NEWS COVERAGE - FRANCE

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

January 30th, 2015
Business Sweden in Paris

FRANCE: THE FRENCH PART OF EXPORTS IN THE

FRENCH EXPORTS AS A PART OF THE TOTAL OF
EUROPEAN
UNION
FALLS
EUROPEAN EXPORTS
IN THE EU FALLS
BY 0,2 TO 12,3 % IN 2014
POINTS TO 12,3 % IN 2014
THE FRENCH PART OF EXPORTS IN THE EU
EXPORTS PLUMMETED BETWEEN 2000 AND 2007
WITH A LOSS OF 3,7 %
SINCE 2007, THE SHARE OF EXPORTS HAVE
STABILIZED AROUND 12 %

CRITICS ARGUING THAT THE FRENCH

GOVERNMENT HAS FAILED TO IMPROVE FRANCES
COMPETITIVENESS
Le crdit dimpt pour la comptitivit et lemploi
(CICE) has significally decreased the cost of French
labour in 2014
0,6 % increase in French labour compared to an
increase of 2,3 % in German labour should increase
the competitivity of French companies
The positive effects of actual reforms are projected in
the coming years according to the governments
spokesperson
SOURCE: 1
BUSINESS SWEDEN

2/2/15

 AN OVERALL PRICE DECREASE OF 0,8 % HAS BEEN RECORDED BY THE FRENCH TRADE ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION NATIONALE DES INDUSTIRES ALIMENTAIRES

FRANCE: DEFLATIONARY PRESSURE ON FOOD PRICES,

DECREASING
THE PRODCUTION OF FOOD
INCREASED
BY 0,1 % IN
2014,
A FIRST SINCE 2012
ATPRODUCTS
A RATE
OF 0,8%
IN
2014
Compared to an increase in food production of 3 % in Spain and a 4 % increase in the UK
FRENCH EXPORTS DECREASED AT A RATE OF 0,1 % WHEREAS THE IMPORTS INCREASED BY 0,9 %
THE TRADE BALANCE SURPLUS OF 2 BN WOULD HAVE BEEN NEGATIVE WITHOUT THE EXPORTATION OF
WINE AND OTHER SPIRITS

Type of good

Evolution of prices
in 2014

Fruits and vegetables

- 4,1 %

Non alcoholic beverages

-2%

Dairy produce

+ 0,7 %

Meat

+ 0,9 %

Alcohol

+ 1,7 %

SOURCE: 2
BUSINESS SWEDEN

2/2/15

FRANCE: NEARLY 3,5 MILLION PEOPLE WITHOUT

EMPLOYMENT IN JANUARY 2015
THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED INCREASED AT A
RATE OF 5,7 % IN 2014
THRESHOLD OF 3,5 MILLION PEOPLE
UNEMPLOYED ALMOST REACHED
AN UNEMPLOYED PERSON IS ON AVERAGE
REGISTERED FOR 539 DAYS AT A FRENCH
EMPLOYMENT CENTER

THE FRENCH MINISTER OF EMPLOYMENT,

FRANOIS REBSAMEN, PROMSIED THAT THE
EFFECTS ON GROWTH OF THE GOVERNMENTS
PACTE DE RESPONSABILIT WILL BE SEEN IN
2015
ECONOMISTS ARGUE THAT THE FUTURE GROWTH
MUST EXCEED
1 % IN ORDER TO GENERATE ADDITIONAL JOB
OPPORTUNITIES

SOURCE: 3
BUSINESS SWEDEN

2/2/15

FRANCE: THE E-COMMERCE GROWS AT A RATE OF 11 %

THE2014,
FRENCH E-COMMERCE
NOW REPRESENTS
9 % OF ALL
SALES
IN THE FRENCH ECONOMY
IN
CURRENTLY
VALUED
ATRETAIL
56,8
BN
THE NUMBER OF WEBSITES INCREASED AT A RATE OF 14 % TO A TOTAL OF 157 000
THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF TRANSACTIONS HAVE INCREASED FROM 18 TO 20 FROM 2013 TO 2014
The average purchasing basket amounted to 81 , a decline of 10 % since 2011
IN EUROPE, THE FRENCH E-COMMERCE SECTOR CURRENTLY RANKS THIRD, AFTER GERMANY AND THE
UK
THE BIGGEST FRENCH E-COMMERCE SITES ARE CURRENTLY CDISCOUNT, WITH 10,7 MILLION UNIQUE
VISITORS PER MONTH, DURING THE PERIOD OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014, FOLLOWED BY LA FNAC (10,6)
AND CARREFOUR (7,5)

TRENDS THE E-COMMERCE SECTOR:

