Review of the Chocolate Confectionery Market in the Balkans

Review of the Chocolate Confectionery Market in the Balkans

In the following pages we are covering the trends, the competitive landscape and the prospects of the Chocolate Confectionery Market in the larger economies of the Balkans area.

SERBIA

TRENDS

A shrinking population and the lingering effects of the economic crisis continued to hamper demand for chocolate confectionery in Serbia in 2013. However, the decline in retail volume sales for the entire category was lower than that recorded in 2012, and also fell below the average rate of decline for the 5-year review period. This modest improvement was mainly due to the general belief that the worst years of the crisis were over, with renewed confidence about the short to medium term outlook for the domestic economy encouraging many Serbs to increase spending on chocolate confectionery and other types of impulse and indulgence products. Increasing price competition in several categories also helped to slow the decline in total chocolate confectionery volume sales, as did new launches and marketing campaigns by leading manufacturers.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Kraft Foods continued to lead chocolate confectionery in 2013 with a retail value share of 19%. This was mainly due to the success of its Milka brand, which competes in a number of product categories and has a price-quality ratio that is very attractive to Serbian consumers. Moreover, since the 1990s Milka has been one of the most widely distributed and heavily promoted international chocolate confectionery brands available in the country. Domestic company Soko-Nada Štark ad ranked second overall in 2013, claiming a retail value share of 16% with its competitively priced Najlepše želje range, while Pionir doo rounded out the top three with a 15% share thanks to the combined strength of its Galeb and Cokolada Pionir brands. Other prominent competitors in chocolate confectionery included Bambi Banat ad, Mars Inc, Swisslion Takovo, Dunja doo, Nestlé, Ferrero...