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In 2011, tea remained one of the most popular drinks in the UK, fuelled by new products, new brands and strong advertising campaigns. Consumers also became more sophisticated, with many willing to try out new flavours and types of tea. Furthermore, category value was boosted by the premiumisation trend.

Recently published research from Euromonitor International, "Non-Grocery Retailers in Costa Rica", is now available at Fast Market Research

The Eastern European market posted the second fastest growth rate of all regions in terms of card payment volume over the 2006-2011 period. Growth in the region is being aided by debit cards which grew in popularity as a result of salary card programmes. Fraud has, however, continued to hamper card usage. Mobile and internet access are expected to become more important in the region, as these technologies become a way to connect rural and low-income consumers with the traditional banking system.

Analgesics continued to be OTC medicines with which French consumers do not hesitate to self-medicate. In 2011, acetaminophen and in specific cases ibuprofen and ketoprofen continued to be preferred to aspirin.

Cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies products are seasonal in Belarus, with sales of cough and cold products increasing in autumn and winter, while sales of allergy products peak in late spring and summer. The performance usually depends on the severity of the winter and autumn seasons. The very cold winter season of 2011 boosted demand for cough and cold remedies. For the same reason combination products and cough remedies continued to lead sales during 2011. Due to the hectic...

The wound care category is seeing little movement in Ecuador. Apart from punctual product development such as 3M's Nexcare in 2010, a waterproof plaster for adult and children-themed plasters, there was no major novelty in 2011. The most important trend during the year was the development of wound care products referred to as "Bandida Cicatrizante", ie products that speed up the healing process.

Off-trade volume growth rate for carbonates fell to less than 3% in 2011, as compared to a CAGR of 3% over the review period. This is in line with the slowing positive growth for carbonates in the Malaysia market in the past few years, with people still opting for carbonates due to their familiarity with drinks such as Coke, Pepsi and Sprite, but with an increasing proportion of people choosing healthier drinks.

Although the economic crisis certainly took its toll on beer, this was amongst the least affected categories, benefiting from consumers trading down from spirits both in the off and on-trade channels. Tax hikes did not have such a big impact on retail prices due to the low alcohol content, and all players utilised extensive promotions in supermarkets in order to maintain sales, which made beer the most affordable alcoholic beverage.

Anesthesia is a condition in which sensation is totally or partially blocked. This enables the patients to undergo medical procedures and surgery. Based on the applications (type of surgery or medical procedure) anesthetic drugs are broadly categorized into two types; i.e. local anesthetic drugs and general anesthetic drugs. Local anesthesia is a condition when sensation within a specific body part in inhibited, where as general anesthesia results in loss of consciousness and sensation.

Technological developments in the electronics and semiconductor industries have led to the creation of polymers that change shape on the application of voltage. The biggest application for electro-active polymers (EAPs) lays in their use in antistatic and electronic applications which is expected to drive its market growth. Among all EAP applications market, the actuator segment is witnessing high R&D activity and medical devices and robotics will be the largest applications of EAP actuators. Actuators and sensors open up a huge spectrum of applications in the fields of electronics, healthcare, sensing, and solar energy generation. With the growing market for each of these applications, EAP is set to become a mainstream market in the next five years. However, the technical specifications for each application differ widely, and extensive research and investments are still needed for developing application-specific EAPs.