At the NEW FOOD SUMMIT 2024 forum, senior insight analyst of NielsenIQ Ukraine Kateryna Mashoshina said that in many product categories, Ukrainian retail faces the problem of insufficient assortment. This is most evident in the following segments: fish and seafood; meat products; baby food; ready-made culinary products.
As Mashoshina noted, the average number of merchandise units in stores remains at an insufficient level not only in Ukraine, but also in the world. This is due to cost optimization:
This trend affects all formats of retail outlets: from hypermarkets to minimarkets and even gas stations.
Analysts paid special attention to the comparison of branded products and own brands of retail chains. The renewal of the range is currently primarily driven by popular brands, while private labels are showing slow growth.
The lack of assortment is a challenge for retail all over the world, but in Ukrainian realities it looks especially acute due to economic uncertainty and the consequences of war. Cost optimization remains a key challenge for businesses, while it can reduce customer satisfaction due to limited product selection.
