The thrift store market - France (2024)

1.2 A booming global market

The second-hand and resale clothing market is booming worldwide, whether it's sales between individuals via platforms such as Leboncoin or Vinted, or clothing sales from dedicated platforms such as Videdressing or Vestiairecollective.

In ****, the global second-hand clothing sales market will exceed US$*** billion, a figure that has increased *-fold in * years. By ****, this market is expected to grow by **% to US$*** billion.

Second-hand fashion market size and forecasts World, ****-*****, $ billion Source: ****

By ****, the second-hand clothing market is expected toaccount for **% of the global market.

The growth of this market is driven not only by a desire to change style regularly and make a statement through one's attire, but also by a general rise in ecological awareness and a trend towards more eco-friendly clothing.the growth of this market is driven not only by a desire to change style regularly and make a statement through one's attire, but also by a general rise in ecological awareness and the many scandals linked to fast fashion (***) will similarly ensure the growth of this market over the next decade.

The United States is the world's leading second-hand market, with **% market share in ****. The US market should continue to grow over the next few years, ...

1.3 Sustained growth in the French market

The clothing market is struggling...

In ****, the French apparel market will amount to **.* billion euros, according to the Institut Français de la Mode (***). The sector has been struggling in recent years, posting a **% decline between **** and ****.[***] Figures provided by Insee on the evolution of sales in the clothing sector show that in index base *** in ****, the clothing market lost *.* points in value between **** and ****. In ****, the sales index reached its highest level, ***.**.

Trend in apparel sector sales by value France, ****-****, index *** in **** Source: ****

Few figures exist on the size of the French second-hand clothing market. According to Roland Berger, the second-hand fashion and luxury goods market is estimated to be worth * billion euros in ****. Assuming growth at the same rate as the global market, with a compound annual growth rate of *% between **** and ****, estimated sales for **** would reach around *.** billion euros.

Estimated sales for the second-hand fashion and luxury goods market France, ****, in billions of euros Businesscoot processing

1.4 Foreign trade in second-hand goods

We can use the TradeMap platform to observe trade in products registered under code ****: thrift store items made up of clothing, clothing accessories, blankets, linen and home furnishings.

In ****, the exported value was ***,*** US dollars, meaning that domestic trade is the mainstay of the French thrift and second-hand market. This value has increased over the last three years.

The imported value is US$**,*** in ****. The coverage rate is therefore on the rise, with a significant surplus (***).

trend in second-hand goods exports France, ****-****, in thousands of US dollars Source: ****

The top six countries for second-hand goods exports from France account for almost half of all exports. Virtually every continent is represented, and there is no apparent trend. Market share of top * second-hand goods export destinations France, ****, in Source: ****

Imports are even more polarized: The UK accounts for almost a third of imports by value. Share of the six biggest importers of second-hand goods France, ****, in Source: ****

2.1 The French are increasingly fond of second-hand clothes

Buying second-hand clothes is becoming increasingly commonplace in ****, **.*% of French people buy second-hand clothesalmost half the population. Share of French people buying second-hand clothes France, ****/****/****, in Source: ****

While thrift stores are gaining in popularity, fast-fashion brands remain the primary source of clothing purchases for the French. According to a survey conducted by OpinionWay in ****, thrift stores and clothing resale websites and apps are the least-used places to buy clothes for the French: **% for thrift stores and **% for resale websites and apps, compared with **% for stores selling new fashion items.

Type of clothing purchased by consumers France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

2.2 Young people drive the market upwards

If we consider the global fashion market, young people under ** will devote an average monthly budget of *** euros in ****, compared with ** euros for the French average, making them the biggest consumers of fashion. [***]

Similarly, French under-**s are the main buyers of second-hand products. According to Volago, **% of French people under ** buy second-hand products.

Young people are also the main users of second-hand clothing sales platforms. For example, the Vinted platform counts **% **-** year-olds among its French users in ****. [***]

Young people essentially see the purchase of second-hand clothes as a more eco-responsible attitude, aware of the impact of fashion on the environment. This attitude is not just unique to France: according to the **** report by the American website Thred Up, of all **-** year-olds buying second-hand clothes worldwide, **% do so for environmental reasons. This is the most represented age group among all consumers buying second-hand clothes for environmental reasons.

Share of second-hand purchases, by age group France, ****, in % Source: ****

2.3 Towards a more sustainable way of consuming clothes?

Price, the main reason for buying second-hand clothes

Ethical fashion represents a real transition towards a more sustainable way of consuming clothing. At a time when the textile industry poses numerous problems for the environment and respect for working conditions, consumers are increasingly adopting ethical and eco-responsible behavior in their consumption patterns.

However, as the graph below shows, economic reasons are still by far the main reason for buying second-hand clothes (***), while ethical and ecological motivations are cited by **%.

We note that the economic reason is once again on the rise, while the ecological reason is down on the previous year.

Main reasons for buying second-hand clothing France, ****, in % Source: Audirep - Les Echos Études Audirep points out that young people cite more the fact of being able to find unique pieces in thrift stores, while CSP+ tend to cite ethical and ecological reasons for buying second-hand clothes.

