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Summary of our market study
By 2022, the French guarding market is estimated at €2.8 billion
The global private security market, which encompasses a variety of services including guarding, has seen strong growth in different regions. By 2023, the private security sector in India will be considerable, employing around 12 million people. The United States is also experiencing strong growth in private security, with revenues of $51 billion in 2023.
In 2022, the national security market in France is estimated at around €10 billion, including €7.5 billion for private security (€6.9 billion in 2019). Guarding accounts for around €2.8 billion.
Demand is shifting towards remote surveillance and cybersecurity services. Remote surveillance grew by 12.3%, while cybersecurity grew by 15.1% in 2018.
evolving security needs and the rise of private guarding in France
The private guarding and security sector in France has grown steadily over the years. The growing number of terrorist attacks in France has considerably increased demand for surveillance services.
The market is undergoing a wave of consolidation, leading to the disappearance of many small businesses. The professionalization of personnel is a notable development in the sector, which introduced compulsory professional qualification certifications in 2008.
The French market is largely dominated by large and medium-sized companies, which hold 54% of the market. Foreign groups control around half of all security companies in France.
With some 188,000 employees, the private security and guarding sector represents a significant workforce.
With the general feeling of insecurity fuelled by memories of past terrorist attacks, the need for physical security and protection of property is at the heart of the concerns of French citizens and businesses alike.
Private security market players in France
- Securitas France, a subsidiary of the Swedish multinational group, is at the forefront of the security market.
- G4S France, another major international player in the private security sector, is part of the global G4S group.
- The ONET Group, a French company, occupies an important place in the security market. The group has diversified its offering to encompass a range of services, including cleaning, logistics and engineering.
- Groupe Sotel is a major French SME that brings its own unique strengths to the private security market.
- Securalliance, a collaborative network of independent security companies throughout France.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Introduction
Guarding is the activity related to private security in France, generally carried out by service companies: the services offered are human surveillance in a building but also the surveillance of goods (buildings, companies, businesses, banks, etc..).
This sector experienced a major boom between 2001 and 2005 following the traumatic events of the New York and Madrid attacks, which led to a sharp increase in the demand for human surveillance, fueled by the persistence - and even the increase - of the terrorist threat. After experiencing growth of around 30% between 2010 and 2015, the market continued this good trend in 2016 and 2017, due to the attacks that took place in the last two years, pushing for the strengthening of private security in France. Guarding accounts for more than three quarters of the private security sector's turnover in France.
A multitude of companies have emerged in the sector, increasing competition and lowering the quality of service. Various factors (unfair competition, 35-hour working week, squeezed margins) continue to weaken the sector year after year. Since 2008, we have also witnessed a vast concentration movement causing the disappearance of thousands of companies. The other striking fact of the sector is the professionalization of the personnel with the issue of a professional qualification certification (CQP) mandatory since January 2008, which has allowed to eliminate the unprofessional actors.
Currently, almost one out of two security companies belongs to a foreign group. The 100% French players such as Néo Security are playing the tricolor card to gain market share, while more diversified players in home services such as Onet are developing strong skills in terms of security. Some players are riding the wave of innovation and using drones to enhance private security. In 2022, the security sector will be under heavy pressure due to recruitment difficulties as well as competition from remote surveillance.
1.2 The global private security market is booming
There is no data available for guarding on a global scale. Nevertheless, we can take a broader look at private security systems. The latter have been booming for a few years. Indeed, more and more countries are opening up to private security, to the detriment of public security forces. Today, about ...
1.3 National market
In **** in France, according to the site Making our world safer, the security market was estimated at *.* billion euros, of which **% concerned private security and **% security systems. Thus, the national private security market was valued at *.* billion euros. According to the index of the turnover of the sector provided by the ...
2 Analysis of the demand
2.1 Demand and drivers
The demand for guarding, and therefore surveillance, is above all dominated by companies. INSEE data, which covers guarding, patrol and cash-in-transit services, shows that nearly **% of the turnover is generated by services to companies [***].
Distribution of revenues from guard, patrol and cash-in-transit services by type of client France, ****, % Source: ****
Building ...
2.2 The security issue at the heart of people's concerns
New alarms now allow households to have a security system at home, without having to rely on a service provider. Somfy alarms are connected and meet the needs of French people to be able to monitor their homes at any time.
But security issues are multiple and the majority of French ...
2.3 A demand in search of digitalization
Companies, which represent the largest segment of the demand for security services, no longer have the same expectations of security companies. They are looking for a certain upmarket service that is no longer limited to physical surveillance, with security guards.
