The French still consume as if it were summer. With temperatures well above seasonal norms for the month of October, added to the Rugby World Cup, sales of summer products are booming in supermarkets. According to the latest weekly barometer from panelist Circana, published this Wednesday, ice cream is one of the fastest growing categories last week, compared to the same period last year.
In detail, sales of individual frozen specialties jumped by 38.9%, those of sorbets and ice creams by 28%. Other foods that the French usually snap up in July and August, Mediterranean cheeses (mozzarella, ricotta, feta, etc.) are also particularly bought for the month of October (28.6% of sales last week).
Also read: Summer temperatures, absence of rain… why autumn will not arrive this week
If we add to this exceptional autumn heat the continuation of the Rugby World Cup in France – notably with the France-Italy match last Friday – we understand all the better the “sustained dynamic” of the beer and cider sections ( 8.3%) and refreshing non-alcoholic drinks and waters (7.4%). Moreover, high temperatures mean mosquitoes. It is therefore not surprising to find insecticides at the top of the fastest growing products last week (53.5%).
Conversely, products typical of the fall season, appreciated for their comforting side in the face of the cold outside, are abandoned by consumers. Soups and soups thus suffered a drop in sales on shelves of 38.7% last week, and cheeses to be eaten hot by 36.3%.
Overall, it should be noted that the weather and the Rugby World Cup “drive sales” of consumer products in supermarkets. “The decline in their volume sales is limited”, notes Circana, since they fell last week by only 0.7% – compared to the same week of 2022 -, compared to -3.7% the previous week . Over a longer period, the phenomenon of deconsumption remains notable: sales in supermarkets fell in volume by 3.5% over the January-October period compared to 2022.
