This latest volume from Euromonitor focuses on the consumer markets of Eastern and Western European countries. First published in 1976, this new edition of Consumer Europe has been updated and expanded to include the countries of Eastern Europe – thus providing a more complete picture of consumer market trends across 27 European countries.
The format of this volume mirrors that of other volumes in this series with the statistical data being presented in four distinct sections. The first section presents socio‐economic data such as population, household characteristics, possession of household durables, income and retail sales. Statistics are presented for the years 2004‐2009 and forecasts for the years 2009‐2015. These tables allow for each country to be easily compared within the regional context, for example, between 2004‐2009 annual income in the UK fell slightly while in Russia it grew by 121 per cent; 2009 per capita expenditure on education in Bulgaria was $29.2 while in Greece it was $445.1.
The consumer market data section brings together data for nineteen consumer markets including consumer appliances, fresh food and packaged food. Actual and forecasted figures are again given. It is therefore easy to see that sales of fresh food are highest in Greece and Turkey while for packaged food, Norway and Switzerland come top.
The section covering market growth rankings is new to this edition and presents a table for each of the nineteen consumer markets ranking the countries by fastest real growth 2004‐2009. The final, and by far the largest, statistical section provides a snapshot for each of the countries covered in the volume. Much more detail is given here than in the earlier overview tables, e.g. imports are given by country of origin while soft drinks separates out tea, coffee, water, fruit juice, etc.
This volume does not come cheap. However, if you have an interest in the main retail purchases made by households across Europe, this volume is an excellent place to turn. With clearly presented tables, it is possible to see at a glance the fastest growing markets, those that are static and those that are in decline. With the Euro crisis impacting almost everyone's pocket, it is more imperative than ever to have access to data on consumer purchasing trends. This may be relatively expensive but it is a handy and authoritative source.
