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Spain's prolonged economic downturn and the high unemployment rates that have resulted have made a part-time career as a direct selling agent more appealing to the increasing numbers of unemployed and underemployed Spaniards. Working as a direct selling agent offers many struggling Spanish people a viable and flexible means of generating income, whether this be supplemental to the income generated from other activities or as primary employment.

Euromonitor International's Industrial reports provide a 360 degree view of an industry. The Industrial market report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the Wines and Cider market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, packaging innovations, economic/lifestyle influences, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change.

Malaysian consumers are gradually becoming more aware of the important role products within the yoghurt and sour milk products category can play in healthy digestion, which in turn is contributing to rising sales. There is a considerable degree of choice in the country, which includes drinking yoghurt and fruited spoonable yoghurt, offered under different brands.

The main trend in other drinks in 2012 was the further development of health-oriented products offering functional and natural ingredients. This concept has been gradually adopted by both local and international competitors, while offering different pricing levels. Manufacturers have directed their efforts in different ways, either focusing on fortified added-value products or the purity of their main ingredients, such as 100% pure cocoa products. On the other hand, the development of...

Following the return to normal baby food supply following the shortage in the wake of the severe earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant accident which occurred in Japan in March 2011, radioactive contamination was found in Japanese baby formula during routine tests in late 2011. This radioactive contamination incident led directly to a decline in sales of milk formula in Japan in early 2012. However, thanks to the significant efforts of Japan's leading baby food manufacturers to test their...

Current value sales of sauces, dressings and condiments increased only marginally in 2012. Despite declining sales of soy based sauces and miso pastes, several hit products within "other" sauces, dressings and condiments and other types of table sauces pushed-up sales. Additionally, mayonnaise and salad dressings posted current value sales growth of 2% and 3%, respectively. As health awareness rises, more consumers are eating salads. Due to increasingly hectic consumer lifestyles, the quick...

Toilet care saw growth for the first time since the beginning of the economic crisis in Latvia, posting an increase of retail value by 1% in 2012. Due to the gradual increase of optimism and purchasing ability of consumers, the demand for toilet products is growing slightly; however, purchasing habits of many consumers have not yet changed since the period of economic stagnation. Since toilet care products are not essential, many people still either buy only basic ones like toilet liquids for...

Home-cooked meals, known locally as "uchishoku", continued to be the key driving force in 2012 of small kitchen appliances (non-cooking). This key trend highlighted that consumers in Japan are increasingly preparing homemade meals at lower costs at home instead of eating at foodservice establishments due to the continued slow economic recovery. Young male consumers were newcomers to the market and extended the consumer base, which had previously been dominated by housewives. As a result, this...

Canada has one of the highest rates of internet penetration in the world. According to Statistics Canada, over 80% of Canadian households in metropolitan areas and over 70% of Canadian households in rural areas have access to the internet. However, e-commerce in Canada historically has been lagging behind many markets, with the level of e-commerce penetration among the lowest in the developed world. Cultural differences have often been cited among the factors behind the slow progress of...

Homeshopping registered the lowest growth in current value terms in 2012 within non-store retailing recording a 4% value increase. Homeshopping has traditionally faced barriers to fully attract customers' interests, such as people wanting interaction with the objects they purchase, or the poor reputation of the so- called "miracle products". Furthermore, wider access to the internet has transformed internet retailing as its main competitor. Whilst it is true that the internet cannot offer the...

One of the world's largest healthcare specialist retailers, General Nutrition Centers Inc (GNC) is a growing force in the global consumer health market. GNC's global reach and investment in product innovation and customer education has made it a leading retail destination in the global vitamins and dietary supplements and sports nutrition markets. Its premium roster of GNC brands is well-positioned to exploit expected high growth rates for supplements and increasing consumer sophistication.

During 2012 the number of outlets of furniture and homewares stores declined by 1%, affecting mainly smaller and independent stores, which have been facing strong competition from larger and more modern formats which have been emerging in the main cities. There is also competition from hypermarkets such as Exito and Carrefour, and department stores such as Falabella and La Polar, and also regional department stores, as well as home improvement stores such as Homecenter and Easy. These are...

Under a context of restrictions, wound care recorded negative growth if analysed in constant terms. Company activity remained weak partly due to its small size. Large players present in other categories preferred to allocate their limited resources to their bestselling brands.