Other sources point to the success of the second-hand market as a result of society's hyper-consumerism, rather than a sensitivity to ecological and ethical reasons. New fast-fashion collections encourage the younger generation to renew their clothing more regularly, while divesting themselves of items they no longer wear.

These figures reflect the same trend ...

2.4 Men's fashion, a potential to be exploited

Men and women behave differently when it comes to buying second-hand clothes and giving a second life to clothes they no longer wear. Women (***) in terms of second-hand purchases.

When it comes to giving their clothes a second life, almost a third of women resell their clothes on the Internet, while only **% of men do so.

Did you buy second-hand clothes in ****? France, ****, in Source: ****

Second-hand clothing by gender France, ****, in Source: ****

Women's fashion and children's clothing are the two market segments with the widest offer: of the * million ads posted on Leboncoin in October **** in the fashion category, **% concern women's fashion and children's clothing (***).

Breakdown of published ads by clothing universe Leboncoin, ****, % Source: ****

Breakdown of published ads by clothing universe Videdressing, ****, % Breakdown of published ads by clothing universe Vestiaire collective, ****, % Source: ****

Breakdown of ads published by clothing universe United Wadrobe, ****, % Source: ****

There are no specialists in men's second-hand fashion, unlike women's fashion and the children's universe (***)

As a result, men's fashion offers considerable market potential. United Wadrobe, which arrived in France in ****, seems to have exploited it, since **% of the ads posted on the site are now aimed at men.

3.1 The different models of second-hand clothing sales

There are * main models for selling second-hand clothes:

Sale between individuals:

The sale is managed by the individual seller, who sets the price, negotiates, takes a photo of the item, posts the ad online, etc. Sales between private individuals have developed considerably in recent years, thanks in particular to the rise of the Internet. It is based on several circuits:

Garage sales: the number of these is constantly increasing, with some **,*** in France today[***] ; Internet sites offering ad publishing (***); Websites that publish ads and allow buyers to pay online (***); Websites offering, in addition to the above-mentioned services, control over the items sold (***).

Buy and sell:

Sales are managed by the site or store. The main players using this system are specialist buy-and-sell chains, sites that buy back clothes by sending a parcel to the site, and specialists in the buy-and-sell of luxury items. For the seller, the advantage is that they are paid immediately and don't have to manage the sale to individuals; for the buyer, they are better assured of the quality of the product, especially for luxury items.

We find :

Physical store chains positioned on the buy-and-sell market (***); Websites based on clothing buy-backs, especially children's clothing (***); Luxury specialists who ...

3.2 Africa: a major outlet for European industry

It's worth highlighting the importance of the second-hand market in Africa: very few African consumers buy new clothes. For example, second-hand clothes account for **% of clothing purchases in Uganda. Most of the textiles purchased on the African continent are second-hand and come from Europe, which puts local textile industries at great risk.

Indeed, the European Union's exports of second-hand clothing are mainly destined for Africa, with ***,*** tonnes of second-hand clothing exported to the continent every year, representing over **% of total exports. The leading importer is Tunisia. Africa imports around */*th of the world's used clothing. The second-hand clothing industry employs a total of ***,*** people on the African continent, and generates $*** million a year in revenue, according to a study by the US Agency for International Development (***). As for France, it exports almost **% of its collected textiles to Africa, i.e. ***,*** tons a year for an estimated turnover of ** million euros according to French Customs. [***]

To promote the local textile industry, six East African countries (***) are considering a total ban on the import of second-hand clothes, which would considerably weaken the European industry. In ****, Rwanda, which imported the equivalent of $** million worth of second-hand clothing each year, raised taxes on second-hand clothing ...

3.3 Intensifying competition in the French market

Historic players

Most of the leaders in the French second-hand market have been present for a number of years, such as Vestiaire Collective and Vide dressing created in ****, or Vinted, which opened its French site in ****.

Nevertheless, competition is intensifying in the French market. A number of foreign players have been making inroads in France in recent years, and many brands are opening their sites to the French market, such as Spain's Micolet in ****, or the Netherlands' United Wadrobe in ****. [***] The market is also attracting the interest of some major American players: StockX, the US market leader, Thred Up and The Real Real could all be interested in conquering the European market.

New players

New players are also emerging thanks to social networks. Petite Chineuse, for example, has made a name for itself on Instagram. Before setting up their own e-shop, the two founders sold items they had found themselves in thrift stores and flea markets on Vinted, while advertising on Instagram (***), use the Vinted platform to sell the clothing items they find.

Classic fast-fashion brands, faced with the second-hand craze, have decided to position themselves in this market by creating their own second-hand e-shop. This also enables them to control ...

3.4 The Internet turn

The Internet has grown enormously in recent years, and now accounts for **-**% of sales of second-hand consumer goods. For example, Leboncoin, created in ****, is growing fast. It's worth noting that by ****, LeBonCoin has overtaken Amazon in terms of value sales (***). However, both are behind Vinted, which grew by **%. [***]

The second-hand clothing market is developing mainly on the Internet, as demonstrated by the success of Vinted: the platform, launched in ****, now has ** million users and generates ***.* million in sales by ****, an increase of **% on the previous year[***]

In terms of average shopping basket, LeBonCoin manages to hold its own against Amazon and Vinted, with a basket worth €**, compared with €** for the American giant and €** for the Lithuanian platform.

