The cookware market - France

1.2 A growing global market driven by innovation and growing demand in emerging countries

Worldwide sales of cookware (***) were estimated at $**.* billion in ****, according to a Grand View Research study. Forecasts for **** point to a compound annual growth rate in sales of *.*%, reaching $**.* billion in the latter year.

Cookware market size World, ****-****, Billions $ Technavio

The market is driven in particular by the development of advanced equipment, such as mixers and food processors, which make cooking easier and more efficient.

Eating habits have also changed overall, with a trend towards healthier products and more balanced, varied recipes: recipes from the four corners of the globe, and in particular fusion cuisine (***), are on the rise in most developed countries.

One of the main factors driving growth in the global cookware market is the rapid expansion of online sales. The growing penetration of Internet-enabled technology and appliances has enabled many suppliers to the global cookware market to increase their presence on e-commerce channels. While some vendors offer online purchasing options on their company websites, many others have links with online retail e-commerce platforms such as Amazon. Although offline sales channels such as retail stores accounted for a significant proportion of sales in ****, the rapid development of Internet infrastructure in emerging economies such as India and China will ...

1.3 A French market returning to growth

According to the Comité Francéclat, the tableware market can be divided into two categories: tableware (***). To get as close as possible to the size of the cookware market in France, we used the INSEE NAF code **.**A, which covers the manufacture of household metal goods. More specifically, this NAF code includes :

manufacture of goldsmiths' and silversmiths' articles in base metals manufacture of metal cooking utensils: saucepans, frying pans, casseroles, pressure cookers, etc. manufacture of vegetable mills and similar hand-held appliances manufacture of metal sanitary ware: bathtubs, sinks, etc. manufacture of household items for storage or transport: buckets, letter boxes, watering cans, etc. manufacture of steel wool and steel straws, scouring pads, etc

(***).

To calculate market size, we also used the statistical series entitled "Sales index - Domestic and export market - Manufacture of household metal goods (***) = *** ***

French cookware market size France, ****-****(***), in millions of euros Source: INSEE - NAF **.**A As a result, the French market has suffered very little from the crisis, rising from sales of *** million euros in **** to *** million euros in ****. Nevertheless, the sector has experienced strong growth over the past * years. Indeed, in ****, the market jumped by over **% compared with ****. And in ****, the market ...

1.4 Imports and exports of kitchen utensils

In order to study imports and exports of kitchen utensils in France, we have chosen to use the French Customs website with the code: "******** - Tableware and other articles for table or kitchen use, of plastics". Although this code mentions the word "plastic", we feel that it is the best way of estimating France's imports and exports, and the one that is closest to reality.

Imports of kitchen utensils by value France, ****-****, in thousands of euros Finances.gouv

In ****, France's exports of kitchen utensils rose slightly (***) to *** million euros.

French imports, on the other hand, are significantly higher. Between **** and ****, imports grew by c.**%.

Imports of kitchen utensils by value France, ****-****, in millions of euros Finances.gouv

1.5 The impact of the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-** crisis has had the effect of changing the way the French relate to some of their eating habits. According to a study carried out by Santé Publique France, **% of French people said they were more inclined to cook. In fact, this tendency to cook more can be explained by the increased time available, by the fact that all members of the household are present at all meals, and finally by the fact that cooking appears to be a good way of making up for boredom.

French eating habits during confinement France, ****, in Santé Publique France

Naturally, this strong tendency to cook more has been reflected in sales of kitchen utensils over the period. Sales of knives and saucepans, for example, soared by **% over the period. [***]. Nevertheless, the sector remains fragile: while the B*C segment has held up well thanks to the French craze for cooking, the B*B segment has suffered. Restaurant closures and the absence of tourists contributed to the fall in demand in this segment.

2.1 A market based essentially on household consumption

Annual household expenditure

Breakdown of annual expenditure by product type France, ****, in € Source: ****

Among household expenditure in France, we can see that tableware, glasses and preparation utensils account for the bulk of spending, followed by decoration and, more anecdotally, table linen. The French market is mature, especially for entry-level and mid-range products. Despite a stable economic situation, household demand will be constrained by a high level of household equipment, while demand from professionals will be supported by the dynamism of the tourism industry in France. Household consumption of cookware and household goods has been declining over the period ****-****, reaching *.*** million euros in ****.

Trends in household utensil consumption France, ****-****, € million Ecostat

2.2 Urbanisation et modes de vie urbains

L’urbanisation croissante en France se traduit par une concentration plus forte de la population dans les grandes agglomérations. Selon les données de l'Université de Sherbrooke, la proportion de la population vivant dans des villes de plus d’un million d’habitants est passée de **,* % en **** à **,** % en ****. Cette évolution des modes de vie urbains influence directement la demande en ustensiles de cuisine.

