The following research report contains market research, analysis, statistics and business intelligence relating to research on Men's Wear Market In France.

Order the 2008 Edition of this report now by adding this item to your cart or for faster service call us at 212-398-5505 to speak to a customer service representative.

ABSTRACT
In 2000, there were 285 companies and some 20,200 employees in the French menswear industry. French companies generated total revenues of nearly $3 billion in menswear sales, which represented 33 percent of the country's total sales in the apparel market.
Imports of menswear totalled $2.3 billion, while exports for the same period totalled $568.2 million. Clothes produced in the Mediterranean, Asian, and more recently, Eastern European, countries, continue to maintain a strong presence in the French market, due to extremely low production costs. French manufacturers are continually creating new product lines and generate about 20 percent of their sales in foreign markets.
Although French consumers are receptive to U.S. fashion and heavily influenced by American styles, the U.S. share of French menswear imports was only 0.3 percent. This low figure is attributed to a variety of factors, such as the fewer number of jeans made in the U.S. and the low number of American factories in Europe.
While U.S. imports represent only a fraction of the menswear market in France, well-known American companies already have a significant presence in France through subsidiaries and distributors (Ralph Lauren, Schott, Nautica, Columbia, Gap, Timberland). Analysts forecast, however, that American companies will slightly increase their market share in the menswear subsector. A. MARKET HIGHLIGHTS & BEST PROSPECTS

Market Profile

In official statistics, the French menswear market is segmented into two categories -- men and boys.
In 2000, sales for men's clothing and boys clothing increased by 1.5 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively, over 1999 sales levels.
Number of items sold for men's clothing (stated in thousands of items):
2000
1999 Variation

Shirts 39,291 44 931 - 12.6 percent
Jeans 25 752 25 279 + 1.9 percent
Pants 22 497 17 902 + 25.7 percent
Anoraks/Parkas 10 944 7 936 + 37.9 percent
Shorts 9 334 7 455 +37.9 percent
Suits 3 851 3 617 + 6.5 percent Coats/Raincoats 2 518 3 547 - 29.0 percent
Jackets 2 205 3 265 - 32.5 percent
Leather garment 1 871 1 359 + 37.7 percent
Number of items sold for boys clothing (stated in thousands of items):

2000
1999 Variation

Shorts/Bermudas 9 976 7 263 +34.6 percent Anoraks/Parkas 6 956 6 146
+13.2 percent
Jeans 6 703 6 545 + 2.4 percent
Pants 5 513 6 216 - 11.3 percent
Shirts 2 351 3 283 + 28.4 percent
Coats/Raincoats 1 849 2 126 - 13.0 percent Suits 249
429 - 42.0 percent
Jackets 90
242 - 62.8 percent

Average price per item for men's clothing:

2000 1999
Variation

Suits $156
$198 - 21.2 percent
Leather garments $120 $173 - 30.6 percent
Coats/Raincoats $96 $ 80
+16.7 percent
Blazers/Jackets $78 $ 75
+ 3.9 percent
Anoraks/Parkas $ 71 $ 72
- 1.4 percent
Pants $ 35 $ 34 + 2.5 percent
Jeans $30 $ 32 - 6.2 percent
Shirts $22 $ 21 + 4.6 percent
Shorts $15 $ 15
Average price per item for boys' clothing:

2000 1999
Variation

Leather garments 42.27 20.79 + 50.8 percent
Anoraks/Parkas 30.90
33.20 - 7.4 percent
Suits 28.69
27.02 - 5.8 percent
Coats/Raincoats 27.43
27.02 + 1.5 percent
Blazers/Jackets 27.43
26.70 + 2.6 percent
Pants 16.00
15.20 + 5.0 percent
Jeans 14.40
14.27 + 0.9 percent
Shirts 10.39
9.98 + 3.9 percent Shorts 9.70
8.17 + 15.7 percent

Statistical Data (stated in $ million)

Actual 1999 Actual 2000
Estimated 2001 Approx. average annual

growth rate from
2002 - 2003

Import Market 2,109 2,328
2,514 8
Local Production 2,890 2,980
3,069 3
Exports 510
568 607 6
Total Market Demand 4,489 4,740
4,976 2
U.S. Imports 6.9
6.9 7.0 1
Inflation Rate Assumed: 3%
French imports in 2000 came -- in percentage terms -- from the following countries:Tunisia: 18.4 %; Morocco: 11.0%; Italy: 7.6%; China: 7.4%; Bangladesh: 5.5%; Turkey: 3.3%; Romania: 3.2%; India: 2.9%; Thailand: 1.5%; United States: 0.3 %;

Receptivity code (1-5): 4
Range: 5 (extremely receptive) to 1 (not receptive)

Best Sales Prospects

Market studies indicate that comfort and luxury are sought for men's apparel. Denim continues to play an important role. Traditional, authentic styling is evidenced by the fact that some styles are borrowed from British traditional styles. Furthermore, a wide range of accessories is purchased to go along with men's clothing, including wing-tip derby shoes, elasticized boots, hunting bags, scarves, cufflinks, cashmere socks and silk neck-ties.