The growth of the clothing market is mainly due to the growth of the online resale sector. Indeed, as explained in the study carried out by Harris Interactive for the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, **% of respondents buy their second-hand clothes online, compared with **% in store.

Method of purchasing second-hand clothing France, ****, in Source: ****

Average shopping basket France, ****, in euros Source: ****

This shift to the Internet means that other distribution channels, particularly physical boutiques and thrift stores, need to ...

4.1 Consumers' desire to pay less

Consumers are less and less inclined to pay high prices for new items, especially if they are of poor quality. This has encouraged the growth of promotions and sales on new items: it is estimated that one out of every two items is bought on promotion, thanks to an average price reduction of **% compared to new. [***]

But consumers' willingness to pay less for their clothes has also spurred the revival of traditional clothing retailers such as Guerrisol, Free'p'star and Kiloshop.

Focus on the Kiloshop chain

The Kiloshop chain, created by wholesaler Eureka Fripe in ****, had closed its stores in France in order to expand internationally. But the **** crisis prompted the chain to rethink its concept. So, in ****, Kiloshop made a comeback with the reopening of a department store in the Marais district of Paris. The brand is now focusing on ecological aspects and clothing recycling.

Kiloshop's concept is based on a system of selling by the kilo, with * sales labels indicating a price per kilo ranging from €** to €**. ** to **% of items are grouped under the "Culture Vintage" brand and sold at a fixed price. The average shopping basket is €**[***]

4.2 The revival of thrift store concepts

In recent years, there has been a revival in the sale of second-hand and vintage clothing, driven by growing ecological awareness and a desire to stand out from fast-fashion chains. The prevailing model is the classic sale of second-hand clothes without trade-in to private individuals.

Most chains rely on physical stores, such as Ding Fring, the Emmaüs group's second-hand clothing store, which has ** stores in France, or Guerrisol, which has a total of ** stores, including ** in France. For the most part, these players are still a long way from e-commerce, although they are increasingly offering online services.

In particular, thrift stores linked to wholesalers such as the Eureka Fripe group are not yet involved in e-commerce, as the table below shows: Hippy Market has * stores in Paris and one in Nice; Kilo Shop has ** stores in France and * abroad.

Source: ****

4.3 The brands most represented on second-hand platforms

According to Les Echos Études, some brands are more represented than others on second-hand goods sales platforms and in thrift stores.

At Vide dressing, the top * most-represented women's brands are Maje, Sandro and Comptoir des cotonniers. Men's brands include The Kooples, Lacoste and Sandro. Brands like Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss are also well represented on the market.

Another example is Sézane: Sézane, which boasts an excellent quality image, limited editions and a close-knit community of fans, has also been very well represented on second-hand platforms over the past three years.

In ****, the top-selling brands on Vinted are : Levi's, Nike, Adidas, Kiabi, Petit Bateau, brands indicated as "Vintage".

These are generally high-end brands that are well represented on the market, since consumers are looking for unique or high-end items at low prices, or children's clothing (***).

The most sought-after item in second-hand clothing is the dress.

4.4 Used luxury goods make their mark on the market

The second-hand goods market is opening up more and more to luxury goods. Players such as Vestiaire Collective and Instantluxe have even decided to focus on luxury and high-end goods, as the market potential is enormous. According to Bain & Company, the second-hand luxury goods market in Europe will exceed $** billion in ****, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.**% over the period ****-****, reaching $**.* billion in ****. [***]

According to the same source, **% of luxury professionals today believe that the second-hand luxury goods market is a niche market that is set to grow over the next few years, for two main reasons:

on the one hand, the phenomenon of second-hand goods resale and/or repurchase is becoming more democratic; secondly, today's younger generations no longer want a luxury item for life.

As a result, luxury brands are positioning themselves in this market: Rolex, Balenciaga, Gucci, etc. now offer sales of second-hand pieces. According to a study by Bain & Company, this could represent **% of their revenues by ****.

According to Guerrisol, the most sought-after luxury brands are : Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Cartier and Saint-Laurent.

5.1 Registration with French authorities

The sale of clothing, used in the study to give the size of the clothing market in France, is referenced by Insee under code **.**Z entitled "Retail sale of clothing in specialized stores".[***]

This class includes the retail sale of articles of clothing, fur articles, clothing accessories such as gloves, ties, suspenders, etc. It does not include the retail sale of clothing in specialized stores. It does not include textile or second-hand goods retailing.

To open a thrift store in France, you need to start by creating your legal status, either as a company (***) or as a sole proprietorship.[***]. You'll also need to take a police register or brocante register with you, and have it signed by the local mayor or police commissioner.

6.1 Player segmentation

• ParuVendu.fr
• Vide Dressing
• Vinted
• Kilo Shop
• Guerrisol
• Emmaüs
• Depop
• Freepstar
• Fripouille vintage
• Petite Chineuse
• Inditex groupe (Zara)
• Veepee (Venteprivee.com)
• Patatam - Rediv