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Summary of our market study
The French ice-cream and sorbet market is estimated at 1.8 billion euros.
The global ice cream and sorbet market is growing at an annual rate of 5%, and is worth around $90 billion. The main global players are Unilever, Mars, Nestlé, Froneri and General Mills.
French consumers show strong seasonal trends in their ice cream consumption, with marked increases during the summer and the festive season. The market is characterized by a wide and diversified product range, with a trend towards mini-formats, new flavors and artisanal products.
Much of the market's value is concentrated on a few product types, such as sticks and cones.
Trends in demand for ice creams and sorbets in France
88% of French people consume ice creams and sorbets. On average, French households make around 8 purchases a year for these products, spending over 45 euros a year, with an average basket per purchase of around 6 euros. Per capita consumption of ice cream in France is around 6 liters a year, which is slightly below the European regional average of between 6 and 7 liters a year.
Italian ice cream is the favorite. More than two-thirds of French consumers consider ice cream to be a convivial product, perceived as a secondary after-dinner treat.
People under 35 are the least likely to consume ice cream, with an average of around 5.3 kg per year. In contrast, people aged 35 to 49 not only have a higher penetration rate, of around 90%, but also consume almost 7 kg of ice cream a year.
The French ice cream market is experiencing an increase in both sales and consumption. The market is highly concentrated among a few global groups. Unilever has a market share of over 30%.
There is a wide variety of products on the market, differing in flavor, format and type, with the mini-format and artisanal ice-cream segments developing rapidly
Ice cream and sorbet market players
- Unilever: a market leader in the ice cream and sorbet category with the Magnum, Cornetto, Ben & Jerry's and Popsicle brands.
- Nestlé: With a significant share of the ice cream market, Nestlé's presence is marked by well-established brands such as Kit Kat, Extreme and Dreyer's. Products range from family ice cream to Italian ice cream. Products range from family-size tubs to convenient single-serve sticks, demonstrating Nestlé's ability to adapt to a variety of consumption scenarios.
- General Mills: best known for its iconic Häagen-Dazs brand
- Mars: with iced versions of popular confectionery such as Mars, Snickers, Twix and Bounty.
- Froneri: a joint venture between Nestlé and PAI Partners, Froneri has become a major entity focusing exclusively on the frozen confectionery sector (Nestlé Ice Creams, Oreo, Milka and Kit Kat)
- The market is also home to a large number of artisanal brands, such as Amorino, O Sorbet d'Amour, etc.
- Supermarket chains have also carved out a significant share of the ice cream market with their private labels.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation and definition of the ice cream and sorbet market
The ice is a food made from from milk, sugar, fruit and a variety of flavours . A sorbet consists solely of sugar syrup and fruit pulp or flavorings .
There are different types of ice cream available in the shops: cones and sticks (sometimes sold individually), ice cream specialities to share (logs and ice cream cakes) or even fruit tubs and jars of ice cream and sorbets sold in GSA (Large Food Stores).
In terms of volume, the home consumption market is dominated by individual specialities (cones, sticks, etc.) and bulk sorbets and ice cream (particularly fruit tubs), with the remainder consisting of seasonal collective specialities (Christmas logs, etc.). It is the snack ice segment that plays the most important role in the sale of ice cream during the summer period and ice cream consumption varies considerably during the year and from one year to the next, depending on the weather conditions.
The world market for ice cream and sorbets was estimated at 57.9 billion in 2018 . It is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 4.9% between 2019 and 2025 to reach $84.9 billion by 2025. The global market is highly fragmented, but some of the main market players include Unilever, Mars, Nestlé, General Mills, Lotte and Dunkin' Brands
In France, the ice cream industry is made up of a multitude of companies, and the players in the sector are often small in size. However, a few large global groups dominate the market, including the groups mentioned above. As far as distributors are concerned, it is the Large and Medium-Sized Surfaces (GMS) which concentrate the great majority of sales.
The French market has seen a steady increase in turnover and consumption in recent years. However, in 2019, the French consumed slightly less ice cream and sorbets, with a a 3% drop in effective household consumption compared to 2018 . However, market participants can rely on the market premiumisation and innovation as the main future growth drivers.
Companies in the sector are thus relying on innovation strategies. This innovation can take several forms fragrance renewal , new formats or new concepts . Another opportunity on the market is the development of an offer of organic products at the higher prices.
List of charts presented in this market study
- Projection du chiffre d'affaire des glaces et sorbets
- Frequency of frozen dessert purchases
- Quantity purchased per year by age group
- Breakdown of ice cream sales by age group
- Favourite types of ice cream
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Latest news
Stripped of Yoplait, General Mills rides the snacking wave in France - 19/09/2024
- - General Mills concentrates 63% of its sales in North America, totalling $12.5 billion.
- - In 2023, the group has recorded near double-digit growth in its business, with investments increasing by 15% to 20%.
- - The Nature Valley cereal bar has quadrupled its sales in four years, reaching 25% of the French cereal bar market, ahead of LU's Grany (9%), as well as Nestlé and Kellogg's.
- - 42% of Nature Valley buyers are new consumers.
- - The Häagen-Dazs ice cream division, equivalent in sales to Old El Paso products, benefits from increased visibility thanks to its 60 boutiques.
- - Häagen-Dazs products sold outside North America and Japan are produced in Tilloy-lès-Mofflaines, France, and exported to 90 countries.
Unilever in talks with funds to sell Ben & Jerry's and Magnum for 18 billion euros - 22/07/2024
- overall, ice cream will account for just 13% of sales in 2023 (59.6 billion euros)
Unilever to cut 3,200 jobs by the end of 2025 - 16/07/2024
- Total number of job cuts announced: 7,500 people
- - Number of job cuts in Europe: 3,200 people
- - Percentage of European employees affected: one-third
- - Main locations affected: London and Rotterdam
- - Disposal of ice cream division planned by end 2025: current value around 8 billion euros
- - Offer received for Knorr-branded liquid soups business in France: from the Sill Entreprises group
- - Announced sale of Elida Beauty subsidiary: completion scheduled for 2024
- - Sale of Dollar Shave Club brand: to Nexus Capital Management
How General Mills and TotalEnergies are developing the circular economy around the BioBéarn site - 15/07/2024
- Food manufacturer General Mills, which owns a Géant Vert canning plant near Labatut (Landes), supplies 50% of the inputs to the BioBéarn site (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), the largest methanizer operated by TotalEnergies in France
Ferrero pursues its breakthrough in frozen foods with the launch of a nutella ice cream - 23/05/2024
- - Launch of Ferrero ice cream brand in Europe: 2021
- - Launch of Kinder ice creams in partnership with Unilever: 2018
- - First Ferrero ice cream products: Ferrero Rocher and Raffaello (round, crunchy sticks)
- - Relaunch of Kinder ice creams with in-house production: 2022
- - Consumption of Kinder Bueno ice creams: 1.4 million consumers in 2023
- - Sales of Kinder Bueno ice creams: 13.6 million euros in 2023
Nestlé sells its Natur baby food products to FNB - 06/02/2024
- nestlé is the world's number one food company.
- FNB is a French investment fund specializing in small and medium-sized food companies.
- Nestlé is in exclusive negotiations with FNB to sell its infant food business in France.
- The products concerned are NaturNes potties, Babicao and Babivanille infant powders, and the P'tit yogurt range.
- These products are manufactured at the Arches plant.
- Worldwide sales of Nestlé infant formulas rose by more than 10%.
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the ice cream and sorbet market | France
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