Summary of our market study

The French ham market is estimated at 3 billion euros.

The global charcuterie market, which includes ham, is set for strong growth in the years ahead, driven by factors such as demand for convenient, packaged foods and higher-protein diets. It is worth around $45 billion.

Ham market trends and dynamics in France

Consumers are attaching increasing importance to the origin and health impact of the food products they consume. This trend is having a positive impact on sales of traditional products such as Bayonne ham. Producers investing in nitrite reduction.

The charcuterie market, which includes ham, is experiencing weak overall growth (1%), but the ham segment in particular is experiencing a slight decline (3%). Cooked ham segments such as superior, label and York account for over 60% of the market.

Meat consumption peaked in the late 1990s, with an average annual consumption of around 90 to 95 kilograms per person, before experiencing a gradual decline in recent years. Meat consumption has fallen by around 10-15% over the last decade, and daily meat consumption has been declining by more than 50 grams a year since 1998.

This trend can be observed even though pork remains the most consumed meat. The decline is apparent even in charcuterie products, whose consumption rate has also fallen, by around 15-20% in just a few years.

New consumption patterns are emerging, with around 25-30% of French households identifying themselves as flexitarians, seeking to reduce their meat consumption and replace animal proteins with other foods.

Dominated by large foreign food groups and cooperatives, as well as family businesses, the market leaves little room for new entrants. Major brands such as Herta and Fleury-Michon, as well as foreign names like Campofrio Food Group's Aosta, are adapting their strategies to this new consumer landscape.

Ham imports from Spain and Italy are twice as high as exports. Spanish hams, which benefit from the Guijuelo PDO appellation, have gained in popularity.

Regulatory standards, such as the EU's "Hygiene Package", continue to shape the market, and the sector remains attentive to the impact of the Egalim law aimed at rebalancing negotiations between producers and distributors.

Ham market players

  • Fleury Michon is the market leader, slightly ahead of its competitors with a market share of 21.8%.
  • Herta, another key player and a subsidiary of Nestlé France, follows close behind with a 21.6% market share by value.
  • Aoste, a French subsidiary of Campofrio Food Group, has a 21% market share by value.
  • Bigard, known for its Charal brand, which has made a name for itself both in the world of fresh meats and in the charcuterie sub-sector.
  • Major retailers such as Carrefour, Casino, Auchan, Leclerc, Super U and Casino offer private label products.

 

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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Ham is the cured or cooked preparation of the pork leg or shoulder. The ham market is a component of the charcuterie industry. please note that this study concerns exclusively pork ham, and therefore excludes "poultry ham".

Worldwide, the market is growing, and should continue to do so until 2026, at an average annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% .

In France, despite a decline in meat and charcuterie consumption, the size of the ham market has remained stable over the last decade. However, the French market benefited from the health crisis to grow by 8.1% in 2020 compared to 2019. The national market is characterized by high concentration, with private labels (Auchan, Carrefour, Intermarché etc.) as well as leaders Herta and Fleury Michon largely dominating the sector. In addition, hams of foreign origin have a strong presence on the French market. In fact, France imports more ham than it exports, mainly from Italy and Spain. In France, for example, we find Bayonne ham.

The market is strongly impacted by several trends, mainly linked to the environment and health, with, for example, the reduction of plastic packaging and the multiplication of hams with no or less nitrites.

List of charts presented in this market study

  • Size of the global ham and bacon market
  • Size of the ham market in France
  • Breakdown of ham sales (value)
  • Ham trade balance
  • Foreign trade in ham by segment
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Latest news

