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Summary of our market study
In France, the pasta market is worth around €1.1 billion.
In 2022, overall pasta sales rose by almost 20% in value. This increase will continue into 2023.
Pasta accounts for a significant share of the €1.9 billion starch market. Nearly 70% of the population consumes pasta at least once a week.
Premium and "well-being" pasta, organic and whole-wheat varieties are enjoying sustained growth, even though the organic sector has slowed by 7.5% in 2022. The most popular pasta is spaghetti, followed by penne, fusilli and tagliatelle.
Producer price indices for basic ingredients such as durum wheat and eggs have soared. Egg prices have risen by around 80%.
French pasta production is concentrated among a few large companies, in particular Ebro Foods and its Panzani and Lustucru brands. Italian brand Barilla has strengthened its position, with sales expected to reach 720 million euros by 2022.
France's pasta balance is in deficit
Pasta is mainly distributed through supermarkets, which account for almost 80% of sales. Private labels are gaining market share.
Players in the French pasta market
- Ebro Foods, a Spanish food conglomerate with the Panzani and Lustucru brands, has a 60% market share.
- Saint Jean, artisan pasta
- Barilla
- Pastacorp
- Alpina Savoie - specializing in niche segments such as crozets
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market overview and definition
Pasta is a food made from flour, durum wheat semolina, water, salt, and sometimes eggs, other cereals or legumes, and various forages. Pasta is a staple of the French diet, with 70% eating it at least once a week, and each inhabitant consuming an average of 8.6 kilos a year.
The French pasta market proved dynamic in 2023. Sales of dry pasta rose by 11% in value and 1% in volume. In supermarkets, pasta accounts for almost twice as much as rice and four times as much as semolina and cereals.
At the same time, the fresh pasta segment grew by 14.4% in value and 4.8% in volume. Although smaller in size, this segment has grown three to four times faster than dry pasta in recent years. It is attracting more and more players, such as the giant Panzani, which entered the market in 2024.
The success of fresh pasta reflects the French people's desire to consume "better", by turning to higher-quality products. Premium pasta grew by 11.7% in 2023. This desire, which has been palpable for several years, may however come up against inflation, which has caused sales of organic pasta, for example, to fall by 9.8% in 2023. The retail price of a kilo of pasta increased by 43% between 2021 and 2023, due to the rising cost of raw materials (wheat, eggs). However, inflation seems to be coming to an end in 2024.
The sector is highly concentrated in France, with a handful of brands dominating the market: Panzani and Barilla for dry pasta, Lustucru and Rana for fresh pasta. Their main competitors are private labels, which have taken advantage of inflation to promote their lower prices and win market share. For national brands, the challenge of moving upmarket is twofold: to meet consumer expectations and to stand out from private labels. Made in France and the use of "tricolore" durum wheat - championed by French pastiers such as Panzani, Lustucru and Alpina Savoie -, the launch of new products, and the broadening of ranges into new segments are all part of this strategy.the launch of new products, and the expansion of ranges into premium or innovative segments, such as vegetable pasta, all represent opportune levers for market players to activate.
1.2 The global market
The global pasta market will be worth $**.** billion in ****. by ****, at a CAGR (***) of *.**%, it could exceed $*** billion. This growth is linked to rising demand, particularly in Asia, Europe and the United States. Pasta meets the need for convenient, easy and inexpensive food. It is also compatible with societal trends towards ...
1.3 The European market
The European pasta market is expected to grow by *.*% per year until ****, from $**.** billion in **** to $**.** billion in ****. by then, it would represent just over a quarter of the world market, compared with just under a third in ****. Faster market growth in other regions (***) explains this difference.
pasta market sales trends Europe, ...
1.4 The French market
The French dry pasta market rose by **% to *.** billion euros in ****. This increase is mainly due to inflation, which has pushed up prices, but not only: volumes sold are also up by *%, indicating an overall increase in sales in the department over the past year. [***]
Pasta is thus the most widely ...
1.5 Foreign trade
The figures in this section are mostly obtained from UN Comtrade code ****: pasta, whether or not cooked or stuffed with meat or other substances, or otherwise prepared, such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, lasagne, gnocchi, ravioli, cannelloni; couscous, whether or not prepared. The code therefore also covers couscous, which is not included ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 The French, major pasta consumers
Total pasta consumption volume in France peaked in **** during the Covid-** crisis. Although it then fell back in ****, it has since picked up again, to levels higher than those observed before the crisis. Consumption is therefore tending to rise, illustrating the continuing strong interest of the French in pasta.
evolution of ...
2.2 A product consumed by everyone
**% of French people eat pasta at least once a week, half of them more than once a week.
Pasta consumption frequency in France France, ****, in Source: ****
Pasta is a staple food in many households. In its February **** study on the evolution of pasta, rice and potato purchases, not renewed since, FranceAgriMer ...
2.3 Pasta in all its forms
Tagliatelle is the favorite pasta of the French in ****, ahead of spaghetti and coquillettes. But the close ranking shows that several major pasta families are popular.
Types of pasta preferred by the French France, ****, % of total Source: ****
More and more French people are also buying pasta in the form of ready-made ...
2.4 Towards a demand for higher quality
The French tend to pay more attention to their diet and the impact it can have on their health, the environment and so on. Healthy eating thus appears to be a priority shared by all age groups of the French population, while "responsible eating" and "ethical eating" are also of concern ...
