ReleaseWire

The NAFTA Personal Hygiene industry guide provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: market share, market size (value and volume 2009-13, and forecast to 2018). The guide also contains descriptions of the leading companies including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the market.

In 2013, home and gardening continued to underperform, affected by the extension of the economic recession, the high unemployment rate and a further decline in the disposable income of consumers. Only home improvement managed to improve its performance in comparison with the review period, benefited by the rising DIY trend among consumers.

Per capita consumption of beer in Switzerland declined steadily throughout the review period, and this continued in 2013. The decline in per capita beer consumption was reflected in beer volume sales, which experienced stagnation in 2013. The prolonged winter and wet spring, and thus the short summer in 2013, further contributed to the flat performance of beer. The summer months with good beer drinking weather could not compensate for the volume sales lost during the first half of 2013.

Jeans stagnated in terms of growth over the last few years of the review period, with only the growing appetite for luxury and premium clothing items driving growth within certain jeans categories in the UAE. Increasing competition amongst distributors is forcing heavy discounts that are reflected in lower overall value sales growth for jeans. There is also increasing competition from other casual wear offerings as consumers diversify their purchases. Thus, overall growth in value sales terms within jeans is principally driven by the increasing popularity of high-end jeans.

The marginal current value decline in 2013 was slightly lower than the CAGR for the overall review period. During the review period there was fierce competition from substituting products such as consumer electronics and video games. The time young children spend with traditional toys and games is diminishing and it hampers value growth. Hence, it is possible to see a shift in customer spending whereby slightly less money is being invested in traditional toys and games than in previous years.

For H114, the passenger car market was up 30.0% year-on-year (y-o-y) and we are maintaining our forecast for 25.0% growth in car sales over the full year. There is potential for similarly high growth in Q3. This period in 2013 saw high political tensions, and the temporary closure of some production plants, which restricted supplies. The latter months of the year saw the market stabilise and this will reduce the stark base effects.

Stabilisation of Belarus's economy continued in 2013, with all categories of skin care registering positive growth in both volume and value. Demand for the essential general purpose body care products in body care, facial moisturisers and anti-agers in facial care and for hand care remains stable; hence manufacturers try to boost value sales by launching advanced products that offer new ingredients or new benefits or claims. However, consumers are still price conscious, which leads to remaining high consumer interest in less expensive brands for products on offer.

Hosiery in Japan increased by 1% in current value terms to reach 589 billion in 2013. Even though tights continued to decline, socks and other hosiery recorded positive growth, which boosted total value sales of hosiery. Tights did not perform well in 2013 because women continued to switch to stockings. Additionally, the popularity of leggings negatively impacted the performance of tights in 2013. Leggings differ from leggings in that they are made of thicker fabrics, so that women can substitute regular trousers. They differ from skinny jeans and trousers because leggings are made of more stretchable fabrics. The main consumers are women in their 20-30s, many of whom prefer colourful and patterned leggings. The most popular trend in 2013 was flower patterned leggings rather than coloured and patterned tights. In contrast, men?s tights increased sales due to the popularity of functional tights for sports.

Anheuser-Busch InBev's deep geographical presence and extensive brand portfolio should make the company less susceptible to competitive challenges on a global platform. However, a more in-depth assessment of A-B InBev's structure indicates that it is exposed to threats that will undermine its long-term strategy of expansion and global dominance in the beer market. However, A-B InBev has a range of opportunities to take advantage of and to offset any barriers that it faces or that will arise.

South Africa experienced a tough year from a political standpoint in 2013. Labour unrest and striking resulted in problems with the harvesting of grapes. There was also the burning of vineyards by workers demanding higher wages, which had an impact on the overall grape harvest and curbed the growth potential of wine in the country.

Growth in smartphones and tablets has started to show significant signs of slowing in 2014, but both categories will remain significant growth drivers over the forecast period. At the same time, manufacturers and retailers are hoping wearable electronics will generate new revenue streams. Beyond wearable electronics, there are still growth opportunities in established categories like laptops and LCD TVs.

This report reviews the performance and asset allocations of HNWIs and Ultra-HNWIs in Canada. It also includes an evaluation of the local wealth management market.

We made a small downward revision to the growth outlook for Sweden's IT market in 2014 in the Q4 update to reflect the weaker economic forecast from our Country Risk team. Even prior to the downgrade, growth was forecast to significantly underperform emerging markets in the region over the medium term , due to market maturity. Despite short-term challenges , the market will remain highly lucrative and there are many positives including a strong local system of software firms and the coverage and capacity of supporting data network infrastructure. Meanwhile, we identify data centres, cloud computing, and real-time business software and services as medium-term growth trends in Sweden. We also highlight the potential for Sweden to be a leading adopter of labour saving smart automation and assistant technologies as a result of high labour costs and its status as a leading innovator.

