“The consumer only has one priority and that is to fill his plate.”grades Michel Biero, Lidl’s number two in France. And it makes it with canned tuna instead of salmon, and ground steak instead of rib eye steak. » According to him, the sales data of his more than 1,600 supermarkets in France really illustrates the difficulty of the French to make ends meet: this is achieved thanks to “flash sales.” Drills, home robots, textiles at bargain prices: these “offers” usually attracted customers who arrived twice a week. Not today. “Before the Covid-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine and the inflation crisis, non-food products represented 10% of stores’ turnover; Today we are between 6% and 6.5%. “What is worth more than 10 euros sells worse”says Mr. Biero.
Despite the decrease in inflation – it fell to 1.2% year-on-year in September, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), when a year ago it was still 4.9% – the recovery continues. consumption, which represents half of France’s economic activity, takes time to materialize. Between In August 2023 and August 2024, French spending remained completely sluggish, according to the latest INSEE data. A quick look at supermarket carts illustrates this. This summer, the average household basket only contained eleven items, compared to fourteen in 2020, notes the Kantar market research institute.
“The population does not feel the significant slowdown in inflation”summarizes Emmanuel Le Roch, general delegate of the Federation for the promotion of specialized trade Procos, which brings together 310 brands and 60,000 stores (DIY, furniture, etc.). And for good reason: “In large food stores, prices are still 20% higher than in 2021”remembers Emily Mayer, Director of studies at the Circana institute, which collects cash data transmitted by brands.
Prices have risen faster than payrolls. “Between mid-2021 and mid-2024, prices increased by 13% on average and wages by 11%.says Mathieu Plane, deputy director of the analysis and forecasting department of the French Observatory of Economic Conditions. Therefore, real wages fell by 2%. » Much less purchasing power for this category, the big loser of the most serious inflation crisis in forty years.
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