spirits over wine. Sparkling wine is the exception with total volume sales increasing by 35% in 2012. The appeal of sparkling wine to younger generations helped spur this growth - especially young, professional women entering the workforce at record numbers and looking for a more glamorous drink. Manufact...

Strong imports from Middle Eastern countries and demand for corn-based ethanol drove up wheat prices and corn prices in March. In this podcast, Francisco Redruello, senior foods analyst at Euromonitor, gives his monthly roundup of agricultural commodities, including cocoa, sugar and skim milk powder.  Lots of brands claim to be number one… but can they prove it? At Euromonitor International, we he...