Happier people treat themselves with sweets
While a healthy lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular in Latvia, more than half of Latvian residents treat themselves with sweets, consuming them several times a week. Furthermore, statistics from the “Maxima Retail Compass” reveal an interesting correlation - those who most often treat themselves feel happier than those who treat themselves less often.
Among those who eat candy every day or several times a week, 19% more people feel happy as opposed to those who feel less happy.
“According to our survey, 25% of Latvian inhabitants eat candy on a daily basis, 42% consume sweets several times a week, and only 7% of respondents almost never eat sweet treats. A healthy lifestyle is becoming more important to the public, so buyers are looking for more natural alternatives to their usual treats. We are following these trends and increasing our product range in stores to offer sweets for different tastes, allowing customers to treat themselves with healthier items,” explains “Maxima Latvija” Head of Business Analytics Zane Kaktiņa.
“In Latvia, the most popular confectionery choice is chocolate (63%), followed by candy (51%) and cookies (42%). Our snacking habits and confectionery preferences are also significantly affected by the seasons. One of the latest trends shaping modern food culture is snackification, the tendency to snack throughout the day rather than eating three regular meals. This points to a dynamic pace of life, as snacking is a faster and more convenient method of gaining energy which requires less planning, cooking and cleaning. For this very reason, snacks have become a pronounced global trend in the daily lives of most people,” says “Orkla Confectionery & Snacks” Chairman of the Board Toms Didrihsons.
The “Maxima Retail Compass” is a comprehensive industry overview in which experts from the retail chain “Maxima Latvija” give their opinion on the current situation in the retail industry and its future development trends. The overview is based on “Maxima Latvija” data, in addition to enlisting the best researchers from market and public opinion research company SKDS, and using data from the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, Eurostat, Euromonitor, OECD and other sources. The Maxima Retail Compass is comprised of three parts: an evaluation of the effect of the Latvian economy on the retail sector; a survey of the shopping habits of Latvian residents and the effect of macroeconomic indicators on these habits; and a relevant industry issue. In this overview, the relevant industry issue was the Latvian confectionery market and how global trends impact the local market, as well as a summary of the public’s confectionery choice habits during the holiday period while also looking at habits associated with Christmas dinner preparation. The review of the confectionery industry was conducted in collaboration with SIA “Orkla Confectionery & Snacks Latvija”.
The survey was undertaken in collaboration with the market and public opinion research company SKDS in October 2018. 1,005 respondents between the ages of 18 and 74 took part.
Information to the media:
Liene Dupate-Ugule
Head of Communications, SIA "Maxima Latvija"
Tel.: 26425420
e-mail: liene.dupate@maxima.lv
www.maxima.lv