Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
Sector Report
Household Goods, Furniture and Furnishings
France
Produced by:
Marie-Agnès Laude, Trade Sector Promoter, Paris
Last revised March 2008
Whereas every effort has been made to ensure that the information given in this document is accurate, neither UK
Trade & Investment nor its parent Departments (the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, and the
Foreign & Commonwealth Office), accept liability for any errors, omissions or misleading statements, and no warranty is
given or responsibility accepted as to the standing of any individual, firm, company or other organisation mentioned.
Published August 2008 by UK Trade & Investment.
Crown Copyright ©
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Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
Table of Contents
OVERVIEW
3
OPPORTUNITIES
3
CHARACTERISTICS OF MARKET
4
KEY METHODS OF DOING BUSINESS
5
MORE DETAILED SECTOR REPORTS
5
EVENTS
6
CONTACT LISTS
8
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Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
OVERVIEW
The furniture industry is made up of furniture for the office, kitchen, bedroom, living room,
outdoor furniture, seats, and 'other' furniture (for the bathroom or shops). It groups products
made of wood, metal, plastic and other materials such as cane, either for the household or for
professional use (in offices, shops, warehouses…). Around two thirds of the manufactured
products are made of wood.
The French market for domestic furniture and furnishings is a mature market, where the
price/quality ratio is very important. According to trade federations, the industry must offer
consumers what they really want in terms of function, comfort and quality production for a
competitive price.
There has been a growing interest in the home and interiors over the last few years, and people
are showing their individual personality through choice of décor. As a result of high real estate
prices and employment uncertainty, the French are investing more and more in homedecoration. In addition, many people cannot afford to upgrade or purchase a new property.
People prefer to stay at home with family and friends rather than entertaining outside of the
home. The trend 'nesting' brings with it a passion for decoration and furniture.
It must be noted however that the industry is linked to economical, demographic and
sociological aspects. In this respect, young people tend to live at home with their parents for
longer, therefore pushing back the age when furnishing their own place.
OPPORTUNITIES
Until the early 2000's, sales in the home furnishing decoration sector had been steadily
decreasing. However over the last few years this trend has started to reverse.
The kitchen is becoming a living area, whereas the living room is an area for relaxing and
entertainment. Demand for comfortable upholstered seating is expected to follow the rising
sales of flat (plasma) TV screen sales and multimedia. Customers tend to renew their home
décor in accordance with consumer electronic trends: for example, a new sofa to complement a
new home cinema set-up.
Another trend is bringing the outside indoors, where the home is opening outwards. The home
has also become a place of production. With this comes the idea that everybody can, and is
entitled, to create. But people also want homes to be productive in that they are places of care
i.e. to pamper, hence the success of cushions and curtains, which one can customise, and
scented products in general.
The ageing population will influence choice in furniture, through a trend for ergonomics and
preferring to invest more in bedding than for instance in storage furniture (deemed less useful).
There is a potential for handcrafted top quality design furniture aimed at the very top end of
the market. The once large market for traditional English style furniture is not as popular as it
once was.
The law about the future opening of furniture shops on Sundays throughout France is still being
discussed but Sunday opening should be going ahead, and sales are be expected to increase as
a result.
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Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
UKTI publishes international business opportunities gathered by our network of British
Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates worldwide. These opportunities appear in the
Opportunities portlet on the relevant sector and country pages on the UKTI website. By setting
up a profile you can be alerted by email when relevant new opportunities are published. New or
updated alert profiles can be set in My Account on the website.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MARKET
The French market for furniture sales amounts to €14.32 billion (includes household, office,
accessories, second-hand and other furniture). The market for household furniture (new)
reached €9.67 billion in 2007 representing a growth of 7.3% (the highest since 1977),
compared to growth limited to 2.6% in 2006 and 2.5% in 2005. Sales of kitchen furniture and
beds experienced the highest growth, followed by upholstered seating. Most people buy
modern/contemporary furniture (70% compared to 30% for rustic furniture in 2006). Trends
for purchasing furniture in 2008 are encouraging, especially as household consumption has
risen by 3%.
