“More accessible alternatives” to compensate for soaring prices, and party at a lower cost. Less champagne and salmon were sold in supermarkets at the end of 2023, in favor of sparkling wines and trout, analyzes the specialist NielsenIQ, in a study published on Wednesday.
“The move downmarket is a reality even at Christmas,” explains NielsenIQ in its sales report at the end of 2023. The specialist in the study of sales in large and medium-sized stores noted a decline of more than 14% in champagne sales from October 30 to December 31, 2023 compared to the previous year.
Sales of smoked salmon by volume fell by 6.7% while those of smoked trout, generally less expensive, increased by 11%. Likewise, the volume of bottles of sparkling wine, a cheaper alternative to champagne, sold in supermarkets, increased by 4.6%.
Over two years, food prices have increased by more than 20%.
However, these are sales in volume, not in value. This means that fewer bottles of champagne were sold than in 2022, not that turnover has necessarily fallen or that the French have overall spent less on champagne.
Overall, NielsenIQ indicates that turnover in the festive products category (armagnac, snails, champagne, foie gras, sparkling wine, smoked fish, etc.) increased by 4.7% compared to 2022.
Inflation has eased a little in France in 2023, reaching 4.9% on an annual average, the slowdown in energy prices having counterbalanced the acceleration in food, the National Institute of Health said on Friday. statistical. Over two years, food prices have increased by more than 20%.
“Consumption of festive products is more resilient in the west of the country”
NielsenIQ has also drawn a line between “on one side the French who are still able to consume according to their habits, and on the other those who are obliged to make trade-offs”.
“The smallest, elderly and wealthy households continued to increase their purchases of festive products, while at the same time the largest, young and modest households reduced them significantly,” notes NielsenIQ.
This distinction is also geographical: the entity observes that “consumption of festive products holds up more in the west of the country” but “is reduced markedly in the east and around large cities”.