About this report
European Retail Intelligence provides independent, expert coverage of the major retail sectors throughout Europe. Each title in this series analyses retailing trends in up to 19 European markets, including the Scandinavian nations and Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland as well as the major Western European markets.

The coverage provided by each report is as accurate, relevant and up-to-date as possible, combining in-house sector expertise with retailer performance data, taken directly from industry and trade sources.

With titles ranging from 'DIY Retailing in Europe' through to 'Food Retailing in Europe', each market examination includes studies of:

background economic and demographic data
market sizes
regional retailing trends and issues
market drivers
consumer expenditure
consumer trends
leading pan-European retailers
domestic retailers
market forecasts

Contents

The Market in Brief
France – the home of the department store
A market in decline
French department store sector worth €5.0 billion in 2005
Department store concept is mutating
Only the strongest survive
Mintel forecasts modest growth for French department store sector
Broader Market Environment

French population growing
Figure 1: France: Population trends, 2002-06
Ageing population
Figure 2: France: Population, by age group and gender, 2006
Unemployment & social reform impact economy
Figure 3: France: Gross domestic product, 1995-2005
Low inflation economy
Figure 4: Consumer prices, 1998-2005
Consumer spending
Figure 5: France: Consumer expenditure, 1995-2005
The Market in Context

Consumer market holding up well
Figure 6: France: Consumer spending on key department store markets, 2001-04
Major spending categories
Figure 7: France: Growth in consumer spending on key department store markets, 2000-04
Figure 8: France: Consumer price index for selected products, 2001-05
Figure 9: France: Consumer spending on major department store product categories, 2005
Market Size and Forecast

Mixed goods underperforms market
Figure 10: France: Retail sales, 2001-11
Under-performance leads to loss of market share
L’Union du Grand Commerce de Centre Ville Survey
Figure 11: France: Mixed goods retailers sales as % of all retail & as % of all non-food retail, 2001-11
Enterprises and outlets
Figure 12: France: Number of department, 2002-06
Figure 13: France: Ten largest department stores by size, 2005
Retail Competitor Analysis

Figure 14: France: Mixed goods retailers estimated sales, 2005
Market shares
Figure 15: France: Leading department store retailers’ share of all mixed goods retailers’ sales, 2005
Evaluation
Figure 16: France: Department store retailers, evaluation, 2006/07
Retailer Profiles

Galeries Lafayette (Group)
Figure 17: Galeries Lafayette (Group): Sales as share of mixed goods in France, 2001-05
Strategic evaluation
Background
Financial performance
Figure 18: Galeries Lafayette (Group): Group financial performance, 2001-05
Store portfolio
Figure 19: Galeries Lafayette (Group): Outlet data, 2001-05
Galeries Lafayette chains performance
Retail offering
Market positioning
e-commerce & home shopping
Printemps
Figure 20: Printemps: Sales as share of mixed goods retailers in France, 2001-05
Strategic evaluation
Background
Financial performance
Figure 21: Printemps: Group financial performance, 2001-05
Store portfolio
Figure 22: Printemps: Store numbers 2001-05
Figure 23: Printemps: Sales area (m2), 2001-05
Other store data
Retail offering
Market positioning
Brands
Product offer
Pricing
e-commerce & home shopping
Mini Company Profiles

Le Bon Marche (LVMH)

Strategic evaluation
Background
Financial data
Figure 24: Le Bon Marche Group: Estimated retail sales and sales densities, 2004 and 2005
Store portfolio
Figure 25: Le Bon Marche Group: Estimated sales area, 2005
Retail offering