Decreasing delivery fees from 6,7 % to 5,1 % of the total value of purchased goods
The delivery has shifted away from customers households to specific delivery points
Stores are increasingly developing an additional internet sales channel

THE FRENCH E-COMMERCE TRADE ASSOCIATION FORECASTS A GROWTH OF 10 % IN 2015, RESULTING IN

A TURNOVER OF 62,4 BN
SOURCE: 4 & 5
BUSINESS SWEDEN

2/2/15

FRANCE: FINDUS FRANCE FACES INCREASING

PURCHASING COSTS
PURCHASING FISH IN DOLLARS, FINDUS NOW FACES HIGHER COSTS
Fish, being a crucial product for Findus, accounts for 35-40 % of the companys total production costs
Findus CEO of the Southern Europe branch, says that the company probably will be obliged to raise prices at a rate
of 7-10 % or face losses up to 7 M the coming 12 months

IKEA READY TO CONTINUE INVESTING IN FRANCE

600 M investment which will result in the opening of 7 additional stores by 2017
The aim of reaching a 20% market share in France, compared to a market share of 17,9 % in 2013

SOURCE: 6, 7 & 8
BUSINESS SWEDEN

2/2/15

1.

LES ECHOS 27/01/2015, LA COMPTITIVIT FRANAISE NE SEST PAS REDRESS LAN PASS, HTTP://
WWW.LESECHOS.FR/JOURNAL20150127/LEC1_FRANCE/0204108226326-LA-COMPETITIVITE-FRANCAISE-NE-SEST-PAS-REDRESSEE-LANPASSE-1087096.PHP

2.

LES ECHOS 27/01/2015, LES PRIX DE LALIMENTAIRE RATTRAPS PAR LA DFLATION,

HTTP://
WWW.LESECHOS.FR/JOURNAL20150127/LEC2_ENTREPRISE_ET_MARCHES/0204110281294-LES-PRIX-DE-LALIMENTAIRE-RATTRAPES-PAR
-LA-DEFLATION-EN-FRANCE-1087168.PHP

3.

LES ECHOS 28/01/2015, PRS DE 3,5 MILLIONS DE CHMEURS AU TERME D'UNE NOUVELLE AN NE NOIRE,
HTTP://
WWW.LESECHOS.FR/JOURNAL20150128/LEC1_FRANCE/0204113311617-PRES-DE-35-MILLIONS-DE-CHO-MEURS-AU-TERME-DUNE-NOUVEL
LE-AN-NEE-NOIRE-1087621.PHP

4.

LES ECHOS 28/01/2015, E-COMMERCE: LE MULTICANAL S'IMPOSE ET TIRE LE SECTEUR,

HTTP://
WWW.LESECHOS.FR/JOURNAL20150128/LEC2_INDUSTRIE_ET_SERVICES/0204112839135-E-COMMERCE-LE-MULTICANAL-SIMPOSE-ET-TI
RE-LE-SECTEUR-1087627.PHP

5.

FEVAD, BILAN ANNUEL DU E-COMMERCE EN FRANCE: LES FRANAIS ONT DPENS 57 MILLIARDS DEUROS SUR INTERNET EN 2014,
HTTP://
WWW.FEVAD.COM/ESPACE-PRESSE/BILAN-ANNUEL-DU-E-COMMERCE-EN-FRANCE-LES-FRANCAIS-ONT-DEPENSE-57-MILLIARDS-D-EUR
OS-SUR-INTERNET-EN-2014#TOPCONTENT

6.

LSA 29/01/2015, BAISSE DE L'EURO : "NOUS ASSISTONS UN TSUNAMI", MATTHIEU LAMBEAUX, CEO FINDUS EUROPE DU SUD,
HTTP://
WWW.LSA-CONSO.FR/BAISSE-DE-L-EURO-NOUS-ASSISTONS-A-UN-TSUNAMI-MATTHIEU-LAMBEAUX-CEO-FINDUS-EUROPE-DU-SUD,1997
71

7.

LES ECHOS 29/01/2015, IKEA A ACCLR L'AN PASS SA CROISSANCE MONDIALE,

HTTP://
WWW.LESECHOS.FR/JOURNAL20150129/LEC2_INDUSTRIE_ET_SERVICES/0204116003763-IKEA-A-ACCELERE-LAN-PASSE-SA-CROISSANC
E-MONDIALE-1087964.PHP

8.

LES ECHOS 15/10/2014, IKEA VA INVESTIR 600 MILLIONS D'EUROS EN FRANCE,

HTTP://WWW.LESECHOS.FR/15/10/2014/LESECHOS/21793-083-ECH_IKEA-VA-INVESTIR-600-MILLIONS-D-EUROS-EN-FRANCE.HTM

SOURCES

BUSINESS SWEDEN

2/2/15