2.5 Brands well known to the French
As pasta is a major part of the French diet, the market's leading brands, such as Panzani, Lustucru and Barilla, have a very high level of aided awareness, almost ***%. Panzani is the favorite brand of the consumers surveyed, with an approval rating of **.*%, ahead of Barilla at **.*%.
On the other hand, ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Market value chain
The pasta market involves a number of different players:
Raw material suppliers, active in the agricultural sector, who supply the rest of the chain with ingredients (***). Processors can then act as intermediaries, transforming wheat into flour, for example. But end-product producers can also take on this task themselves: they then integrate ...
3.2 Producers
The main dry pasta producers account for almost two-thirds of the market in terms of value. Two leaders stand out: Panzani, with **.*% market share, and Barilla, with **.*%. Behind them, their closest competitors hover between *% and *%.
Market share in value of different pasta brands France, ****, in Source: ****
In volume terms, the gap ...
3.3 Distributors
Pasta distribution is largely dominated by supermarkets. Of all starchy foods and pulses, which include pasta, **% were sold in supermarkets in ****-****, and **.*% in supermarkets. E-commerce is playing an increasingly important role, with a **.*% market share, up *.* pt year-on-year. Specialty stores, which generally offer more upmarket products, account for just over ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Different types of pasta
The pasta market is made up of different products:
Dry pasta is one of the staple foods of the French. It is available in a wide range of segments: quick-cooking, wholewheat, other cereals, fancy, long, short, in a variety of shapes and colors, gluten-free, etc. The most common are spaghetti, coquillettes, ...
4.2 Prices
After remaining stable for six years, the price of pasta and couscous rose sharply from **** onwards due to inflation. Over the first eight months of ****, the consumer price index averaged ***.**, compared with **.** in ****, an increase of over **%.
consumer price index trends for pasta and couscous France, ****-****, index *** in **** Source: ****
The ...
4.3 Made in France mobilizes the entire industry
at a time when food sovereignty and the reduction of the environmental impact of food are key issues, the use of durum wheat made in France appears to be an essential element for the pasta industry. In France, a ** million euro sovereignty plan, funded by the French government and the Intercéréales ...
4.4 Fresh pasta, a highly promising and increasingly competitive segment
The French fresh pasta market grew by **.*% between January **** and January ****, to ***.* million euros. In volume terms, it has grown by *% annually since ****. The sector is therefore booming, and "its potential remains significant, since one household in two does not buy fresh pasta", points out Les Echos. [***]
Stuffed pasta and pan-fried ...
4.5 Vegetable pasta, a minor category to keep an eye on
Vegetable pasta, made entirely or partly from legume flour (***), first became popular around ****-****. Several major brands entered this segment, such as Barilla and Bonduelle, but failed to establish a lasting presence on the shelves.
At a time when consumers are paying ever greater attention to their diet, pulses now seem ...
5 Regulations
5 General regulations
Pasta legislation According to legifrance.gouv.fr, it is forbidden to sell :
pasta containing more than **.*% water, with the exception of fresh pasta sold under this name; pasta with an acidity content higher than the maximum set by order of the Minister of Agriculture. NOTA : Decree ****-*** of July **, **** art. * *°: the ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Company segmentation
- Saint Jean
- Barilla Group
- Rana (Groupe Giovanni Rana)
- Pastificio Garofalo
- Panzani
- Alpina Savoie
- Rummo
- Valfleuri
- Pâtes Grand'Mère (Heimburger / Aster Développement)
- Treo
- Carrefour Groupe
- E.Leclerc
- Auchan groupe
- Intermarché ITM Les Mousquetaires
- Lustucru Frais (Pastacorp Group)
List of charts presented in this market study
- Pasta market sales forecasts
- Market breakdown by pasta type
- Main pasta-producing countries
- Pasta market sales forecasts
- Pasta production and consumption
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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.
In the Drôme, Saint Jean ready to rival Lustucru and Rana - 17/09/2024
- - Company sales: €115 M
- - 4 production sites
- - Saint Jean fresh pasta market share: 6%
- - Acquisition of Saint Jean by Claude Gros in 1992
- - Total production capacity: 15,000 t
- - Objective to triple market share in the filled pasta segment by 2030.
Barilla enters the French snack market - 30/08/2024
- Barilla, the world's pasta giant, is entering a new market in France, that of snacks, with Harrys, its French sandwich bread brand, acquired in 2007.
- In France, the group, with sales of 4.7 billion euros, is best known for its pasta products
- In Italy, it is at the head of Mulino Bianco cookies (1.2 billion euros), Italy's leading food brand
- Pasta and sauces account for 60% of sales, and bakery products for 40%.
- 60% of sales are generated outside Italy
- Pasta Group present in over 100 countries
- Sales in France in 2023: 1.7 billion euros.
- Private labels will account for 50% of pasta sales and 40% of sandwich loaf sales in 2023
- 4 Harrys plants, in Châteauroux, Plaine de l'Ain, Vendée and Valenciennes
- The manufacturer's objective is to capture 5% of the French industrial bakery market within three years
- France is the Italian giant's 3rd largest market (15% of sales), after its own country and the United States.
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
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