French buying more often flowers for own use

"French consumers usually buy a bunch of flowers as a present (60%). Now we are seeing that they are buying cut flowers increasingly often for their own use: 36% in 2015 compared to 30% in 2010. Houseplants are relatively rarely given as a present: only 29% of French consumers do so. That percentage has even decreased by 3% compared to 2010. French consumers have specific wishes. They prefer to buy a more mature product. In addition, French gifts are generally lavishly packaged with many colourful decorations."

This is mentioned in the Facts & Figures Report for France made by the Market & Information Department of Royal FloraHolland. Every year, they collect data regarding the consumption of flowers and plants in many countries and this year, they took France. In this article, they have collected a few interesting facts from it.



The Share of Wallet, or the proportion of disposable income that the French consumer spends on flowers and plants, declined by 5% in 2015 compared with 2014 and by 13% compared with 2009.

Florist chains
Based on sales, roses remain the great favourites for French consumers. Among plants, the honour goes to the pot orchid. Around 20% of French consumers buy a houseplant monthly. Almost 50% of French consumers do not plan the purchase of a houseplant in advance. The purchase of cut flowers, on the other hand, is impulsive in two out of five cases.

The share of florist chains in the florist channel is strikingly large in France compared to the Netherlands, the UK or Germany.

Based on French sales figures, the florist channel is still dominant for cut flowers. This applies also to houseplants, although the competition from the other channels is greater within this category. Online purchasing of flowers and plants is not yet widespread in France, but it is increasing in popularity.

Hotels are 'big spenders' and prefer green plants.

Dominant position of the Netherlands
The Netherlands occupies a dominant position on the French market as a supplier of horticultural products, certainly in terms of cut flowers. France imports much more than it exports on balance.

More insights and figures about cut flowers, houseplants and garden plants can be found in the Facts & Figures Report for France. In it, we discuss the various sales channels in France: florists, garden centres, supermarkets, DIY stores and kiosk, street markets and stalls. It provides detailed information about the average amounts spent in these sales channels. In addition, the import and export flows plus the local production are documented.

What does a country report tell me?
The Facts & Figures report provides a solid basis for your sales strategy, to increase your sales markets or revive them. It is a reference work containing all relevant country information: from macro-data and consumer data to specific horticultural data. With the insights from the report you can take decisions and create opportunities for sales in countries and/or markets that you may not have considered before.

The Facts & Figures Report for France is available for a fee in Dutch and in English. If you are interested in the report about France or the other countries, please contact their Customer Services.

Order the report via the Customer Services of FloraHolland.