Market leader E.Leclerc was the best performing grocer in France in September, seeing a gain of 1.4 percentage points of market share to account for 24.1% of total spend, new data from Kantar has found.
The data for the P10 period (4 September to 1 October), shows that more than a third of the E.Leclerc's sales came through its network of Drive outlets.
Elsewhere, Groupement U was another strong performer, Kantar said, gaining 0.3 percentage points to hold 11.9% of the total market, and seeing growth through all its channels, including hypermarkets, supermarkets, internet and proximity stores.
Le Groupement les Mousquetaires, meanwhile, reported a 0.2 percentage point increase to sit on 16.2%, with its core banner Intermarché (14.1% market share) seeing a 0.1 percentage point increase, and its Netto banner (0.9% market share) also seeing a similar gain.
Collectively, E.Leclerc, Les Mousquetaires and Groupement U accounted for 52.2% of French spend in September 2023, and saw their market share increase by 1.9 percentage points compared to September 2022.
Consumer Spend
Overall, spend by French consumers was up 8.2% in the P10 period, Kantar said.
The online channel was the big winner during the period, accounting for 10.5% of overall spend, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than last year.
Saving Money
A separate Kantar report earlier this month found that 70% of household buying decisions in France are driven by a desire to save money. Despite a recent decrease in inflation, the persistently high food prices have taken a toll on consumer spending, resulting in a 4.3% reduction in FMCG purchase volumes compared to 2022.
Furthermore, nearly half (48%) of French consumers are actively seeking ways to minimise product waste from their purchases. Kantar reports a growing trend of households reducing their purchases of fish, which have decreased by 6% in volume, meat, down by 3%, and fruit and vegetables, down by 4%.
