A survey conducted by Colliers among consumers in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia reveals that respondents plan to spend more on food and gifts compared to pre-pandemic 2019, with inflation as the main reason, they said. from the company.

The survey also shows an increased awareness of the problem of food waste and a desire to reduce the amount of food products purchased for this reason, declared by Hungarians (24 percent), Poles (18 percent) and Romanians (16 percent).

The most preferred gifts for the holidays

Among all respondents, the most popular holiday gifts are cosmetics (54 percent), toys (49 percent) and multimedia products (46 percent).

Cosmetics are most preferred in Bulgaria (67 percent)

, Poland (63 percent) and Hungary, along with jewelry (50 percent each). 

In most countries, multimedia products are sought after by 30-60 percent of respondents, with the exception of Romania, where only 16 percent of respondents said they buy products from this category.

Toys are very popular in all of the countries surveyed - the choice of 45 percent to 58 percent of survey participants. 

In Romanian homes, unlike those in other countries, products from the fashion and footwear categories are the most common under the evergreen tree (66 percent). 

Where do the gifts come from?

Dominika Jedrak, Director of Research and Consulting Services for Poland and CEE, commented: "The atmosphere of holiday shopping is felt not only in shopping centers, but also online. The new point is that compared to 2019, there is now an increased interest in small neighborhood stores. Online and in-store shopping remained at similar levels this year. Both pre- and post-Covid shopping online was preferred by around 50 percent of respondents in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

A large increase in interest in e-commerce after the pandemic is observed in Bulgaria (from 10 percent to 40 percent of respondents) and Romania (from 24 percent to 47 percent of respondents)".

User Basket 2022 

The majority of respondents say they will definitely spend more money on food this year than in 2019 (49 percent), citing rising inflation as the main reason.

Rising prices for goods and services worldwide will cause 13 percent of consumers to cut back on holiday meals.

Increased awareness of the problem of food waste will lead some Hungarians (24 percent), Poles (18 percent) and Romanians (16 percent) to limit the amount of food they buy for this reason.

How much will we pay for food?

Due to the growth of inflation and food prices, 32 percent of all respondents cannot estimate how much they will spend on food during the holidays.

About 30 percent of respondents intend to invest up to 30 euros per person for festive meals.

Bulgarians declare the highest expenses in this aspect, with nearly 40 percent of respondents believing that they will spend up to 100 euros per person.

There will also be sumptuous meals in the Czech Republic, where 15 percent of the participants in the survey declared that they would spend more than 100 euros per person.

Who will set the table?

95 percent of those surveyed said that they prepare holiday meals alone or together with their family.

Only 3 percent state that they order holiday food from catering companies (the most in Romania - 7 percent).

A small proportion of people go on vacation or to a restaurant during the festive period (less than 2 percent of all respondents).

Nearly 500 people from CEE-6 in the 35-44 and 25-34 age groups participated in the survey.

Among the respondents, 32 percent are men and 66 percent are women.

The prevailing net incomes of the respondents are in the range of 1001-2000 euros, with the fewest respondents indicating incomes below 500 euros.