ReleaseWire

Ice cream sales were driven by the trend towards indulgence in 2014. Consumers sought ways to indulge themselves, which ice cream provided. The trend was fuelled by companies, such as Unilever, as it placed strong emphasis on indulgence, for example with its Magnum campaign. Above all, Dutch consumers sought flavour in ice cream. Although the economic crisis in general led consumers to refrain from products perceived as luxury, they turned to ice cream when seeking comfort and wishing to...

The recovery in private consumption remains on track supported by a number of factors. Low inflation benefited real income and private consumption growth in 2014, and this will remain the case in 2015. Low levels of household indebtedness - the household debt to GDP ratio is one of the lowest among regional peers - will also underpin the rebound in private consumption. In addition, the labour market continues to show signs of sustainable recovery, as reflected in the steady drop in unemployment, accompanied by growing number of vacancies, suggesting unemployment has further to fall. Reflecting the rebound in private consumption, retail sales have accelerated in the last months of 2014.

Volume sales of imaging devices continued to decline in Romania in 2013, falling by 16% in volume terms and by 12% in value terms. The sharp decline was attributable to the prolonged recovery from the economic crisis that limited the purchasing power of consumers. In addition, growing preference for alternative consumer electronics such as smartphones or even tablets cannibalised a substantial proportion of imaging devices? volume sales. The fast pace of innovation making mobile phones a suitable replacement for cameras and camcorders as well, intensified the downward trend in the sales of imaging devices. Romanians in general are interested in purchasing a smartphone with a high-quality built-in imaging device and are inclined to spend more on high-end products, just to be able to replace their compact camera.

Euromonitor International's Industrial reports provide a 360 degree view of an industry. The Industrial market report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the Electricity Distribution and Control Apparatus market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, packaging innovations, economic/lifestyle influences, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change.

At the end of the review period hair care remained a strongly competitive category in Azerbaijan. Such demand was due to the essential nature of hair care. Hair care witnesses the most intensive and massive advertising campaigns on leading television channels. Multi-functionality proved popular, with such as products comprising standard shampoos and conditioners for dry hair, shinier hair and colour-treated hair. Almost all leading players expanded their lines by offering wide ranges of hair care products in the form of protective creams, nutritive masks and lotions for different types of the hair. These products benefited from high visibility on shelves and consumers loyalty.

In 2015 we expect cargo volumes handled across Taiwan's main ports to grow at a slightly faster pace than in 2014. Tonnage growth will remain low in percentage terms, however. Box traffic at Taiwan's key ports will remain the most dynamic, but will not exceed 4% growth.

Homewares stagnated in current value growth terms in 2013 as compared to 2012. Consumers? increased exposure to the internet and other media and subsequent awareness of interior designs has spurred demand for homewares with sophisticated designs that can match their homes overall interior designs. Manufacturers were also keen to launch new homewares in this direction including offering premium quality in order to better target consumer demand.

The tradition of cigar and cigarillo smoking in Georgia is rather lower compared to the tradition of cigarette smoking. Cigars and cigarillos are comparably new in Georgian smoking culture and at the same time the price per unit is much higher, so that the low-income population cannot afford to acquire these products.

Contact lenses in Germany performed well during 2014, with volume and current value growth remaining positive. Demand contact lenses continues to be driven both by the expansion of the consumer base prescription eyewear generally and the increasing numbers of German consumers switching from spectacles to contact lenses.

Wine is an alcoholic drink, which is produced by the fermentation of grapes or other fruits. Wine has various health benefits, if consumed in adequate amount. It is the third largest segment of the Global Alcohol Drinks market. The Wine market has become mature in Europe, especially in Germany, France, and Italy. However, the APAC region is the most potential market for wine manufacturers and is growing at a rapid rate.

Expectations are that 2014 will be another positive year for savoury snacks as the FIFA World Cup is likely to boost sales, although general consensus seems to be that the Dutch national team is unlikely to do well and this means that this effect might not be as strong as in other years when a major football tournament is held. However, the growth of the category does not solely depend on the success of World Cup promotions. Sweet and savoury snacks registered strong growth in recent years and...

Brazil's main goal for 2015 is to prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and ensure that all sites are completed on time. However, in 2015 the country's tourism industry faces domestic economic uncertainty and a potential slowdown in tourist arrivals from Argentina.

Ice cream benefits from approved free trade agreements, which have paved the way for international brands to compete within the local market, such as Nicaragua, Guatemala, the US (US bestseller brands) and even Italy, in the case of premium alternatives, such as handmade gelato. Given this scenario, and the stronger penetration of smaller value-for-money brands throughout traditional and modern grocery retailers, the leading manufacturers have been forced to apply different measures to maintain...

Sauces, dressings and condiments have become an essential ingredient for the majority of Spaniards as everyday shortcuts in their culinary pursuits.The burst of the housing bubble and the deep economic recession the country has suffered since 2008 have resulted in Spaniards staying at home more and more. The latest estimations published by most international institutions predict a recovery of the Spanish economy from 2014 onwards, however. Nevertheless, the real GDP growth rate estimated for...

