Slovak Shoppers Under Pressure: Consolidation, Promotions, and New Player

Slovak Shoppers Under Pressure: Consolidation, Promotions, and New Player

The year 2025 has definitely not been easy for households in Slovakia. They have been facing multiple implications of fiscal consolidation. Higher taxes, including VAT and the special “sugar tax,” represent an additional burden in everyday life, also impacting FMCG consumption.

Not surprisingly, economic and budget concerns among Slovak consumers are at their highest level in the past four years, with 62% of Slovaks considering this area to be the greatest societal concern. This is also affecting attitudes toward both in-home and out-of-home consumption. Fewer than one in five consumers say they are not worried that high prices will interfere with their consumption.

We clearly see that out-of-home consumption is affected to a greater extent, with more than every second consumer anticipating limitations due to higher prices. This also applies to 46% of in-home consumption, which is above the European average of 41%.

From Budget Pressure to Promo Hunting

These concerns have partially translated into actual shopping behavior. FMCG household expenditures increased year on year by 3.5%, while the average price paid rose by more than 5%, leading to a decline in overall consumption in volume terms.

One of the key ways for Slovak shoppers to trade down and ease financial pressure has been a stronger orientation toward promotional shopping. 42% of total FMCG spend is now made on promotion, reaching a new record high. The higher promotional share is supported by both brands and private labels purchased on promotion. The overall share of private labels, however, remains stable at approximately 28%.

The average promotional depth—the difference between standard and promotional prices—increased to 27%, making promotional purchases even more attractive to shoppers.

Most promotions can be found in hypermarkets, followed by discounters. Traditional channels and drugstores remain well below the market average.

Biedronka Has Landed: A New Challenger in Slovak FMCG Retail

The year 2025 also brought a new player to the Slovak market. Jeronimo Martins, through its retail chain Biedronka, entered Slovakia. Within a short period, the chain managed to attract almost one in ten Slovak shoppers, particularly among younger generations such as Millennials and Gen Z / iBrains. More importantly, over 62% of Biedronka shoppers returned to the store within the year.

One of the key drivers may have been promotions, as Biedronka shoppers purchased at significantly higher promotional levels than the market average.

Despite its still limited store network, Biedronka contributed to the positive performance of the discounter channel in Slovakia. The announced expansion of the store network throughout 2026 should be a concern for other players—particularly hypermarkets and competing discounters.