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Smokeless tobacco products are not produced locally; all products are imported to Belarus. The state monopoly for all tobacco imports was implemented in Belarus on 1 January 2008; since that date all imports of smokeless tobacco products have been carried out by just one company ? Belarustorg RUE, which is owned by the Presidential Administration. Smokeless tobacco has the status of tobacco products, with all restrictions related to tobacco goods applied to smokeless tobacco as well. The only one difference is that smokeless tobacco has zero excise duty, but products must nonetheless carry the excise mark.

Many stores faced supply shortages in 2014. Since most of the apparel and footwear comes from abroad, problems to obtain foreign currency through official methods affected the supply. The impact was general but some brands appeared to be more affected than others. For instance, the Spanish Zara brand showed empty shelves for several months in 2014 as a result of import problems. The chain had to do special agreements with the government to obtain a favourable exchange rate for imports and thus to supply the stores.

Dried processed food was once again supported by a widespread desire for convenient products, with retail value sales up by 3% in 2014. In rice, microwaveable ready-to-eat rice performed well in 2014. This more than compensated for the decline in sales of dry rice, with discounters and supermarkets such as Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury's selling basic varieties of white rice for GBP0.40-0.45 per kg. Dessert mixes meanwhile continued to benefit from the popularity of home baking in 2014.

Malaysia has a well developed metals sector and is a leading global producer of both steel and tin, However, local producers have been met with increasing pressure from other markets in recent years, with a sharp uptick in Chinese output levels, in particular, leading to downwards pressure on prices and hence production volumes. Out outlook for both the Malaysia steel and tin sectors is therefore one of caution with production growth expected to be moderate over the next few years.

Global Markets Direct's, 'AtheroNova Inc. - Product Pipeline Review - 2014', provides an overview of the AtheroNova Inc.'s pharmaceutical research and development focus.

The consistently rising prices of fresh food in Algeria are limiting Algerian consumers' ability to consume many foods which were previously consumed on a daily basis, in particular vegetables. This was therefore the main factor which drove the growing demand for products within frozen processed food in Algeria in 2014. Fish/seafood in particular was the leading category to benefit from this trend, thanks to the limited availability of fresh fish in the country, and its very high unit price.

After carefully watching the success of Zara Home in Mexico, several other international chains of homewares companies have entered into Mexico seeking to capitalise on the growing middle class and urbanisation trends. Crate and Barrel entered the Mexican market in 2013, first with three stores in high-income areas of Mexico City and the surrounding areas. Bed Bath & Beyond is experiencing similar success, entering the country in 2013 with three outlets and expanding by the close of 2014.

Global Markets Direct's, 'Sensorion S.A.S. - Product Pipeline Review - 2014', provides an overview of the Sensorion S.A.S.'s pharmaceutical research and development focus.

2015 seems poised to be a big year for the Caribbean, with a number of major developments that could transform the telecom industries in a number of markets. The CWC acquisition of Columbus International will have a far-reaching regional impact in the broadband internet and pay-TV markets, which remain underdeveloped and ripe for growth. New players are expected in the Bahamas and Trinidad & Tobago, and new regulators in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Barbados and Haiti could lead to huge improvements in the business environment. Agreements between the US and Cuba have shocked the world. Cuba represents the most attractive market in the Caribbean in terms of total size and growth opportunities, however, we don't expect to see this play out. Nonetheless, there will be massive interest from lots of international players. We expect interest in the region really take off in 2015, with plenty of opportunities for interested players.

Snack bars continued to grow in value terms in 2014, benefiting from growing consumer focus on convenience and health and wellness. As consumer lifestyles become increasingly busy, consumers seek quick and convenient ways to snack during working hours or when on the go. Moreover, snack bars are perceived by consumers as healthier than other snacks, given their cereal and dried fruit content, and as such the category has responded well to consumers' increasing focus on health and wellness...

Affordable luxury brands gained share in luxury accessories in Brazil over the review period, with Michael Kors and Kate Spade proving particularly successful. Michael Kors notably opened its three first stores in Brazil in 2013, while Kate Spade entered in 2010 and since then performed very well. Kate Spade had seven stores by the end of the review period and is growing sales more rapidly than overall luxury accessories. These products benefit from being affordable to a wider range of...

IT is an integrated platform that includes hardware, IT services, and software; it enables data manipulation, information management, and streamlined operational processes that increase productivity and efficiency. In simple terms, IT is the technology required to process data and develop a secure environment to maintain a uniform flow of information and optimize cost structures. Large companies are equipped with DBMSs, servers, and security tools to store, process, retrieve, and protect their internal information. A diverse range of professionals such as system administrators, database administrators to programmers, network engineers, and IT managers operate within IT departments.

In line with what happened in 2013, French consumers reduced purchases of watches in 2014 and when they bought them, they preferred more expensive products because of their higher quality. Watches are increasingly seen as a pleasure- and status-driven purchase. As such, demand for watches contracted considerably in 2014. Volume sales declined due to a strong reduction in purchases of basic watches. With the fragile economic context and its negative impact on purchasing power, French consumers reduced their expenditure on watches, in particular with lower priced ones. According to trade interviews, foreign tourists also reduced their consumption of watches due to the fact that they have increasingly more brands available in their country and more of them avoid the purchase of such products when they visit France.

