France

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…

Spectacles in France continues to grow at a healthy pace in 2024, in both retail volume and current value terms, with unit prices declining in both frames and lenses. Sales of spectacle lenses are slowing in 2024, due to the ongoing effect of the RAC…

In 2023, indoor plants experienced a surge in popularity in France, driven by the urban residents' growing desire to connect with nature within their homes. The trend towards indoor gardening is fuelled by the perceived health benefits plants offer,…

Depilatories in France saw a minor current value decline and a more significant fall in volume terms in 2023, after positive performances the previous year. A number of factors contributed to this decline, most notably the value declines in sales of…

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…

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.…

Direct selling was unexpectedly successful in France around the time of pandemic. Initially facing a downturn in early 2020, it rebounded in 2021. Though the overall category has slumped again in 2023, continuing 2022’s downward trend, this fall was…

Sales of air care continued to decline in retail volume terms in 2023. Air care is not generally considered an essential product and therefore as France's economy came under growing pressure in 2022 and 2023 demand continued to drop with consumers…

Wine registered one of its worst performances over the last decade in 2023, outside of 2020 when the outbreak of COVID-19 put a huge dent in sales. This stemmed from an ongoing structural decline in wine consumption in France combined with the impact…

Video games was the big winner in France in 2023, supported by the significant rebound in video games hardware sales, which successfully resolved supply chain challenges previously encountered with static consoles. Moreover, a surge in volume sales…

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…

Total volume growth in vegetables remains relatively stable, albeit flat in the light of price rises, as certain products such as onions and tomatoes are staple ingredients in French cooking. However, the consumption of summer vegetables has been…

Volume sales in eggs continue to be relatively stable, despite production having been significantly affected by the avian flu outbreak in France, with around 9.5% of the laying flock of hens affected by the epidemic since its start in 2021 –…

Sales of spirits declined in total volume terms in 2023. This stemmed from the combination of a number of negative factors including the end of the positive post-pandemic offsetting effect that boosted on-trade sales in 2021 and 2022. There were also…

In 2024, eyewear in France is witnessing slower growth compared to recent years, in both retail volume and current value terms. With inflation softening in 2024, French consumers and inbound tourists who can afford to pay for luxury products are…

Sun care in France saw a strong performance in 2023 – one of the strongest in beauty and personal care, with current value growth approaching the double digits. All categories, including sun protection, aftersun, self-tanning, and baby and…

Fragrances in France saw double-digit current value growth along with minor volume growth in 2023, and was one of the best performing categories within beauty and personal care. The growth driver was premium fragrances, which saw double-digit current…

There are far more cats than dogs in France and while the cat population decreased in 2023 it is expected to stabilise in 2024 and could even increase slightly. Local associations reported a drop in pet adoptions in 2023 whilst abandonments remained…

Wipes overall saw current value sales flatline in France in 2023. General purpose wipes declined deeply in both volume and current value terms, with pandemic-inspired habits falling away. Though local consumers continue to wash their hands more…

Home care in France witnessed a notable decline in retail volume terms in 2023, with value growth largely sustained by elevated inflation within the country. This category, which traditionally follows a stable and consistent trajectory, experienced a…

The hot summer of 2022 led to a drop in the French potato harvest for the 2022/2023 season, with a decline in the yields from French growers. Whilst imports made up the shortfall in demand, the situation meant that prices have risen significantly in…

Although sales of cider/perry declined in total volume terms in 2023 the category actually reported a more stable performance than earlier in the review period. The main contributors to this slight improvement were the recovery of on-trade sales as…

Sales of alcoholic drinks in France declined in total volume terms in 2023, following moderate growth in 2022 and strong growth in 2021. Factors contributing to this stagnation included the impact of elevated inflation, which made consumers more…

Consumers continued to indulge in chocolate confectionery as a small, affordable treat, providing a sense of comfort and mood enhancement. The decline in the usage of aluminium foil in chocolate confectionery packaging can be attributed to several…

Homewares in France experienced a slowdown in current value growth amid weaker consumer demand, primarily due to the previous stockpiling of such goods during the pandemic years. This accumulation of inventory limited the sales potential in 2023, at…

Against a challenging economic background discounters is proving to be a resilient format in retail in France in 2023, as one of the most dynamic distribution channels. Discounters has the advantage of affordability and high appeal to…

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…

With households seeing a drop in their disposable income in 2023 promotions became the number one driver of sales of dishwashing products. Many people stocked up on supplies when there were attractive prices on offer, meaning that volume sales tended…

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…

Jewellery remains a resilient performer in France, already recovering to 2019’s retail volume sales levels in 2021. Ongoing demand is not only due to a positive offsetting effect post-pandemic. There is a kind of paradox in a country with elevated…

Spreadable cheese has been growing in popularity among French consumers as it is convenient to use and easy to spread. This has therefore been boosting the packaging unit volumes of thin wall plastic containers, as they are the primary pack type used…

In 2023, skin care in France saw growth in both retail volume and current value terms, and was one of the best performing categories within beauty and personal care. Premium skin care led value growth, but mass skin care also showed a positive…

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…

During 2020 and into early 2021, supermarkets saw a surge in customer visits and sales in response to pandemic-era lockdowns and driven by the convenience of location, manageable store sizes, and the availability of click-and-collect services.…

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…

The initial phase of the pandemic saw proximity-focused convenience stores and supermarkets thrive as travel curbs encouraged local shopping. With the return of pre-pandemic routines, hypermarket outlets have seen a surge in footfall, benefitting…

Toilet care was one of the few categories to see growth in retail volume terms in 2023. Rim blocks saw a return to growth in 2023 with sales benefiting from the convenience of these products as consumers returned to busy lifestyles away from the…

2023 was a tough year for sales of surface care with volume sales declining while value growth was due to price increases rather than an increase in demand. With consumers’ disposable income being squeezed they were forced to rationalise their…

Consumer foodservice in France once again witnessed dynamic value growth in 2023 building on the recovery seen in 2021-2022. The absence of COVID-19-related restrictions, the return of tourists, and favourable weather conditions all contributed to…

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 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…

In 2023, the surge in growth of other home improvement products in France, such as ladders, step stools, workbenches, toolboxes, and tool belts, can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the high costs of professional services, exacerbated by…

In 2023, the home furnishings category in France experienced declining value sales as consumers reigned in expenditure in the face of high inflation and a sluggish housing market. Indoor furniture, such as window coverings, was particularly impacted…

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…

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…

2023 was a tough year from beer with sales declining across all categories in total volume terms. Although sales continued to report healthy growth in total current value terms this was due to the impact of high inflation and rising production costs…

Tobacco saw continued decline in France in 2023 in both volume and value terms. The increase in taxes on cigarettes during the year led to higher prices, with popular brands such as Marlboro Red 20 priced at EUR11.50, Camel Filters 20 at EUR11.00,…

The performance of sunglasses is heavily influenced by the weather in France as well as tourism trends. In 2022, sales of sunglasses peaked due to high temperatures throughout the summer and the strong revival of national and international tourism in…

Cigarettes saw volume sales decline in France in 2023. Legal sales of cigarettes were forced to take another backseat in 2023. Having seen no tax increase in 2022 (the immediate post-pandemic period), taxes rose again in 2023, which resulted in a…

Although hair care in France witnessed a small decline in volume sales in 2023, it saw solid current value growth. All categories were stable or increased in value terms, boosted by significant price growth, with salon professional hair care leading…