Sweaters, pasta, alcohol… the products that benefit from inflation and those that consumers are abandoning

The wave of inflation that started in the summer of 2021 has changed the consumption habits of many French people who seek to preserve their purchasing power. Focus on products that are a hit and those that consumers are giving up.

Between the necessary sobriety hammered by the government and the rise in energy prices, households are preparing to lower the heating.

“Despite an autumn which is not too cold for the moment, it plays on the sales of scarves, sweaters, textiles allowing to maintain the heat …”, observes Yohann Petiot, general manager of the Alliance du Commerce, which represents clothing professionals.

The brand of down jackets Jott thus assured in a press release that its sales had increased by 30% between the end of September and the beginning of October, a figure which it describes as “exceptional”.

The Damart brand told AFP that it had recorded a 50% increase in its sales of Thermolactyl technical underwear, “unheard of”.

More pasta, less meat

In supermarkets, the trolleys are less full according to the panelists, in particular for the most modest households.

Many French people favor “a single family dish” where meat is replaced by eggs or starchy foods, observes Lydia Rabine, analyst for the Kantar research institute.

In the first half of 2022, the French consumed an average of 1.5 kg of red meat and around a kilo of poultry less than in the same period last year, according to Kantar.

Its competitor Nielsen is also seeing a significant drop in sales of fresh produce in general, especially among families. “These are the products that cost the most and those that increase the most,” analyst Nicolas Léger told AFP.

On the other hand, pasta, considered an economical food, is increasingly present at the table (+1.5% in volumes sold according to Nielsen).

This increase is nevertheless concentrated on first price distributor brands, according to the manufacturer Panzani, which notes for its part a small drop in volumes sold.

Distributor brands and “discounters” solicited

In supermarkets, “private labels”, created by the brands and generally less expensive, are gaining market share. Sales of their entry-level products are “dynamic”, according to Lydia Rabine. Those of their other products, more upscale, are also experiencing “an acceleration”, says the analyst.

Same thing for “discount” brands like Lidl or Aldi, which gained, according to Kantar, 0.5 point of market share between the beginning of September and the beginning of October, compared to the same period last year.

Outside supermarkets, the postponement of purchases to entry-level brands “benefits Kiabi and Gémo rather than other players in the clothing sector and this is also true at Action and Gifi”, notes Emmanuel Le Roch, delegate general of the specialist trade federation Procos.

Alcohol and beauty products set aside

Households “cut on the other hand on less essential products”, notes Nicolas Léger, while the Nielsen data show a drop in purchases of alcohol and hygiene and beauty products, particularly marked among families.

He notes that families tend to “postpone their purchases of alcohol to sugary sodas” to continue to have fun at a lower cost.