Hungary's tourism industry is expected to record positive growth over the 2015-2019 period, with solid expansion projected across a range of key market indicators. T ourist arrivals in particular are expected to experience strong growth. However, this growth will be highly depe ndent on the stability of the e urozone and key European source markets, on which Hungary relies for almost 90% of tourist arrivals.

A gesture is a movement of hands, fingers, arms, body, and face of an individual. The gesture of an individual is captured via a camera that takes it as an input. The input then passes through a number of mathematical algorithms that can be used to trace the gestures of the individual. As the extraction of the features takes place, an image is developed through image processing. The image processing serves as an output.

TOSHIBA Medical Systems Corporation (TMSC) is a medical device company. It manufactures, markets, sells, distributes and services X-ray diagnostic systems, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, computed tomography (CT) systems, ultrasound diagnostic systems, nuclear medicine diagnostic systems, radiation therapy equipment, laboratory test systems, advanced visualization solutions, and healthcare IT solutions. The company offers its products through subsidiaries in more than 135 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia-Pacific. TMSC is a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation and is headquartered in Tochigi-ken, Japan.TMSC focuses on capturing higher share in the diagnostic imaging market through innovative product launches at regular intervals. In line with this strategy, the company recently launched Celesteion PET/CT system, Aquilion ONE/ ViSION Edition and Octave Speeder 1.5 Tesla MRI unit, among others.

The value for money trend arrived in health and beauty specialist retailers in 2014. Two new retailers entered the market; one international and the other local. The international chain is called Flormar, which has its manufacturing plant in Turkey and is a multinational company. Flormar is not cheaper than Wow Cosmetics; however, it is less expensive than Mac. The other new retailer is the local company Sacara. These new retailers brought the value for money trend to health and beauty specialist retailers; this trend was previously evident in other markets, but not in health and beauty specialist retailers, until now.

The key theme for Russian mobile market s has been that of consolidation. Although the merger of Tele2 and Rostelecom has been finalised, BMI believes that there is further consolidation and rationalisation in the pipeline as mobile operators try to stay competitive in an already highly saturated market. Although market saturation reached 166 % in Q214, BMI believes that there is still some scope for growth as some of these subscribers will be discounted as inactive SIM-cards get deactivated. Expanding LTE services offer opportunities for more value-add data products to add revenue, while rural areas could provide customer base growth.

Czech consumers showed stronger demand for more quality snack bars in 2014. Czech consumers are purchasing more snack bars with high fruit content and nut content and lower sugar variants enriched with vitamins and minerals. Poor quality private label products lost ground to premium private label products in 2014, with new product developments reflecting this trend. In 2014, for example, Cereal Partners Czech Republic launched a new variety of granola bar called Nestle Musli Chocolate & Banana...

While we hold a positive view on the South African agricultural sector and see particular growth in the livestock sector, we are less optimistic on sustained growth in cereals production. This will be due to slower yield growth owing to lower inp ut usage from a weaker currency and limited development in GMO seed plantings. The sugar sector also presents interesting growth opportunities, mainly thanks to renewed investment and improved technologies. The country's livestock sector will see greater growth over the coming years, owing to lower grain prices and increasing demand from a more affluent population. We believe the country's main a gribusiness companies will reap the benefit from lower global grain prices and therefore lower feed prices.

The pasta category in Spain is quite mature, which makes it difficult for high growth rates to be achieved. In 2014 pasta registered current value growth of approximately 2% to reach EUR375 million. Retail volume sales, in turn, grew by 3% to 374,600 tonnes. Growth at the end of the review period was stimulated by the gradual development of segments offering added value and health-positioned products, such as gluten-free and high-fibre pasta.

Euromonitor International's Industrial reports provide a 360 degree view of an industry. The Industrial market report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the Medical and Surgical Equipment market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, packaging innovations, economic/lifestyle influences, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change.

Personal care products include consumer products such as moisturizers, lip balms, hair oils, shampoos, perfumes, talcum powders, shaving creams, eyeliners, toothpastes, and skin creams developed for personal hygiene and beautification. As the name suggests, chemicals are used in the manufacture of synthetic personal care products. In contrast, natural personal care products are produced using ingredients such as flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Those products that made from such ingredients that are either grown or processed using eco-friendly farming methods such as recycled resources to promote biodiversity are categorized as organic personal care products. Increase in income levels and availability of pool of brands for each product category have made consumers more cautious of the effectiveness of the product. This acts as a huge potential for international companies that have better quality product offerings in comparison to locally produced goods for Africa.

BMI maintains its cautious outlook for Venezuela's shipping sector. Economic growth in Venezuela will remain extremely low, and may drop into negative territory in the coming quarters given the poor business environment, high inflation, and on-going market distortions associated with price controls and the country's complex system for acquiring foreign currency. We are forecasting GDP growth of 1.2% in 2015, but we believe that risks continue to be weighted to the downside.