France: A Market To Target

France: A Market to Target
A market with growth potential for U.S. products.
Access with the services offered by Food Export USA-Northeast
March 2010,
prepared by

Consumers’ Desire
• Fun & Convenient
• Healthy & Organic
• Sustainable
• Authentic & Ethnic
• This is the type of food the French consumer
is looking for

French Market Overview
• 62.2 million inhabitants
• GDP per Capita $ 33,744
• Europe’s second largest market
for food and beverage valued at
$121 billion
• Every fifth Euro is spent on food
and beverage.

Profile of the French population, more than 15 years old
Gender
Regions Insee (Zeat)
Méditerra
née
12%
IDF
18%
65+
20%
50-64
23%
Age
15-17
5%
18-24
10%
35-49
26%
25-34
16%
Number of persons
per household
Sud-Est
12%
Sud
Ouest
11%
> 100
hab.
29%
Ouest
13% Est
9%
Agglo
Paris
16%
BP
Ouest
10%
Nord
7%
Categories of
agglomeration
Rural
25%
BP Est
8%
2 à 20
hab.
20 à
17%
100
hab.
13%
Profession of the head
of family
4 pers.
18%
5 pers.+
12%
1 pers.
16%
Inactif
36%
Agriculte
ur
2%
Art-
Commerç
ant
5%
Cadre
12%
3 pers.
20%
2 pers.
34%
Ouvrier
21%
Prof. Int.,
employé
24%

Consumers facing recession
• The downturn of the global economy didn’t have a
real impact on the food consumption of French
people who keep spending 18% of
their income on food.
• But consumers check prices and the same consumer
shop in different formats from the department store
to the hard discount.
• Private labels account for 50% of the sales; in the
meantime consumers keep looking for innovative
products (recipe, packaging.)
• Snacking is now part of the French way of life.

Consumers Want to be Responsible
• Numerous programs intend to educate
the population about food , health and wellness
• 86% of the consumers want to be responsible
consumers.
• Sales of organic foods keep growing .
• 70% of the restaurants think that organic is
important today for tomorrow.

Consumers Tend to be Nomade
• 79% of the consumers buy at least one meal to take away
per month, 34% of them several meals a week .
• The fast food restaurants registered a billing of $45 billions in
• 2009 (the sandwich market itself account for $16 billion)
• Consumers buy their snack food in various points of sales :
sandwich stores or supermarkets, bakeries, cafés, deli stores,
groceries , this a new competition between the different
distribution channels to attract consumers .
• The distribution networks want to offer a broad range of
products to the consumers who look for a vast choice and
variety of products. The format of the products offered is
also different from the regular ones
(example Terra chips in bags of 1oz ).
• Distributors have to offer eco-friendly packaging and
products.

Consumers Attitudes
• Teenagers are surfing between
street food and home cooking. They
know they have to eat healthy food
but they also want fun products
which is an identifier to their class age.
• Young people travel, watch American
movies and couples between 25-35
endorse US products.
(on several blogs consumers or chefs
ask where they can find such as such
U.S. products)

Consumers Attitudes
• Smaller families, aging population, single household
growth has led to thriving gourmet and premium market
but to smaller packages.
• Ethnic is bigger than organic or health market
- The Halal market reached $ 6 billion in 2009
- The Kosher market is well established and many
importers and retailers look for US products kosher
certified because of the ingredients.
• The Sushi market is booming as well as Japanese
restaurants.

French Retail Distribution
• In France, the traditional retail distribution includes the
same 7 groups which hold 77% market share but
different formats (including hard discount) and always
more private labels.
Group
Market share
Carrefour Group 23.9%
Leclerc 16.9%
Intermarché 13.5%
Auchan 11.1 %
EMC distribution 10.3%
System U 9%
Provera France 3.3%

Changes in the Distribution
Stores formats are changing rapidly: Acceleration
of the development of urban, neighborhood stores
Carrefour market, Simply market, le marché de
Franprix and the small specialized retail/
convenience stores:
-Daily Monop has become the reference of the
urban, small specialized convenience store
with upscale products
-Supermarkets open food corners in the
Supermarkets and bars (Carrefour city,
Deli traiteur.)
- Organic stores chains (Monoprix bought Naturalia) et des
are growing very fast.
. Famous caterers such as Autogrill running gas stations
are introducing Mac Donald’s and other concepts in their place.