Thus, the growth in demand continues to be very important on ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Market organization and dynamics
In ****, approximately ***,*** people were employed in the private security sector, including security guards (***). [***].
Distribution of the workforce in the sector France, ****, in % Source: ****
The sector is dominated by medium-sized and large companies (***). Microenterprises still account for **% of the market.
Breakdown of security revenues by company size France, ****, % Source: ****
Large companies are ...
3.2 Production costs for the entire sector
Production costs in the private security sector have increased slightly at an annual rate of *.*% over the past ** years [***].
evolution of production costs for private security France, **** - ****, base *** in **** Source: ****
The main costs in the sector are related to the personnel employed (***), nearly **% of whom are full-time. The average hourly ...
4 Analysis of the offer
4.1 Products and/or services
The guarding gathers a whole of missions carried out by security agents. It is above all a question of protecting buildings, which can be done for example by the control of the entries and exits, rounds... The websites of Securitas and Atlas Sécurité give an outline of these missions related ...
4.2 Prices and household budgets
Arcadis, a private security company, presents on its website the rates for guarding according to the amount of time included in the contract. Given the intense competition in the sector, the prices should not differ much from those of Arcadis. On the other hand, the costs associated with specific services (***) per ...
4.3 The market is about to be revolutionized by startups
Considered for a long time as an essentially physical activity, security guarding has managed to resist direct digitalization (***). However, some start-ups are now challenging this idea.
A complementary offer to guarding for individuals
The start-up Securkeys offers to keep the keys of private individuals and return them in less than an ...
5 Regulation
5.1 Rules specific to guarding
The code of internal security regulates the activities of private security companies. Title VII of Book II specifies the laws concerning guarding. Thus, when the size of a residential building justifies it, it is necessary for the inhabitants to provide guarding. [***] The main measures regulating guarding are as follows:
Administrative authorizations ...
5.2 The role of the CNAPS
The CNAPS (***) regulates the activities of private security companies. This organization has three missions:
Administrative police: delivery, suspension or withdrawal of authorizations, approvals and professional cards Disciplinary: on-site and off-site control of private security companies, and initiation of disciplinary action if necessary Advice and assistance tothe profession: answering questions from the ...
5.3 Calls for tender, application and limits
The file written by France Marchés on calls for tenders and the site Marché Public provide information on the legislation on calls for tenders.
Formalized procedure
A call for tenders is a consultation launched by a public purchaser, which he can or must use. Formalized procedures are so called because ...
6 Positioning of the actors
6.1 Segmentation
- Securitas
- Prosegur
- ONET Groupe
- Sotel Groupe
- Securalliance
- GettGuard
- G4S Secure Solutions
List of charts presented in this market study
- Distribution of security revenues by company size
- Distribution of the workforce in the sector
- Evolution of production costs for private security
- Distribution of guard, patrol and cash-in-transit revenues by client type
- Are you concerned about your physical safety or the safety of your property?
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Latest news
Securitas benefits from growth in electronic security. - 03/05/2023
- First-quarter operating income before depreciation and amortization: 2.18 billion crowns (previous year: 1.45 billion)
- Record quarterly profit margin: 5.8
- Analyst forecast: 2.14 billion crowns
- Electronic security sales growth (excluding acquisitions): 13%
- Share price increase: 2% (at 1111 GMT)
Elisabeth Coquet-Reinier, the female Onet, has passed away - 21/01/2023
- 68,000 employees worldwide
- 30,000 customers
- Present in 9 countries (including Spain, USA and Brazil)
Télésurveillance : le groupe toulousain Sotel en pleine croissance - 02/12/2021
Birth of a new global security giant - 01/03/2021
- American company Allied Universal is to buy the world's number one in the sector, British company G4S, for £3.8 billion.
- The new entity will employ 750,000 people and generate sales of $18 billion.
- Competitor GardaWorld employs 102,000 people in North America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
- Allied Universal intends to withdraw from a number of sensitive markets where G4S is present and where private defense contractors have been implicated, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and Uganda. This will create potential opportunities for its competitors.
Birth of a new global IT security giantThe IT Security Giant - 26/02/2021
- Allied Universal buys G4S for £3.8 billion ($5.8 billion)
- The new group has 750,000 employees in 80 countries
- combined sales: $18 billion
- G4S employs 9,000 people in the United Arab Emirates and around 30,000 in the region
- Allied Universal plans to withdraw from certain sensitive markets, including Iraq
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