The popularity of smartphones, as well as their increased capabilities and improvements in photographic quality, impacted demand for imaging devices overall. Consumers are less willing to shell out for a second device that performs a similar function to their smartphone. At the same time, the average mass consumer also perceives carrying a second device that offers comparable features as cumbersome. However, a growing group of consumers increasingly taking photography seriously helps boost demand for higher-priced digital cameras.

This report is the result of Timetric's extensive market research covering the commercial construction industry in Bulgaria. It contains detailed historic and forecast market value data for the commercial construction industry, including a breakdown of the data by construction activity (new construction, repair and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition). 'Commercial Construction in Bulgaria to 2018: Market Forecast' provides a top-level overview and detailed insight into the operating environment of the commercial construction industry in Bulgaria. It is an essential tool for companies active across the Bulgarian construction value chain and for new players considering to enter the market.

Debit cards remain the most popular type of financial card in Austria in 2014. Debit cards are expected to account for 58% of total cards payment transactions value during 2013, placing the category far ahead of charge cards with 26% and credit cards with 15%. This represents a one percentage point decline from the 59% of total payment card transactions value accounted for by debit cards at the start of the review period in 2009, a trend which can be attributed to the solid growth which has...

Towards the end of the review period, as a result of increasing health awareness, smokers are shifting to low tar and ultra low tar cigarettes. High tar cigarettes gradually declined in volume terms. Due to sustained investment in educational campaigns from both government agencies and non-governmental organisations, public awareness of the health risks associated with smoking improved throughout the review period.

The technological boom in Vietnam, with the rise of affordable 3G and free mobile text and call applications such as LINE and Viber, greatly contributed to the rising popularity of smartphones. Although feature phones are much cheaper in terms of unit price, consumers are increasingly willing to purchase smartphones, which are considered to offer greater convenience and functionality. With the abundance of free mobile applications, smartphone users can use their phones for a range of purposes such as playing games, reading the newspaper, listening to music, and navigation by GPS.

The Baby Sleep Site, the web's leading resource for exhausted parents of sleepless babies and toddlers, is pleased to announce the launch of its revolutionizing new product: The Express Sleep Plan™. The product now offers a completely new approach to sleep coaching, giving parents access to their own, customized sleep coaching plan by simply completing an online survey developed based on the extensive experience of The Baby Sleep Site's sleep team.

Hotels in Austria increased in current value by 3% in 2013, rising to ?5.8 billion. Hotels accounted for 77% of total travel accommodation retail at the end of 2013 and the strong position and positive performance of the category towards the end of the review period can be at least partially attributed to the increase being recorded in the number of outlets and the number of rooms due to the expansion in the number of both chained and independent hotels operating in the country. More importantly, value growth in hotels was boosted towards the end of the review period by the trend towards converting hotels and resorts into health and wellness centres which are destinations in their own right, a trend which was especially common among luxury hotels and mid-priced hotels. This way, hotels are able to become important tourist attractions in their own right, which contributed to the strong increases recorded in the number of guests and thus bed nights and total value sales in travel accommodation and Austria during 2013.

Salon care services include haircuts, shaving, hair coloring, hair straightening, facials, waxing, bleaching, manicures, and pedicures, among others. Various hair care services are available in the market depending on the type of hair and its requirements. Some hair care services are cutting, coloring, straightening, and organic hair glazing treatment. Salons also provide treatment for specific hair and scalp-related problems such as hair loss, dandruff, damaged hair, split ends, and itching.

ATM cards continue to grow along with the banked population and bank accounts in Indonesia as the unbanked population still comprises nearly half of the total population above 15 years old. Through the growing linked ATM networks of participating banks in Indonesia such as Prima Network or ATM Bersama, fund transfers or billing payments to various banks and merchants are made easier, faster and at lesser cost than the more traditional RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) and LLG (Lalu Lintas Giro...

During Soviet times, smoking tobacco was scarce as Russians smoked mainly papirosy or cigarettes. Smoking tobacco gained wider acceptance in the 1990s, being imported from Europe. Pipe tobacco is more popular than RYO tobacco. Both product types are expensive for most Russians and are regarded as premium products. Unlike premium cigarettes, smoking tobacco is regarded as a premium or gourmet product. It is affordable by more affluent consumers living in large cities. Unlike many European countries, RYO tobacco is not considered a cheap alternative to cigarettes.

The recent slowdown experienced in the Chilean economy had a mixed effect on the performance of leisure and personal goods specialist retailers in 2014, with the channel increasing in current value by 4% over the course of the year. Declining consumer confidence in Chile is most prevalent among the country?s low-income consumers, many of whom are becoming increasingly concerned about their long-term prospects for employment if the budgets of their employers are reduced following the publication of year-end financial results in March 2015. Chile?s high-income consumers, on the other hand, remained relatively secure in their positions and as a result they continue to spend money on personal accessories and leisure products.

This report brings together consumer insight and market data to provide a comprehensive brief of the Denmark Prepared Meals sector. This allows for the rapid identification of key growth opportunities across major Prepared Meals categories and their packaging.