The main characteristics for men's clothing in France are:
Fabrics: Linen, cotton, silk, wool blended with cashmere or angora
Fine knits
Stretchable corduroy
Brushed and water-proof cotton
Feather fabrics and micro structures

Colors: Black, white and ivory shades are the most popular
Beige, cream, chocolate
Grey
Ink blue
Faded greens.

Items: Coat-jackets and shirt-jackets with hunter, jungle-explorer-type styling
Unstructured and unlined garments
Suits with a narrow cut and three buttons.
B. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Competitive Factors

Advertising: The French men's apparel market is difficult to penetrate for American manufacturers because of the intense competition and high fashion image of this industry. Therefore, new products should be aggressively marketed to appeal to French men's tastes and to influence their fashion purchasing decision.

Credit/delivery terms: Another important factor is the ability to offer credit terms and services for reorder similar to those of French competitors. Also, having a European warehouse is an additional advantage in meeting short-term delivery requirements.

Price: Price is also a key factor. If prices are competitive, American manufacturers will be able to better penetrate the French market.

Clothing characteristics: Men are sensitive to the quality and the comfort of the product. Therefore, the quality/price ratio is an extremely integral factor.

Domestic Production

The majority of the French apparel companies for men's and boys are located in the Paris area (20.9 percent), followed by the Loire area (15.7 percent), and the North of France (11 percent). Many French companies have manufacturing facilities in countries with lower labor costs (Portugal, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey), and more recently in Eastern Europe.

French production enjoys a strong image for both creativity and quality. In 2000, total French exports of menswear amounted to $ 568.2 million, representing a 10.1 percent increase over 1999 figures. During the same period, total French imports were valued at $ 2.3 billion, representing a 9.4 percent increase over 1999 figures.

1. France's main customers

1 Belgium/ Luxembourg 14.3 percent 2 Germany 12.9 percent
3 United Kingdom 11.4 percent
4 Italy 9.6 percent
5 Spain 8.1 percent
6 Netherlands 7.5 percent
7 Portugal 4.1 percent
8 Switzerland 3.9 percent
9 Greece 2.1 percent
10 Algeria 2.0 percent
11 Andorra 1.8 percent
12 Japan 1.7 percent
13 United States 1.3 percent

2. France's exported products (in value - stated in $ million):

2000
1999

Pants
139.5 118.1
Shirts 110.9
100.7
Coats/Raincoats 69.7 65.1
Jeans 53.3 55.2
Anoraks/Parkas 45.3 38.5
Suits 36.3 36.6 Working clothes 28.3
26.8
Jackets 22.1
24.4
Shorts 18.6 17.1
Skiwear 3.0 2.3
Other clothes 38.5 28.3

Since 1996, exports of pants and shirts have been growing, while exports of suits have remained stable. However, exports of jeans showed a slight decrease and represented only 10 percent of total French exports. France's most exported products (stated in number of items):

2000 1999
Variation

Pants 10 480 562 8 189 588 + 28.0 percent
Shirts 7 358 067 6 975 827 + 5.5 percent
Denim Jeans 4 257 566 4 364 907
- 2.5 percent
Anoraks/Parkas 1 893 756 1 740 663 + 8.8 percent
Shorts 1 728 303 1 563 121 + 10.6 percent
Coats/Raincoats 1 598 023 1 522 374 + 5.0 percent
Working Clothes 801 789 566 855 + 41.4 percent
Suits 660 931 859 219 - 23.1 percent
Jackets 579 363 664 212 - 12.8 percent
Skiwear 103 956 86 590 + 20.1 percent

Third-country Imports

In 2000, total imports amounted to $ 2.3 billion, representing a 9.4 percent increase compared to the 1999 figures.

