Consumer goods market up by approx. 9pct in Q1 (research)

The value of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market in Romania increased by about 9% in the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2024, amid a 6% inflation in this sector, reveals a specialized research published on Thursday.

According to YouGov Shopper Romania, sales volumes in this sector increased by 2%, compared to the reference interval, and signaled a positive change after the contraction of the previous year. Moreover, a notable trend in this quarter was the perpetuation of "up-trading," as buyers replaced the products purchased in the last quarter of 2024, with others at a higher price level.

Over half (54%) of FMCG categories recorded increases in the period January - March 2025, compared to the same quarter of the previous year, while only a third of the categories contracted.

The product categories that had inflation above the industry average (6%) were: milk, yogurt, carbonated soft drinks, water and beer. Of these, only milk had a decline in the volumes purchased by households, the rest of the categories being on an increasing trend.

Regarding the value of the average shopping basket, the specialized report shows that it increased by 10.6% in the first three months of this year, in line with the development in the fourth quarter of 2024 and above the pace of previous quarters of last year.

According to YouGov Shopper data, a slowdown in the development of the promotions segment was noted in the analyzed period. Thus, personal care and home care products continue to rank first among the categories with the highest increases in promotional purchases, while staple foods, hot beverages and dairy products have reduced promotional pressure compared to the last quarter of 2024.

"Another "legacy" trend from 2024 is the decline in the market share of retailers' own brands. They captured almost 26% of household spending on FMCG in the first quarter - a decrease of almost one percentage point year-on-year. The most notable rates of decline were observed in staple food categories - where private labels have traditionally been strong, such as canned goods, flours, etc.," the report states.

In the traditional trade segment, a stagnation at just under 24% market share is highlighted, the main challenge here being the decline in the frequency of household visits. "Rural areas were the notable exception, standing out as the only region where traditional formats managed to gain market share," the researchers state.

The YouGov Shopper Romania report was based on continuously monitored data from a nationally representative panel of 6,000 households.