Customer spend fell by 0.9% in France in the period from 18 March to 14 April, new data from Kantar has found – the first time in 25 months that spend has decreased.
The average basket value decreased by 1.7% in the P4 period, Kantar's data showed, while purchase frequency stabilised.
The online channel gained 0.6 percentage points of market share in the period, the research firm noted, with the proximity channel also seeing a slight increase (0.1 percentage points).
E.Leclerc The Best Performer
In terms of the best performing retailers in the period, E.Leclerc gained 0.8 percentage points in market share, to sit on 23.8% of the market, with half of its growth coming from its E.Leclerc Drive network, Kantar said.
Elsewhere, Le Groupement les Mousquetaires reported a 0.6 percentage point gain, to hold 16.7% of the market.
Discounter Lidl gained 0.1 percentage points, to put it on 7.7% market share, while Groupement U also added 0.1 percentage points, to hold 12.0% share.
Kantar's data is derived from a sample of 20,000 Worldpanel panellist households and tracks expenditure across hypermarkets, supermarkets, discounters, proximity stores, and online channels.
Financial Stability
A recent study by E.Leclerc's New Consumption Observatory, conducted in association with BVA , found that four fifths (81%) of French families are concerned about their household's financial stability. Factors such as inflation, health worries, global warming, and the Ukraine conflict contribute to this consumer sentiment, it noted.
Optimism about the future is scarce, with 80% believing that challenges lie ahead. Moreover, 92% are exercising caution with their spending, and 34% meticulously count their expenses down to the nearest euro while shopping.
