France

Savoury snacks is having another good year in 2024 although certain categories are seeing a much stronger performance than others in terms of volume growth. Potato chips, for instance, is seeing solid growth in volume terms while the category’s value…

Exotic flavours are seeing growing demand among French consumers seeking new taste experiences. This trend is driving increasing interest in products like barbecue and chili sauces, compared to more traditional table sauces such as ketchup and…

Sauces is the best-performing subcategory in 2023, albeit still seeing mixed sales trends. For example, the hot weather of the summers in 2022 and 2023, along with mild winter periods, have not inspired consumers to cook themselves hot and hearty…

Rx/reimbursement adult incontinence in France continued its positive growth trend in 2023, in terms of both volume and current value sales, benefitting from the essential nature of the category’s products. There was a small deceleration in the first…

RTDs experienced moderate growth in total volume terms in 2023, benefiting from the end of the pandemic and an increase in social events. This growth was despite the less than favourable weather conditions in the northern part of the country in the…

At first sight, RTD tea continued to progress strongly in current value terms in 2023. However, this was a result of the strong impact of inflation, with the rising cost of materials – imported tea, sugar and even water (with a growing risk of…

RTD coffee has inevitably been on the path to recovery after struggling during the COVID-19 crisis. But its reprieve has not been as strong as was expected. RTD coffee was one of the soft drinks categories hit hardest by the pandemic. With forecourt…

Rice and pasta have both been impacted by price rises, but unlike most other areas of staple foods volume sales in these categories have continued to rise. This is largely due to the fact that these types of products can still offer value for money,…

Retail tissue in France saw a slight dip in overall volume sales in 2023, resulting from ongoing economic pressure on consumers. Over 2022 and 2023, local consumers shifted towards more budget-friendly solutions, with prices lower in products that…

The French overall retail market saw modest growth in terms of current value sales in 2023, which, while seemingly robust, was primarily driven by inflation and a return to normalcy following the challenging conditions and lingering effects of the…

In 2023, retail e-commerce overall recorded positive current value growth in France, following the category’s decline in 2022. The count of active e-commerce sites remained on an upward trajectory, albeit at a moderated rate in 2023.

In terms of impact on volume sales, demographic trends supported adult incontinence more than any other category within tissue and hygiene in France in 2023. The country’s elderly population keeps on expanding, increasing the number of potential…

The deep penetration and essential character of fridge freezers and fridges sustained a relatively stable level of demand and meant that these products exhibited a slower rate of volume decline than other consumer appliances at the end of the review…

The performance of pulses tends to vary depending on economic factors. For example, tinned and canned pulses are perceived as offering better value-for-money as they require less cooking time and are more convenience, whilst fresh pulses need more…

The consumption of processed meat continues to decline in France in 2023, although the category has continued to see strong growth in current value terms. This contrasting performance is down to the significant price hikes witnessed in 2022 and 2023,…

The major pack type used for chilled processed meat in France is thin wall plastic containers. Thin wall plastic containers are popular thanks to being lightweight, durable and relatively inexpensive. After thin wall plastic containers, other plastic…

Flexible plastic and folding cartons are the main pack types used for packaging frozen processed potatoes in France. However, folding cartons have been gaining share from flexible plastic for a number of years, in part because of sustainability…

Shelf stable vegetables is the largest category within processed fruit and vegetables in France, but sales have continued to decline in 2023. This is partly due to price increases on most products as manufacturers have faced up to rising production…

Premium beauty and personal care in France saw dynamic growth in 2023, and was a good year for many categories, as market trends were in favour of the rise of premium brands. The health trend, which reached its peak after the COVID-19 period, coupled…

Sales of premium and luxury cars grew by 4% in current value terms to reach EUR12 billion in 2023, with expenditure proving relatively resilient in the face of wider macroeconomic headwinds. Wealth tends to play a major role in the degree of demand…

The growth seen in pre-paid cards in 2023 is being supported by the popularity of closed loop pre-paid cards allocated for gifts. The number of such cards has increased in recent years, with the era of the pandemic seeing consumers allocate a part of…

Portable players has been showing flat-negative growth over the review period, which worsened through 2021-2023. That said, the overall category volume is expected to be back in small positive volume growth in 2024. Wireless speakers remains the…

Sales of polishes continued to decline in retail volume terms in 2023, following a long-term downward trend. Essentially, polishes are seen as products which can be easily replaced in home care, which falls in line with the rising popularity of…

While brick liquid cartons continue to be the leading pack type for plant-based milk in France in unit volume terms, they have been losing share to HDPE bottles. This shift can be attributed to several factors. HDPE bottles offer superior durability…

Retail demand for plant-based dairy in France continues to fall in 2023, with the exception of plant-based cheese, which only entered the local market in 2020 and thus is growing from a low base. Plant-based dairy enjoyed significant growth earlier…

