The Swedish self-care market continued its recent “stable pace of growth” to reach SEK 4.8 billion (€473 million) in 2017, according to new data released by the trade association Svensk Egenvård and Euromonitor International.
The self-care market is defined as including dietary supplements, vitamins, weight loss products, herbal medical products and sports nutrition.
Supplements are the biggest single category, with a 57% share of the self-care market – sales grew 3.9% in 2017 to reach SEK 2.7 billion. Sports nutritions claims a 28.3% share, with sales of SEK 1.3 billion, while weight control products have a 9% share of the market with sales of SEK 438 million. Herbal medicines, with sales of SEK 278 million, has a 5.7% share.
The sports nutrition category produced the strongest growth in 2017 (+7.6%), with herbals also performing well (+6.8%), thanks to an increasing number of herbalists entering practice in Sweden.
Sales channels for dietary supplements in Sweden are spread right across the retail landscape. Grocery retail is the single biggest channel (24.5%, with pharmacy a close second (22.2). Health food stores took a very respectable 20.1% of sales, with internet sales – growing strongly – coming in at 16.3%.
Looking more widely at the Nordic market for supplements, Svensk Egenvård observes that “Swedish and Danish consumers are spending considerably less money on supplements and vitamins than their counterparts in Norway and Finland”. Swedes send €29 annually on supplements, and the Danes €26, while Noregians and Finns spend #54 and €56 respectively.