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What's Hot in Europe?
NPD Worldwide's experts across Europe tell us what they're watching
"In today's U.K. toys market, 'backwards is forward.' Retro-styled products are proving to be a real phenomenon in the U.K. this year, similar to trends our NPD Funworld colleagues are monitoring in the U.S. We are witnessing the revival of once-popular products such as Care Bears and My Little Pony for girls, and Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for boys. Within the games market, Top Trumps, Atari and Intellivision are making strong comebacks, extending kids' interest in retro brands."
Leanne Gibney
NPD Eurotoys, U.K.
"Despite declining overall toy sales and a decreasing birth rate in Europe, the traditional toys market is still seeing success, with growth over 8% in the first half of 2003. Playground toys performed particularly well in this time period - the comeback of spinning tops and popular card and trading games boosted sales in the first half of the year. We anticipate these categories will continue to grow through the important back-to-school period. This summer's unusually hot weather in Europe pushed sales in outdoor toys, with swimming pools up 69%, water and sand toys up 30% and playground equipment up 19% over 2002. Europe's warmer temperatures are expected to contribute to long-term growth in these and other outdoor categories and even to have an impact on kids' holiday wish lists."
Christophe Portal
NPD Eurotoys, Paris
"Sports Tracking Europe has its eye on sport shoes used for leisure - the fastest growing footwear segment in the 'Big Five' countries of Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain for the year ending June 2003. The top models are soccer lifestyle shoes and classic or retro-style products. Nike's Total 90 II TF - Soccer Turf model ranks in the top five in Germany, France and Italy. In France, consumers are showing a preference for the Nike Air Classics BW and Puma Speed Cat Low, and in Germany, the Puma Avanti is still the best-selling sport shoe. In Italy, the Puma Avanti and adidas Galaxy III led the sport footwear market in the first half of 2003. Sports Tracking Europe's first annual figures for sports apparel in the Big Five show that 58% of sports apparel purchases are used for leisure. The most important segments to watch right now are tops, bottoms and outercoats/jackets."
Eva Dorobek
Sports Tracking Europe, Nuremberg
 "In France, we are paying close attention to the role of color trends in sports footwear and apparel. Shiny disco colors are among consumers' favorites right now, and we're seeing a flashy red make an appearance on popular models of sports footwear. Newer colors, such as a light sky blue and yellow mixed with green, are also top choices. In active wear, khaki remains a classic. Stripes are also widely worn. We've noticed a stream of Japanese comic strip drawings - we call them 'mangas' - printed on t-shirts and tank tops. Aside from these interesting color trends, some apparel styles are reemerging as favorites. One of them is short pants that end just below the knee. Sales of these longer shorts soared in the summer months."
Renaud Vaschalde
Sports Tracking Europe, Paris
 "The U.K. is embracing the U.S. trend of 'fast casual' dining, with consumers in search of higher-quality food, distinctive restaurant environments and efficient service. Brands such as Nando's, La Tasca and Wagamama's that fit the classic definition of fast casual are leading the growth in the segment, while licensed pubs, fitting a broader definition of fast casual, have grown due to aggressive branding initiatives by the leading pub groups. In the fast food segment, operators who have experienced a gradual decline in traffic over the past two years are reacting by improving their décor and increasing the scope of their product mix to appeal to more discerning customers. The retail grocery segment continues to show strong growth, particularly at lunchtime, where they have been successful at bundling pre-packaged sandwiches, savory products and drinks to attract on-the-go consumers. Overall, across many foodservice segments in the U.K., there has been a rise in the menu importance of products perceived to be healthier, such as fresh salads, vegetarian items and fruit juices."
Simone Barry and Ian Scholan
NPD Foodservice Information Group, U.K.
 "The German restaurant industry is facing a very challenging time. With the economy so weak, the unemployment rate is growing and consumer confidence is at its lowest in ten years. Customer traffic is declining in both of the restaurant segments we monitor in Germany, quick service and full service. Many consumers have switched to less expensive segments, such as bakeries. They are skipping appetizers, desserts or the second round of drinks during many restaurant visits, and many have finally switched on their ovens at home. The industry has tried to build restaurant traffic by offering lower prices and discounts, coupons and other promotions. Despite the market's negative performance, there are some niches that show very high growth rates. For example, coffee bars have become a real segment of the market, with double-digit growth from quarter to quarter in 2003, and there is still a lot of room for growth here. We are seeing more and more positively performing segments in Germany's restaurant market, and this gives us hope that the industry will bounce back in the coming months."
Jochen Pinsker
NPD Foodservice Information Group, Nuremberg
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