Évolution des besoins en ustensiles de cuisine: 

L’urbanisation modifie les habitudes alimentaires et, par extension, les achats d’équipements culinaires. Plusieurs tendances se dégagent :

Réduction de la taille des cuisines et optimisation de l’espaceAvec la densification urbaine, les logements deviennent plus petits, impliquant un besoin accru pour des ustensiles de cuisine compacts, multifonctionnels et ergonomiques. Les produits pliables, empilables ou modulables gagnent en popularité. Préférence pour des ustensiles rapides et pratiquesLe rythme de vie urbain accéléré réduit le temps disponible pour cuisiner. Les consommateurs privilégient ainsi des équipements qui facilitent la préparation rapide des repas : robots multifonctions, autocuiseurs électriques, poêles antiadhésives de qualité, etc.. Influence des nouvelles tendances alimentairesLes zones urbaines étant souvent des pôles d’innovation culinaire, la demande pour ...

2.3 Demand driven by foodservice

Although the cookware market is essentially based on household consumption, the positive trend in the contract catering sector is helping this market to evolve, particularly with B*B trade, which accounts for almost **% of the sector's sales.

In France, the foodservice sector (***). Then, the market quickly returned to good growth percentages to reach **.* billion euros in ****.

Annual foodservice sales France, ****-****, in millions of € Source: ****

In ****, contract catering accounted for **.*% of total out-of-home catering sales, with the remaining **.*% coming from restaurants, hotels, alternative circuits, caterers and so on. Contract cater ing accounts for **% of the foodservice market by value, and **% by volume.

The French group Elior leads the way in this sector, with salesof **.* billion euros in **** in France. [***].

These companies use a lot of kitchen utensils, and are therefore also important growth drivers in this market.

3.1 Value chain

Market value chain

3.2 Each sales channel adopts a different strategy

Favourite retailers for tableware purchases France, **** IPEA

The chart above shows the top five French retailers for tableware purchases in ****. It shows that Ikea is far ahead of its competitorssince it is the favorite brand of over a quarter of French people. It is followed by Maison du Monde (***).

The kitchen universe accounts for **% of sales in the tableware sector in food superstores - down on ****-, **.*% of sales in department stores and **.*% of sales in independent retailers. The world of tableware and decoration does not fall within the scope of our study.

Sales breakdownFrance, ****, in

Ecostat

The increase in distribution channels can be explained by the **% rise in the number of kitchenware sales outlets between **** and ****.

Total number of sales outlets France ****-**** Source: ****

Each manufacturer or distributor must develop its own strategy:

Brands tend to develop their distribution network, notably in order to sell their production, improve their reputation, protect their margins and control their distribution. General distributors, aware of the market's potential, are setting up specialized departments, like Boulanger. In line with the French craze for cooking, specialized retail chains are enjoying great success. Culinarion, Du Bruit dans la Cuisine, Alice Délice, Kitchen Bazaar and TOC are ...

3.3 Slow growth in French production

French production in the cookware industry has recorded slow growth over the last decade, reaching around *.* million euros in ****.

French production France, ****-****, € million Ecostat

It should be noted that the main cookware production regions in France are :

Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, which accounted for almost half of French employees in the industry in ****, thanks in particular to a Téfal factory in Rumilly, as well as the "cutlery capital": Thiers. Nouvelle Aquitaine, which concentrates the production of ceramic objects (***). Hauts de France, around glass and textiles. Center, also focused on glass, with factories such as International Cookware, Pyrex and Duralex. Grand Est, with Baccarat and the SaintLouis crystal glassworks (***).

Cookware is the second most popular tableware segment after tableware. Moreover, between **** and ****, it was the segment with the highest sales growth, along with silverware, cutlery and knives. Kitchen utensils account for **% of total sales in the tableware market, to which can be added **.*% for small appliances and **% for tableware.

Structure of the cookware market France, ****, in Ecostat

3.4 The competitive landscape in the cookware market

On the supply side, the market is characterized by a large number of players and intense competition. Numerous small and medium-sized businesses make up the industrial fabric, yet the majority of sales are generated by major international groups.

For entry- and mid-range items, imports from Asia, taking advantage of low labor costs, have no competitors. In the high-end segments, French manufacturers, and the high reputation of the "made in France" brand, are up against the Italians and Germans. In addition, retailers are in a strong position vis-à-vis manufacturers (***). This keeps downward pressure on prices [***].

