Private Label Manufacturers: Opportunities in the French Market
How French shoppers are turning store brands into a 1st choice within the French market
Private labels are no longer a low-cost alternative but a structural pillar of French grocery retail. A late-2025 survey among 1,000 French consumers shows that store brands are now competing head-on with national brands across most FMCG categories.
Price and value perception drive adoption
Following the inflationary years of 2023 and 2024, private labels now account for 36% of FMCG sales in value and nearly 47% in volume, according to Circana. More than 80% of French shoppers regularly buy private label food products, 70% choose store brands in household care and 52% in beauty. Nearly one in four consumers say they buy only store brands, underlining their role as a default choice rather than a trade-down option.
Legitimacy has strengthened significantly. One third of consumers perceive little difference between store brands and national brands, 16% prefer private labels and half declare greater loyalty to PL. While price remains important, quality perception has become equally decisive, with 72% of shoppers citing the balance between price and quality as their main reason for choosing store brands.
Category contrasts remain strong
In food, classic and premium private labels now enjoy high trust and purchase frequency, with perceived quality close to that of national brands. In household care, a lower-involvement category, price dominates purchasing decisions and private labels clearly outperform national brands, as their quality is considered equivalent. Switching does not require large price gaps, with differences of 5 to 20% generally sufficient.
What this means for the French market
Consumers are more price-sensitive than retail pricing suggests. While the average price gap between national brands and private labels is around 35%, most shoppers would switch for much smaller differences, and over 20% choose PL regardless of price. For retailers, private labels have become a strategic growth and loyalty lever. For national brands, differentiation and clear added value are now critical in a market where store brands are increasingly the default option.
For manufacturers, these shifts signal a clear opportunity. If you have strong private label expertise, now is the right time to take a close look at the French market. Rising consumer trust, limited sensitivity to large price gaps and growing demand across food create favourable conditions for producers able to deliver quality, flexibility and value-added PL solutions.
* Appinio for LSA trade magazine
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