Cat litter sales saw dynamic double-digit growth in current value terms in 2023 although this was largely due to the general increase in prices rather than a significant increase in demand. A similar pattern has continued into 2024, albeit prices…

France’s pet population remained relatively stable in 2023, albeit dropping slightly from the peak in 2022 as financial pressures took their tool and consumers looked for savings. When looking at dogs, small and medium-sized dogs remained the most…

Relatively high taxes and a lack of fiscal discipline are negatively affecting economic freedom, whilst France is prone to significant social unrest. Economic momentum is slowing, as higher borrowing costs adversely impact investment and confidence,…

Personal luxury sales increased by 8% in current value terms to reach EUR20.9 billion in 2023, supported by the strong growth being recorded by leading players such as LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, Louis Vuitton Malletier SA and Chanel SA.…

Even though certain categories saw a lockdown related boost and thus are now seeing aligning slumps, the return to out-of-home lifestyles and renewed social interactions is ultimately stimulating demand for personal care appliances. Indeed, consumers…

Generally, 2023 has been a positive year for value sales of personal accessories in France, while overall demand is declining, depending on the category. The main contributor to value growth is a normalisation effect post-pandemic, inflation and…

The pandemic led to a higher containment of flu and bronchiolitis in France due to prolonged home seclusion, which negatively impacted children’s immunity. The impact of this is becoming increasingly evident as young consumers now interact with one…

The influence of sustainability is changing the landscape of packaging materials across industries, driving a marked trend towards eco-friendly solutions at the same time as adapting to changing consumer demands. Sustainable packaging materials are…

Sales of cats and dogs in pet shops and superstores and garden centres is now forbidden due to a new law that came into effect on 1 January 2024, but the sale of small mammals, birds, fish and reptiles remains authorised. Nonetheless, in late 2022,…

Overall, the other hot drinks category receives a lower level of support from most hot drinks players than coffee and tea. This weakness has been exacerbated by the fact that there are fewer at-home consumption occasions for other hot drinks since…

While cream is one of the most important and traditional products within other dairy, retail volume sales are declining in line with another rise in the average unit price. While cream remains a mainstay of French cooking, stronger demand is being…

Despite maintaining a slight retail volume decline in 2023, oral care in France saw solid current value growth, with almost all categories, except mouth fresheners, showing positive performances, due to increasing unit prices. Ongoing inflation in…

Sales in nuts manage to remain in positive volume figures, with growth stronger in foodservice and institutional volume than seen in retail volume. This is because consumers have returned to out-of-home lifestyles following the era of the pandemic…

Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Health and Nutrition Survey, fielded January to February 2023 (n=21,221) indicates that 23.2% of respondents smoked daily, 2.6% once or twice a week, and 1.4% once or twice a month, figures that…

Volume falls in nappies/diapers/pants in France in 2023 were relatively gentle, with the category’s essential products leaving little room for substantial purchasing declines. The recorded decrease was mainly a result of France’s falling birth rate,…

France's mobility industry was deeply affected in 2022 by supply shortages, high inflation and rising costs of living. This also impacted unitary prices and boosted the value growth of segments such as car rental. Electric vehicles continue to gain…

Mobile phones is one of the best performing categories (after wearable electronics and headphones) in consumer electronics in France in 2023, albeit still showing volume declines due to inflationary pressures reducing consumers’ spending power. That…

Microwaves saw volume sales decline in the French market in 2023 and prices fell markedly due to intense competition in the market after several price increases. There is limited room for value growth in a category that has already gone through a lot…

Menswear continues to perform fairly well in 2023, despite seeing lower volume growth than witnessed in the previous two years – which can be attributed to a normalisation effect following the steep declines seen during the era of the pandemic store…

Menstrual care in France saw volume declines and strong current value rises in 2023. Inflationary pressures left many local consumers struggling to make ends meet - an especially sharp problem for women who needed to buy menstrual care products.…

Men’s grooming in France saw a marginal retail volume decline in 2023, but showed positive current value growth, and surpassed the pre-COVID-19 figure in value terms. This growth was fuelled by significant price growth across categories, driven by…

Meat is seeing more positive volume growth in 2023, compared to 2022, despite the category experiencing some of the steepest price rises overall. That said, cheaper meats, such as pork, have compensated somewhat for the declines seen in more…

In France, leading players in shelf stable soup have been responding to the challenging environment by revamping their brands and products. This has been boosting demand for glass bottles, although brick liquid cartons continue to dominate packaging…

Ready meals has been experiencing price increases across the board over the past year, due to the increased costs for manufacturers in the light of global inflationary pressures, and with socio-political unrest leading to supply chain issues. On the…

Mass beauty and personal care in France demonstrated positive current value growth in the low single digits in 2023. Price increases driven by inflation supported value growth in most mass categories, although volume sales struggled to remain…