Examples of "Made in France" utensils

Rousselon: Manufacture of kitchen accessories (***) and knives. Bourgeat (***): Manufacturer of cookware, utensils and equipment for holding and regenerating food. Professional and private customers. Tefal: Manufactured in Haute-Savoie. Pots, pans, molds and other non-stick utensils are made in France. Peugeot Saveurs: Peugeot grinders for salt, pepper and coffee are made in France. Laguiole Actiforge: Manufacturer of corkscrews (***).

Stores specializing in tableware:

Alice Déclice: state-of-the-art kitchen utensils and appliances. Ambiance & Styles: tableware specialist. Cerf Dellier: specialist in bakery and pastry-making utensils. Culinarion: top-of-the-range cookware.

4.1 Price and product overview

The main categories of cookware are :

Cooking equipment - Example: induction hob (***). Electrical equipment - Example: juice extractor (***). Cutting tools - Example: vegetable peelers (***). Pastry utensils - Example: tart moulds (***).

With a high level of household equipment, a market flooded with low-end imported products and a renewed interest in tableware, high-end, niche and specialized products are on a roll. With this in mind, we can note that brandawareness is an important asset, even if it ensures very little loyalty.

French manufacturers, even mid-range brands, aim to stand out from the crowd through product innovation. This can be :

Technical (***) Marketing (***). Aesthetics (***)

Innovation focuses on consumer trends: health and wellness foods, sustainable consumption, and ever-greater performance and ease of use (***).

4.2 Moving upmarket: the examples of deep fryers, steam cookers and food processors

In line with their product strategy, manufacturers focus on top-of-the-range positioning and new technologies, renewing their offer every year. For example,

The Seb group (***) communicates extensively on its "vitamins and lightness" offer, and multiplies new products: ultra-compact Vitasaveur *-bowl steamer; Tefal Malaga plancha for browning meat, vegetables and shellfish; Krups Venise ice-cream maker for balanced desserts, etc. Tefal, keen to stay one step ahead, is focusing on an exotic offering: Plancha, Tajine and electric Multiwook - three products which, what's more, allow fat-free cooking. Fissler presented its Crispy Steelux Premium pan - uncoated, it cooks without the addition of fat, withstands very high temperatures (***).

Brands are spreading the word about the dual benefits of fat-free cooking: in addition to deteriorating the taste of food, some researchers believe that the consumption of burnt fat could be carcinogenic. This has created a bipolar market. While sales of deep-fat fryers (***) are declining only slightly, at the other end of the scale, steam cookers have become the norm in the space of a decade. Seb remains the major player in the steamer market, ahead of a growing number of players: Magimix, White & Brown, Moulinex, Kenwood, etc.

This graph shows the number of deep fryers sold ...

5.1 Regulations

European regulation (***) no. ***/**** of March **, **** lays down the conditions and procedures for imports of polyamide and melamine plastic cookware from China and Hong Kong. This requires importers to hold a document confirming that the imports in question comply with primary aromatic amine requirements for utensils and materials intended to come into contact with food.

In November ****, for example, French customs officials seized over **,*** potentially carcinogenic kitchen utensils from Hong Kong, containing chemical elements in quantities exceeding the limits set by European regulations,

Counterfeit products: The Laguiole example

Many people think that Laguiole is a brand. This is not the case: Laguiole is a generic name for the model that originates from the village of Laguiole. The name Laguiole is not protected. At least, not the knives. Laguiole cheese is protected by an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (***). Only cheese produced in the village of Laguiole can bear the name Laguiole. Any breach of this rule is punished. The difficulty lies in the fact that there are no official regulations prescribing what a genuine Laguiole knife should be.

Laguiole's largest cutler, Forge de Laguiole, has been working for many years to obtain an Indication Géographique Protégée (***) [***]

5.2 ISO international standards

The International Organization for Standardization(***) is an international standards body made up of representatives from various national standards organizations.

Founded on February **, ****, the organization promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it works in *** countries.

There are a large number of international standards for kitchen utensils, all referenced in category **.*** (***)[***]

More generally, all standards relating to domestic and commercial equipment are grouped together in category ** of ISO international standards.

6.1 Segmentation

• Mastrad
• Pyrex
• Brandt
• Whirlpool
• Magimix
• Culinarion (EK France)
• Maison française du Verre (ex International Cookware)
• Robur Molinel
• Electrolux
• Vorwerk Thermomix
• DeLonghi
• Miele
• Duralex
• Tramontina France
• Forge de l'Adour (SEB Groupe)
• Peugeots Saveurs
• Zwilling Staub
• Mathon (Labruyère groupe)
• Opinel
• Sushi Robots
• Sofilac Charvet (Seb groupe)
• Lebrun Groupe
• La Cornue
• Cristel
• Fackelmann
• Alice Délice
• Mauviel 1830