Intermarché, Auchan and Casino launch central purchasing group with Aura Retail - 25/09/2024
  • 1. Completion of an alliance initially announced in April with a planned ten-year term between Intermarché, Auchan, and Casino (including Monoprix, Franprix), which are respectively France's 3rd, 5th and 7th largest food retailers.
  • 2. Aura Retail will be organized into five separate entities, two of which will be based outside France. Main activities include the management of three central purchasing units for foodstuffs, run by Intermarché, with two locations in Massy.
  • 3. One will operate synergies for nearly 200 national brand manufacturers, and another will aim to improve market access for European food manufacturers.
  • 4. Aura Retail International Food Services, based in Brussels, will negotiate with major multinational industrial groups and offer synergies in several European countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Hungary).
  • 5. Purchases of national-brand non-food products will be managed by entities run by Auchan, including Aura Retail Achats Non Alimentaires based in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, and Aura Retail International Non-Food Services located in Luxembourg.
  • 6. France's 4th-largest retailer, Coopérative U, wished to withdraw from the Everest European center, but had no official comment.
Agromousquetaires: how Intermarché plans to sharpen its industrial focus - 27/06/2024
  • - 4.7 billion euros: industrial sales in 2023
  • - 54 plants.
  • - 20 logistics sites.
  • - 11,000 employees.
  • - 40% of Intermarché and Netto private labels are manufactured by Agromousquetaires plants.
  • - 15,000 agricultural partners.
  • - 200 sailors and 15 ships.
  • - 12 supply chains, including beef, processed products, pork, charcuterie, milk, and more.
Food: Intermarché turns its 56 plants to fresh produce and vegetables - 10/06/2024
  • Agromousquetaires is France's fourth or fifth-largest agrifood group, focusing on beef and pork with its slaughterhouses.
  • 56 plants and sales of 4.7 billion euros, up 7% year-on-year,
  • The group owns the last French diaper factory.
  • The industrial division produces 75% for Intermarché's own brands (Monique Ranou charcuterie, Jean Rozé meat, Pâturages dairy products, etc.).
  • The fishing fleet, the largest in France with 15 boats
How Intermarché intends to achieve a 20% market share - 16/05/2024
  • - Reopening of 35 supermarkets under the Intermarché or Netto banners
  • - Number of supermarkets and hypermarkets acquired from Casino in the southeast: 65 supermarkets, 10 hypermarkets
  • - Number of supermarkets and hypermarkets acquired from Casino in Rhône-Alpes: 56 supermarkets, 4 hypermarkets
  • - Current Intermarché market share in 2023: 16.7
  • - Intermarché short-term target market share: 18.5
  • - Intermarché's medium-term target market share: around 20%
  • - Total number of outlets to be transformed: 294, comprising 257 supermarkets and 37 hypermarkets
  • - Number of integrated ex-Casino employees: 10,000
Fleury Michon, the king of ham, bets on plant-based products with vegetable slices - 28/03/2024
  • - Fleury Michon sales: 795 million euros.
  • - Products offered: three legume-based products (coral lentils, chickpeas, white beans)
  • - Target market: 50% of consumers in France claim to be flexitarians.
  • - Annual decline in the pork ham market: 2% to 3% in volume since 2015
  • - Estimated supermarket delicatessen market for plant-based products: close to 150 million euros, up by around 3% in volume.
  • fleury Michon's "nitrite-free" market share: 62% of sales.
Thierry Cotillard (Les Mousquetaires): "We want to become invulnerable" - 29/02/2024
  • - 300 integrated Casino stores and 10,000 employees
  • - Group sales of €52.9 billion in 2023 (including fuel), up 7.8%
  • - Group sales of €39.9 billion in 2023 (excluding fuels), up 10%
  • - Intermarché sales of €28.8 bn (excluding fuels), up 8.8%
  • - Netto sales of €1.6 billion (excluding fuels), up 15.7%
  • - Agromousquetaires sales up 7% to €4.7 billion
  • - Sales of €3.4 bn for the DIY division (Bricomarché, Bricorama, Brico Cash, Tridôme, Bricoprivé.com and Racetools), stable
  • - Sales of €359m for mobility banners (Roady, Rapid Pare-Brise), up 4.3% (including fuel)

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Fleury Michon
Herta
Auchan groupe
Intermarché ITM Les Mousquetaires
Bigard groupe
Les Salaisons Celtiques (les Mousquetaires Intermarché)

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