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Summary of our market study
French pen market exceeds €600 million
Worldwide demand for pens has remained stable. Despite the integration of technology and digital tools in education, pens remain indispensable for pupils, students, teachers and businesses. By 2025, the market is expected to grow from $15 billion to $19 billion, representing an average annual growth rate of 3%.
The pen industry is characterized by a fragmented market structure with a few dominant players such as BIC, Staedtler and Pilot, and a particularly strong domestic market in France, where pen sales are expected to continue to grow at a CAGR of 2%.
Demand in the pen sector
The pen market is part of the wider writing instruments sector, with a consumer base made up of students, teachers and businesses, as well as significant domestic use.
Despite the continuing popularity of traditional pens, smart pens are emerging to target the tech-savvy millennial and younger audience. These devices bridge the gap between analog writing and digital convenience, and are beginning to carve out a place for themselves in the market.
Demand for pens is strongly influenced by the school cycle, with notable sales peaks corresponding to back-to-school periods. This segment accounts for around half of annual sales in the pens market, and for the end-of-year period.
Demand for environmentally-friendly writing instruments is growing considerably. A large majority of consumers (around two-thirds) express a strong preference for environmentally-friendly school supplies.
The total market value of the pen sector is between 90 and 110 million euros per year, with ballpoint pens accounting for around 78% of the market.
The country's exports of pens and other writing instruments exceed imports. The main export destinations are Slovakia, the UK, Germany, the USA and Spain, while imports come mainly from Japan and China, followed by Germany, Mexico and Tunisia.
On average, French consumers spend between 90 and 100 euros on non-paper supplies during the back-to-school period, with pens accounting for a significant proportion of this expenditure.
Pen market players
- BIC: one of the world's best-known pen manufacturers
- Pilot: an innovator.
- Staedtler: renowned for design and durability.
- Schneider: German player in the sector
- Schwann Stabilo: masters of color and creativity.
- Montblanc: the quintessence of luxury writing
- Parker
- St Dupont
- Cara d'Ache
- Faber Castell
- Newell Brands: Rotring, Watermann
- Schaeffer (Bic Groupe)
- Pelikan
- Paper Mate
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Summary and extracts
1 Market summary
1.1 Market definition and presentation
The pen market represents the main segment of the writing market and covers sales of by-products such as ballpoint pens, fountain pens, writing markers and rollerballs
The history of the fountain pen dates back to 1865. Since then, and until today, the pen has been a popular commodity used all over the world, with a stable and constant demand. Nevertheless, as we approach the ever-increasing integration of technology, it is plausible to assume that the intrinsic characteristics of the pen will be reinvested. For example, we designate a portion of this study to discuss smartpens, which are connected to an electronic device such as a tablet
The pen market is highly fragmented when measured by the number of pen retailers, with many different brands, sizes, shapes and features. Sales are primarily in super or hypermarkets, or stationery stores. E-commerce represents only a small fraction of the retail market share. Nevertheless, there are giants in this sector, such as Bic, Staedtler and Pilot, which contribute to a highly concentrated market in terms of sales.
Although the pen sector is still relatively slow in terms of innovation, new trends are becoming increasingly important and include, for example, organic products.
List of charts presented in this market study
- Value of pen sales
- Value of pen sales
- Price index
- The 5 main distribution channels for writing instruments
- Market share of writing instruments
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Latest news
Bic makes progress with its new shavers - 20/02/2024
- In 2023, Bic's sales rose by 9.2% at constant exchange rates and by 1.3% as reported, reaching 2.26 billion euros.
- Despite lower volumes in stationery and lighters, the number of units purchased in the shaving segment increased. 9.5% of Bic sales came from products launched in the last three years.
- The EZ Reach lighter exceeded the 100 million euro sales threshold and gained 10.7% of the segment by value in European supermarkets in one year.
- Sales of the lighter rose by 3.3% at constant exchange rates.
- In France, Bic gained 1.4 points of market share in value in stationery.
Carole Hubscher prepares the next Caran d'Ache factory - 25/11/2023
- Caran d'Ache is a Swiss SME chaired by Carole Hubscher since 2012.
- The company has 340 employees.
- It produces pens and colored pencils.
- Carole Hubscher is the fourth generation to head the company.
- Caran d'Ache offers up to 400 pencil colors thanks to its pigment research.
- The company was founded in 1915.
- A new factory is planned for 2027 in Geneva.
Bic recaptures the flame - 16/10/2023
- The non-permanent tattoo market is expected to triple over the next seven years to 1.5 billion euros.
- Inkbox sales are in the region of $22 million.
- Today, tobacco accounts for only half of the global market for firelighters, compared with 60-70% a decade ago.
- In the United States, tobacco accounts for 28% of the flame market.
- In Brazil, cooking far outstrips tobacco, with 50% of the flame market, compared with 8% for tobacco.
- Bic's largest lighter factory produces 3 million units a day, or 50% of the division's worldwide production.
- Bic has a broader vision for shaving, which generated over 15 million euros in sales in its first year.
- By 2022, Bic has revised its sales forecasts three times, ending the year up 13.8% at constant exchange rates, to 2.23 billion euros.
Bic reports solid first-half results for 2023 - 31/07/2023
- Group sales for the first six months of the year: over 1.1 billion euros
- Stationery sales: 460 million euros (+4.7%)
- Shaver division sales: 268 million euros (+11.9%)
- Lighter sales: 434 million euros (-0.9%)
- Total U.S. lighter market down: 5.6% in volume and 1.4% in value
- Lighter-related sales growth in Europe: nearly 7.5
- Share of Group revenues generated by e-commerce: 11.8% (vs. 11.3% in first-half 2022).
Bic back on track - 13/03/2023
- More than 100 billion Bic tips manufactured since the company's inception
- Gonzalve, who took the helm of the company in 2018, intends to return it to growth
- Bic has set up a 230-strong consumer expert division
- His boss is betting on semi-permanent tattooing with Inkbox, a technique using natural dyes whose designs disappear as the skin's cells renew
Bic benefits from the iron health of its pens - 16/02/2023
- Bic continued to build on the momentum of 2021, which marked the first fruits of "Horizon", its transformation plan
- Sales up 13.8% to 2.23 billion euros
- The Group's strategy to clean up the number of references in its portfolio
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The pen market | France
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