Home Furnishings in France

PROSPECTS

A return to growth in 2019, which is expected to be maintained

The decline in the housing, real estate and construction markets, combined with actions by the social movement “gilets jaunes” led to a decline in home furnishings in 2018. However, a return to growth was seen in 2019, as consumers took advantage of bargain prices.

Kitchen and bedroom furniture are important to consumers

Practical French consumers continued to use their limited budgets to invest in upgrading both their kitchen and bedroom furniture, realising the importance of functional products in the home and their effect on the overall quality of life. Cooking is very important to the French.

E-commerce increases in importance

Whilst homewares and home furnishing stores remained the dominant distribution channel in home furnishings in 2019, it continued to see a share decline. This was mainly due to the rising popularity of e-commerce.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Furniture specialists lead, but see different performances

Chained retailers continue to dominate the top of the leader board in home furnishings in France. IKEA maintained its lead in 2019, and extended its value share.

Dichotomy between low unit prices and high-priced, quality products

The competitive landscape in home furnishings in France is largely defined by the stark dichotomy that exists between companies and brands that focus on offering high-quality, beautifully designed home furnishings at the higher-end of the price spectrum, and those which pursue a strategy of offering basic items with neutral design features at the lowest possible prices. This means that there are two major consumer groups for home furnishings, those who are looking for long-lasting furniture and textiles, often French-designed and French-made, that will be part of their home’s décor for many years on the one hand, and those who are looking for items to fulfil an immediate need on the other.

Opening stores closer to consumers

A trend strongly evident in home furnishings was new retail concepts. New outlets were opened which were closer to consumers, offering more experiences and products adapted to urban lifestyles.

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