Consumer confidence in Europe bucked the global trend by improving in 2015, according to a new report by Nielsen.
As a whole, European consumer confidence improved by four points, while all other regions ended the year less confident than they started. North America fell by six points, and Asia-Pacific posted the same numbers as the start of the year.
Europe was the only region to post consistent confidence improvement across all three indicators: job prospects, personal finances, and intentions to buy, though Nielsen notes that these are at relatively low levels.
Of Europe’s 32 markets, 22 of them saw confidence increasing, with France and the Czech Republic showing the most remarkable improvements, rising 14 points each. Despite their economic struggles, Italy and Portugal also showed signs of improvement, finishing the year four and seven points up, respectively.
Louise Kelly, senior vice president at Nielsen, noted that, "European consumers on the whole have remained relatively resilient despite continued economic uncertainty."
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Brian Darmody To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
