Shein, Temu and Vinted are the big winners of the consumer crisis. The two Chinese online sales sites occupy first place in the list of the ten brands in which, excluding large food distribution, the French were the ones who increased their spending the most during the first half of the year, compared to the same period of the previous year. to Circana: +13%, up to 1,300 million euros for Shein and 800 million euros for Temu.
Also known for its low prices, the second-hand products sales site Vinted occupies third place on the podium, with +10% and 2.1 billion euros generated in the period. The research company detects the way in which the French “trade” maintain or develop their purchasing power. Selling clothes and buying cheap would be part of the range of strategies adopted by the French since the inflationary increase that began in 2022. Because, to confront the increase in prices, recalls a survey by the CSA institute from July, “59% of consumers have reduced their non-essential expenses in the last twelve months or have paid close attention to the prices of the products they buy (57%)”.
The clothing market has been deeply shaken. Especially on the outskirts of big cities, where most of the cheap clothing sales are made. The competition is fierce “around the parking lots in the shopping areas that food brands share with sellers like Noz, Action or Zeeman”, says Hélène Janicaud, director of the fashion division of the research firm Kantar. The French are increasingly abandoning the textile departments of Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Auchan, which were big sellers of jeans, socks and bras. Its market share is now just 8.1%, down from 9% in July 2023, according to data from the institute.
Boutique chains are losing ground
In the same area, consumers prefer specialized supermarkets such as Kiabi and Gémo (12.9% market share by volume) or vendors (12.3%). Thanks to more than eight hundred stores operated in France, the Dutch brand Action has managed to prevail in the shopping journey of our compatriots, to buy a container of detergent, but also a pair of socks. However, in terms of value, sellers have little weight: they represent only 4.2% of the turnover of the clothing and home linen market.
In urban centers and shopping centers, chain stores are also facing these new behaviors. The Pimkie, Celio and other Etam battalion remains the main clothing sales channel, but it is losing ground. The market share of clothing chains reached 30% at the end of July, after a drop of 0.5 points in a year, according to Kantar. The number of women’s ready-to-wear garments fell by 3.7% during this period. “37 percent of French people say they do not buy clothes, compared to 35.6% in July 2023”assures Mme Janicaud, according to data from the Kantar consumer panel. Is it an ecological choice? Or out of financial obligation? “Probably both.”according to the specialist.
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