BMI Ratings - Brief Methodology

Key Insights and Key Risks

During the review period, on-trade volume sales of coffee products kept outperforming those of off-trade products due to the continuously fast expansion of specialist coffee shops across the country. As of 2012 the number of chained specialist coffee shops reached a large total of 1,600 outlets, with total retail sales of Mx$7.2 billion. Only five years earlier the number of chained outlets was estimated at 1,100 whilst total sales were Mx$3.4 billion. In other words, the number of outlets...

BMI View: The Chinese telecommunications industry is the biggest in the world in terms of existing size and growth potential in light of the country's sizeable population. The 1.1bn mobile subscribers represent only a penetration rate of 80%, with a large proportion of consumers in rural regions still untapped. However, fulfilling the potential requires significant investment from the private and public sector, a capability that could weaken if the broader economy deteriorates. That said, we maintain our view that the prospects for H113 look relatively bright.

BMI View: With mobile penetration rates at close to 140%, Germany's mobile market is mature and options for future growth are limited not to increasing subscriber numbers, but to shifting subscribers to postpaid plans and to increasing ARPUs with increased data usage. The expansion of 4G-LTE services means that there is considerable scope for development in the mobile broadband sector, with operators investing heavily in the expansion of their high-speed mobile networks. In the wireline sector, fixed line subscriber numbers continue to fall, while growth has slowed in the broadband sector. Here competition focuses on higher-speed packages, while bundled offerings are also helping increase revenues.

The accompanying tables present the latest economic data and five-year forecast scenario for the country's banking system. Also included is SWOT analysis of the commercial banking system as a whole.

BMI View: We project that Malaysian consumer electronics spending will grow by about 6% in US dollar terms in 2013 to US$8.7bn, with strong sales of smartphones and LED TV sets reported in H12. Despite a sharp moderation in consumer demand apparent in early 2012, sales remained relatively robust in these key consumer electronics product segments. We expect private consumption to accelerate towards 5.5% in 2013, mainly due to the positive effects of cash handouts and increased welfare spending by the government. However, uncertainties over the export market and the outlook for employment could also weigh down consumer confidence and spending on discretionary lifestyle products such as TV sets. Malaysia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing regional smartphone markets and vendors will look to product innovation to drive revenue. Growth areas include tablets and smart TV sets.

Despite a population of just 2.89mn Kuwait is an attractive market for manufacturers of consumer electronic devices, particularly in the premium product category. This is because Kuwait has among the highest GDP per capita levels in the world, which translates into high purchasing power of Kuwaiti nationals through government transfers and well paid public sector jobs. Private final consumption growth for the whole economy is set to slow slightly in 2013 from 2012, but growth in consumer electronics spending in key verticals will remain robust due to the appetite for top-of-the-range technology products among the populace. Key product categories we expect to see success in 2013 will include smartphones, tablets and hybrid-laptops running Windows 8, flat-screen TVs and the next generation of games consoles which should be launched late in 2013.

GlobalData's report, Polypropylene Industry Outlook in the UK to 2016 - Market Size, Company Share, Price Trends, Capacity Forecasts of All Active and Planned Plants provides an in-depth coverage of The UK Polypropylene industry. The research presents major market trends affecting the Polypropylene industry in The UK. The report covers The UK Polypropylene plants and presents installed capacity by process and technology. In addition, it presents Polypropylene demand and production forecasts, end use demand forecasts, price trends, trade balance data and company shares of the major Polypropylene producers in The UK. Overall, the report presents a comprehensive coverage of The UK Polypropylene industry including all the major parameters.

In 2012, passenger car sales in Romania declined 23.7%, to 71,179 units. In 2013, BMI forecasts sales in this segment to decline 5%. BMI maintains a particularly bearish outlook for GDP growth in Romania, and private consumption more specifically.

Proteins exhibit high specificity and less immunogenicity and are widely used as therapeutic agents in the treatment of various disorders and diseases. There are more than 200 protein-based products currently being marketed; 90% of them are used as therapeutics. In order to improve their clinical potential, second generation recombinants are being developed, each exhibiting improved efficiency and potency depending on their applications.

This comprehensive SWOT profile of ACL Semiconductors Inc. provides you an in-depth strategic analysis of the company's businesses and operations. The profile has been compiled by GlobalData to bring to you a clear and an unbiased view of the company's key strengths and weaknesses and the potential opportunities and threats. The profile helps you formulate strategies that augment your business by enabling you to understand your partners, customers and competitors better.