France is the 4th European producer (behind Italy, Germany and the UK) and ranks 6 th in the
world, representing €8.80 billion (€12.3 billion including seating for the transport sector - cars,
planes, trains…). Despite a small but steady decline in the last few years, production figures
show a stabilisation. The industry enjoys an excellent international reputation and its players
such as Parisot, Gautier, Roset export throughout the world. A large number of companies still
manufacture furniture in the traditional way. The main competitors are more and more "Young
living" chains coming from Scandinavia such as Ikea Jysk, BoConcept and in the near future,
Ilva.
French exports of furniture total €2.3 billion. This represented a 7.1% increase between 2005
and 2006, whereas previous years' figures had only revealed a 1-2% steady increase since the
1990's. In terms of value of exports, France ranks 4 th in Europe and 8th in the world. While
China is the overall world leader for furniture exports (20% market share) and exported €427
billion to France in 2006 (making it the 6 th leading exporter to France), Spain and Germany are
France's top importers, with €411 million and €265 million respectively in 2006. The United
Kingdom then came fourth with €190 million (behind UEBL -Belgium/Luxembourg). France
exports 71.1% of its products to European countries.
In 2006, French furnishing imports represented €5.8 billion (+5% between 2005-6, and a
steady rise since the 1990's). Imports have doubled since the mid-1990's; this is due to
distributors widening their sourcing, and manufacturers developing their international
organisation's production. The largest imports were of seating and kitchen furniture. Italy
remained France's top supplier with €1,285 million (20% of the total imports) and Germany in
second place with €753 million. The United Kingdom was the 8 th largest supplier of
furnishings/decoration with €116 million, a constant increase in recent years.
Increasingly, products are being produced and imported from Eastern Europe and China. The
large gap between imports and exports currently results in a commercial deficit of 50%.
Despite a steady rising demand, French industrialists suffer from a powerful and condensed
distribution network that imposes a purchase strategy based on price. This results in favouring
cheap foreign imports from the East over French manufacturing. French manufacturers have
nonetheless adopted innovation, differentiation and branding strategies that have brought
positive results in 2007.
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Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
KEY METHODS OF DOING BUSINESS
The distribution methods of furniture/furnishings are very much the same as in neighbouring
European countries. Manufacturers sell into the French market through importers, distributors
and buying groups. We have noticed that there have been fewer agents working in these
sectors due to low consumer confidence. However, increasingly larger retail chains/outlets are
buying direct from manufacturers and the role of the stockholding importer/distributor is
gradually declining.
Channels of distribution for furnishing fabrics/home decoration rank as follows:
independents, specialist chain stores, furniture stores, mail order, DIY stores,
super/hypermarkets, and department stores.
Young living styles such as Ikea, Habitat are performing well, so do kitchen specialist and
furnishing-decorating stores. On the other hand, small generalists are loosing market shares.
The sales period – January and July - remain the best time for the furniture/furnishing sector.
Other background information on doing business in France can be found on UKTI’s website.
Simply go to the France country page where you will find information on:
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Economic background and geography
Customs & regulations
Selling & communications
Contacts & setting up
Visiting and social hints and tips
MORE DETAILED SECTOR REPORTS
When considering doing business in France, it is essential to obtain legal, financial and taxation
advice. Further information on the Household Goods, Furniture and Furnishing sectors in France
is available from the Commercial Section, British Embassy Paris.