There is a growing patronage of wine in Nigeria compared to the growth experienced in other alcoholic drinks categories. The taste and preference of Nigerians, both male and female, is beginning to adapt and adopt wine as a favoured drink, especially at public functions and indoor celebrations. The options of availability in alcoholic and non/low alcohol form has made wine an alternative to beer. The social status it also confers on drinkers, who consider it to have more status than drinks such as beer and gin, has also made it popular. Furthermore, the ready presence of these drinks in modern retail channels such as hypermarkets and supermarkets, and in independent small grocers, has also contributed to growth. Furthermore, wine is increasingly preferred as a gift during special occasions/celebrations and also during festivities like the yuletide season when growth is known to rise steeply compared to other times during the year.

In 2014, BMI forecasts total vehicle sales in Poland to increase 13.1%, to some 399,466 units. This comes on the back of a forecasted 16% increase in passenger car sales and 0.2% decrease in the commercial vehicle (CV) segment.

RTD tea in South Korea is highly sensitive to trends and growth is led by the fashionable brands and products each year. Recently, the category was stagnant except for the rapid growth of Oriental raisin tea which continued to be a hit product among locals. This product was initially launched by Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical in 2010, followed by CJ Corp. The two brands successfully created a new market based on this new ingredient, which mostly targets male adult consumers. The positive effects of oriental raisin as an ingredient of oriental medicine was well-received by consumers and the companies promoted this beverage as being an effective cure for hangovers, which helped boost sales.

The US pharmaceutical market presents strong commercial opportunities across the industry. Total US pharmaceutical sales reached USD347.2bn in 2013 - more than three times the size of its nearest rival Japan. The US boasts the largest individual markets across the three core sub-sectors: patented, generic and over-the-counter medicines. State-level pharmaceutical markets in the country are larger than many country-level pharmaceutical markets.

Travel retail recorded a relatively successful year in 2013, rising in current value by 6%. This positive performance was based on improvements in the general mood of Polish people and the return of optimism to Polish society. This made more Polish people more prepared to incur expenditure on travel and tourism. In addition, improvements in the quality of travel retail products and services on offer and more intensive promotional campaigns conducted by the leading tour operators also made travel retail a more attractive proposition for more Polish consumers towards the end of the review period. For instance, during 2013 the leading tour operators in the country enjoyed increasing success with their so-called "first minute" offers, which are in essence presales organised some months prior to the date on which tours depart.

Gastrointestinal problems remain the most common conditions treated by OTC products in Italy due to increasingly hectic lifestyles. According to a recent study by ANIFA (National Association of OTC Medicines), over 60% of Italians are affected by gastrointestinal issues at least once a year. Among the most common complaints are stomach acid, poor digestion and diarrhoea as a result of stress and over-indulgence. According to the study, Italian consumers treat these problems mainly with OTC digestive remedies. This trend sustained sales in 2012 and 2013. Moreover, the increasing economic difficulties witnessed by Italians also strongly affected people?s digestive habits. Italians are consuming more convenient and unhealthy meals, which benefited sales of indigestion and heartburn remedies.

This report is the result of Timetric's extensive market research covering the prefabricated buildings market in Belgium. It contains detailed historic and forecast market value data for the prefabricated buildings market and its categories (aluminium buildings, concrete buildings, iron & steel buildings, plastic buildings and wood buildings), including data by domestic production, supply balance, existing stock, imports and exports. 'Prefabricated Buildings in Belgium to 2018: Market Databook' provides an overview and insight into the operating environment of the prefabricated buildings industry in Belgium. It is an essential tool for companies active across the Belgian construction value chain and for new players who are considering entering the market.

Jeans grew by 1% in current value terms in 2013, led by sales increase in men?s jeans. In contrast, women?s jeans registered a decline. One of the reasons for the contrasting performance was the popularity of female coloured trousers and leggings pants, which are thicker leggings that look like skinny trousers. In particular, colourful leggings with floral patterns were popular in 2013. Therefore, many women purchased these colourful trousers and leggings instead of jeans to follow the trend.

The Future of the Feminine Hygiene Market in Australia to 2018 is the result of Canadean's extensive market research. The report presents detailed analysis on the Feminine Hygiene consumption trends in Australia, historic and forecast Feminine Hygiene consumption volumes and values at market and category level, brand share and distribution channel data. This report brings together Canadean Intelligence's research, modeling and analysis expertise in order to develop uniquely detailed market data. This allows domestic and foreign companies to identify the market dynamics to account for Feminine Hygiene sales overall and to know which categories and segments are showing growth in the coming years.

International players remained active in terms of new product launches and marketing campaigns. 2013 also witnessed companies employing digital marketing to entice customers to use their products. Increasing urbanisation and modernisation proved to be the key factors in the growth of beauty and personal care in Pakistan.

With disposable incomes increasingly squeezed by the economic crisis and rising unemployment, consumer behaviour has changed considerably. This has affected the consumption patterns of tissue products as consumers started to buy only what is absolutely necessary. Consumers no longer stockpile products and prefer smaller packs. Value for money is the key trend, with most Portuguese not brand-conscious and merely choosing a product based on its price.

RYO tobacco is traditionally popular amongst male smokers from the lower-income groups in France. Early in the review period, the factors for choosing RYO tobacco were the taste and health concerns. However, in recent years the profile of RYO tobacco smokers has changed, as the category in France has seen new consumers, including those who have switched from cigarettes to RYO tobacco due to its lower price.