Food Service
• White table clothes are looking for products
from other origins. French chefs who work the US say
that they find good quality products locally.
Chefs’ magazines interview
those chefs and feature US
products and U.S. fields and
harvesters.
• The competitions to select the U.S. chef to enter the
worldwide chef contest « Les Bocuses d’Or » in Lyon at
Sirha trade show get a wide press coverage.

Challenges for U.S. Exporters
Certification, ingredients , labeling
• EU Certification of the processing plants for dairy,
seafood.
• Ingredients and labeling strictly regulated : GMO
free, food additives must be checked against EU’s
positive list, nutrition and health claims are limited.
• These are information which can easily be reviewed
and it’s sometimes worth to have one product
reformulated to meet EU requirements.
• Don’t forget that the branded program is valuable
tool to assist you.

Challenges for U.S. Exporters
• First orders are always small quantities and the costs of
shipment can be prohibitive.
• Several importers are now well organized and
consolidate products in the US
• The service can be offered to U.S. exporters
Note that importers, once they have decided to bring
your products, can assist. It may take more than one
year to get the first order

Opportunities:
The French Press Likes U.S. Foods
• Consumer magazines and trade publications
feature U.S. products that are new to the French market.
Whether it is Valentine’s day, the BBQ season, or
Christmas there is always a U.S. product featured.

Opportunities:
The French Press Likes U.S. Foods
• From the field to the fork: Vermont, Maine, New York
State and their bounties are described in
Chefs’publications

Opportunities for U.S. Exporters
• Buyers of retail chains are more than ever busy; crunching numbers
and moving large volume
• The development of convenience stores and ethnic stores and
restaurants open the door to young and creative importers and
distributors to introduce US products in the French market.
Importers used the services of different distributors to supply the
food service sector and the retail sector.
• The major retail chains are now asking the importers to bring them
a selection of US products.
• Importers are ready to spend time with the US suppliers.

Best prospects
• Organic & sustainable food
• Innovative sauces and Condiments
• Sweets (jam, pastries, candies,
chocolate) desserts & Snack foods
• Tree nuts and preparation
• Legumes and edible grains
• Fruit and Vegetables concentrates
• Energy drinks and water
• Fruit juice and smoothies
• Wine and Beer
• Ethnic, Native American, Kosher,
Halal
• Seafood : fresh and frozen

Food Export-Northeast Services
• Food Show PLUS! TM
- SIAL October 2010 in Paris
- HIE in Madrid 2010 in Madrid
• Market Builder: throughout the year with the opportunity to have
face to face meetings with potential buyers.
• Sirha trade January 2011, Food Export-Northeast will
participate in :
All the companies selling products for the Food service
sector and gourmet foods are welcome to take advantage
of the show to meet with buyers
. Snack Foods : During the last show, we met with potential
• As well companies which want sell Snack food into
the French Market can have the market scan conducted
first and take advantage of the snacks shows to meet
with the potential buyers;
• Organizers of those snacks are looking for foreign
sourcing.

SEAFOOD
France is a strong market for fish and seafood for
US seafood Exports.
France ranks as the second largest consumer of
scallops after the US : in 2009, France imported:
- 3,300 mt of frozen scallops;
- 1,966 mt of fresh scallops
France also imports :
- live lobsters (1,725 mt in 2009),
- fresh and frozen monkfish,
- fresh and frozen skate,
- fresh and frozen dogfish.

SEAFOOD EXPORT USA NORTHEAST
Buyers are numerous and have different needs.
Seafood Export USA has quite extensive
program to help companies:
- Trade servicing provided year round,
- An umbrella pavilion at the
European Seafood show in Brussels,
- Buyers’ mission to Boston Seafood show,
- Seminars with importers and distributors
- Generic promotions.
- Market builders.

SEAFOOD EXPORT USA NORTHEAST
Insertion in Produits de la mer

MARKET BUILDER
This is a service, not only for suppliers of
seafood but also food and agricultural products suppliers.
Through this customized, in-market research
you get:
- Information about import regulation and
review of the ingredients , tariffs, competition,
- Distributors referrals and target importer list.
Food Export USA can assist you when meetings
selected potential buyers.
WELCOME TO THE FRENCH MARKET !