Writing Instruments in France

PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Comeback to a slow cruising speed from now on

What is at stake in the outlook for low-cost and mid-priced writing instruments is the tricky question of what French consumers will dedicate to school supplies. This household budget is one of the most affected by soaring prices – it has to be noted that Oxford, a leading brand in notebooks (not included in the data) could not avoid a price increase of 30% in 2022 due to the skyrocketing cost of paper and carton.

Uncertainty if the trend towards writing, seen during the pandemic, will continue

Let there be no mistake: other than the peak of 2020-2021 due to the atypical success of writing, colouring, and craft activities at home during the lockdowns, sales of writing instrument usually/structurally slowly declined during the review period and are likely to wane again. Admittedly, as well as the dramatic rise in arts and crafts activities seen during the COVID-19 crisis, there was also a notable comeback of writing, spanning the keeping of journals and diaries, and the writing of biographies and novels.

E-commerce to forge ahead, but also create a double-edged effect on upmarket/luxury writing instruments

The expansion of e-commerce is expected to forge ahead on an ongoing basis, as consumers initially moved online in the context of the closure of non-essential physical stores and concerns about exposure to the COVID-19 virus in public places over 2020-2021 and have thus become to value to convenience and benefits the channel offers. With consumers having come to appreciate the convenience of online shopping, a factor that will only increase in importance as they return to busy lifestyles as the immediate threat from COVID-19 wanes, e-commerce has potential for further development during the forecast period – mainly in upmarket/luxury writing instruments.