Every day, shoppers walk into a store to find that the price of a favorite item has gone up.  These price increases drove dollar growth for retail sales within food, drug and mass merchandisers to 3.6 percent in the 52-week period ending 1/24/2009, although sales slowed in the last quarter.  Much of that growth, however, was driven by inflationary pricing as both retailers and manufacturers raised prices due to rapidly escalating commodity costs.  Every department – except general merchandise – showed dollar …

According to Nielsen, Russian consumers are among the most confident worldwide — despite the country’s high rate of inflation and an ongoing stock market crisis, The Guardian reported this week.
Consumer prices in Russia have risen by 10% so far this year, but Nielsen researchers found that most Russians are confident about the country’s job market and their personal finances. 
Of the 1,000 people in Russia surveyed by Nielsen, two-thirds said they were confident they could overcome any hardship in the second half of 2008.  Another 58% of respondents reported having good career opportunities, and …

Vietnam is experiencing its highest inflation in more than a decade, but consumer confidence in the country is still relatively high, according to Nielsen. 
The Vietnam News Agency Bulletin reported Wednesday that the country ranked ninth in Nielsen’s recent survey of global consumer confidence.
The same study showed that Vietnam’s inflation rate climbed to 26.8% in June — compared with a rate of 8.3% a year ago.
“Although inflationary pressure will directly impact consumer behaviour within some product and service categories, mid-to long-term prospects in Vietnam are still very encouraging,” Aaron Cross, Managing Director …