IRI has updated its FMCG/CPG Economic Indicators that measure consumer demand and pricing changes in grocery retail, highlighting key trends in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in markets such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK.
Latest insights show that consumer demand for consumer packaged goods (CPG) remains elevated in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands compared to a year ago. In Italy, demand has remained stable for the past week compared to last year.
In the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, demand for grocery is outpacing non-edible, while in France and Italy, non-edible is growing more than edible. In Germany, demand for non-edible is decreasing, driven by lower demand for hygiene products, cosmetics/body care products and laundry detergents.
Each country shows different trends in edible categories but figures overall suggest demand is slowing down as markets begin to return to some kind of normality. In the UK, demand is ahead of last year for beers, wines & spirits, fresh meat and frozen, although sales growth is down. Meanwhile, in France, frozen, alcohol and beverages are down vs. a year ago but up week-on-week. In Italy, every category saw demand slow down compared to a year ago, dropping into negative except for packaged food.
Highlights in consumer demand for non-edible categories include beauty care products in France, which remain lower than last year, and in Italy where there is lower demand for perfumery, make-up and body care vs. the previous year. In the Netherlands demand for facial and body care is back to growth.
Prices continue to increase in all countries. The UK being the country with the highest inflation. In the Netherlands, UK and France, alcoholic beverages are leading price increases. Frozen food also has strong inflation in Italy and the UK (with a peak in the country for ice creams/frozen desserts).
Click here to access IRI’s Metrics and COVID-19 Insights
NAM Implications:
- Key for suppliers is to check their sales vs categories and geographies…
- (If only to track inflation impacts variance with government stats…)