We can provide focused business advice and visit support in France through the online
Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS), please contact us for further information on how
we can help you to expand your business in France:
For further details, please contact:
MARKET RESEARCH TEAM
British Embassy, 35 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, 75383 PARIS Cedex 08
Tel 00 33 1 44 51 34 00
Fax 00 33 1 44 51 34 01
Email: mrt@fco.gov.uk
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Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
PUBLICATIONS
COURRIER DU MEUBLE ET DE L'HABITAT
Email: courrierdumeuble@hotmail.com
Tel: 0033 1 48 74 52 50
Fax: 0033 1 40 16 43 65
Weekly circulation of 3,800. General information and news on the furniture/furnishing sector in
France and throughout the world for trade and distribution specialists (hypermarkets, retailers),
industrial buying groups, manufacturers and designers.
UNIVERS HEBDO
www.univers-presse.com
Email: dollez@univers-presse.com
Tel: 0033 1 58 30 80 70
Fax: 0033 1 58 30 80 81
Weekly circulation of 12,500. News on the furniture and decoration sectors. Coupled with the
quaterly Univers Magazine which offers analysis and trends in those sectors and is aimed at
trade specialists.
JOURNAL DU TEXTILE
www.journaldutextile.com
Email: contact@journaldutextiel.com
Tel: 0033 1 43 57 21 89
Fax: 0033 1 47 00 08 38
Weekly circulation of 20,000. It has by far the biggest market penetration and has been the
number one professional press journal for household textiles/decoration, technical textiles and
clothing industry for many years. This is also an important advertising and recruitment medium.
EVENTS
Furniture
General information on trade fairs may be obtained on the following web sites:
www.foiresalon.com
www.salons-online.com
www.ccip.fr
www.service-expo.com
SALON DU MEUBLE Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles.
Date: every year at the end of January
Website: www.salondumeuble.com
A major European fair, Salon du Meuble presents a showcase of what’s available internationally
on the furniture and home furnishings market.
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Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
FOIRE DE PARIS, Porte de Versailles.
Date: early May
Website: www.foiredeparis.fr
This is a trade fair open to the public (764000 visitors - 2871 exhibitors), covering home,
leisure, tourism and food.
ENVIES DE PRINTEMPS, Strasbourg
Next dates: 28-31/03/2008,
Website: www.enviesdeprintemps.com
Trade fair open to the public covering home, decoration, leisure and outdoor activities.
Furnishings/Interior decoration
APPROFAL along with Salon du Meuble
SALON DU MEUBLE Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles.
Website: www.salondumeuble.com
MAISON ET OBJET
International home-style exhibition for decoration, giftware and tableware. Home textiles:
household linens, curtains, accessories, trimmings, furnishing and handcrafted work.
Held in Paris-Villepinte twice a year in January and September.
Website: www.maison-objet.com
E-mail: info@maison-objet.com
UK Trade & Investment’s Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) can help eligible UK businesses
take part in overseas exhibitions. Attendance at TAP events offers significant benefits:
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possibilities for business opportunities both at the show and in the future
a chance to assess new markets and develop useful contacts
grants are available if you meet the criteria
UKTI staff overseas will be available to assist delegates
Find out if you are eligible to apply to attend this event, and more about the support UKTI can
offer, on the UKTI Market Entry web page.
Details of TAP events can be found in the Events portlet on the France page.
Other Market Visit Support may be available via your local International Trade Advisor.
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Household Goods, Furniture & Furnishings – France
CONTACT LISTS
Useful information for manufacturers and distributors:
www.meubleparis.net
www.decofinder.com
www.ameublement.com
www.ipea.fr (promotion and research institute for the furniture trade)
www.unifa.org (national union of French furniture industries)
www.fnaem.fr (French federation for the furniture/household trade)
UKTI’s International Trade Advisers can provide you with essential and impartial advice on
all aspects of international trade. Every UK region also has dedicated sector specialists who can
provide advice tailored to your industry. You can trace your nearest advisor by entering your
postcode into the Local Office Database on the homepage of our website.
For new and inexperienced exporters, our Passport to Export process will take you through the
mechanics of exporting. An International Trade Adviser will provide professional advice on a
range of services, including financial subsidies, export documentation, contacts in overseas
markets, overseas visits, translating marketing material, e-commerce, subsidised export training
and market research.
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