In terms of geographical areas of origin of exports, Asia ranks first with 30 percent of total imports, followed by North African countries (27.5 percent) and European Union countries (24.7 percent), including Italy, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and Belgium/Luxembourg. Eastern European countries continue to show strong results with 8.7 percent of total French imports.
1. France's main suppliers ($ million):

2000 1999

1. Tunisia 398.6
373.0
2. Morocco 238.1 250.1
3. Italy 164.8 157.2
4. China 161.1 158.0
5. Bangladesh 118.7 99.2
6. Portugal 82.0 92.2
7. Germany 81.2 68.4
8. Spain 72.0 63.1 9. Turkey 71.8 65.4
10. Romania 69.1 48.5
11. Belgium/Luxembourg 63.4 70.8
12. India 69.8 53.2
13. Hong Kong 63.4 52.6

In 2000, Tunisia and Morocco held an important share of the French market (18.4 percent and 11.0 percent respectively), followed by Italy (7.6 percent). Imports from China and Bangladesh also showed good results to achieve respectively 7.4 percent and 5.5 percent of the total French imports. In addition, imports from Portugal dropped by 12 percent, but the country still remains among France's ten top suppliers to represent 3.8 percent of the total French imports. However, Eastern European countries increased their market share, particularly Romania and Bulgaria, representing, respectively, 3.2 percent and 1.9 percent of the total French import market.
The following countries experienced a substantial growth of their exports to France compared to the previous year. According to market analysts, this tendency should be confirmed in the following years.

Romania: plus 39.3 percent
Bulgaria: plus 31.3 percent Vietnam: plus 22.3 percent
Hong Kong: plus 20.3 percent
Bangladesh: plus 19.6 percent
India: plus 19.3 percent
Germany: plus 18.6 percent
Thailand: plus 17.2 percent
Spain: plus 14.1 percent

2. Leading imports -- value ($ million)

2000
1999 Variation

Pants 554.4
494.2 + 10.8 percent
Shirts 433.9
417.8 + 3.7 percent
Denim Jeans 248.1
214.9 + 13.3 percent
Coats/Raincoats 220.8
224.4 - 1.6 percent
Anoraks/Parkas 214.0
166.5 + 22.2 percent
Work Clothes 187.7
159.6 + 14.9 percent
Suits 151.9
138.0 + 9.1 percent
Jackets 158.4
153.0 + 3.4 percent
Shorts 63.4
56.9 + 10.2 percent
Skiwear 12.7
11.1 + 12.6 percent
Other Clothes 87.9
64.5 + 26.6 percent

3. Leading imports -- volume (number of pieces)

2000 1999
Variation

Shirts 65 783 481 69299 254 - 5.1 percent
Pants 62 320 746 56 915 588 + 9.5 percent
Denim Jeans 28 820 696 25 800 417
+ 11.7 percent
Shorts 11 857 454 11 427 505 + 3.8 percent
Anoraks/Parkas 11 489 846 11 346 835 + 1.3 percent
Working Clothes 9 715 622 8 423 938 + 15.3 percent
Jackets 5 583 070 5 480 293
+ 1.9 percent Coats/Raincoats 4 528 066 4 567 923 - 0.9 percent Suits 3 754 380 3 004 991 + 24.9 percent
Skiwear 689 699 696 366
- 1.0 percent
4. The average price of imported products

2000 1999

Anoraks/Parkas 18.5 17.3
Suits 40.4 46.0
Jackets/Blazers 28.4 27.9
Pants 8.8 8.7
Jeans 8.5 8.3
Working clothes 19.2 18.9
Shorts 5.4 4.9
Skiwear 18.4 15.9
Coats/Raincoats 48.7 49.2
Shirts 6.6 6.1
U.S. Market Position

Over the past two years, the American market position and share in the French menswear industry has declined. In 2000, the United States exported $ 6.9 million to France, which represented only 0.3 percent of total French imports, a 4.3 percent decrease compared to 1999. However, it is important to note that this does not represent a French consumer dissatisfaction for American products. French consumers are still very influenced by American fashion. This low figure is explained by several factors, such as the decrease in "made in USA" jeans imports over the past two years, and the set-up of American factories or licensees in Europe. In addition, several U.S. companies export through their warehouses in EU countries (particularly Belgium and The Netherlands). Consequently, the share of direct imports from the United States is shrinking.

However, there appears to be numerous opportunities for U.S. companies to penetrate the French market successfully. In choosing clothes for export, firms should be careful to select products combining both comfort and fashion at very competitive prices.
C. END-USER ANALYSIS

As mentioned earlier, the French menswear industry has two main clientele groups: men and boys. Consumer buying habits vary according to each group's activities. For example, men replace clothing less frequently than boys. Average French men replace their jeans every 11 months, whereas boys replace their jeans every 8.5 months. The same pattern can be noted for parkas and sports jackets, which are replaced every 2.1 years by men and every 8.5 months by boys.
Below is the buying frequency for men and boys:

MEN BOYS

Coats/Raincoats: 9.1 years 2.8 years
Suits 6.0 years 19.6 years
Blazers/Jackets 10.5 years NA
Anoraks/Parkas 2.1 years 8.5 months
Pants 1.0 year 10.5 months
Jeans 11 months 8.5 months
Shorts/Bermudas 2.5 years
.6 months
Shirts 6.5 months 2.1 years Leather garments 12.3 years NA

French boys have a faster consumption rate than men. Therefore, the boys category represents a strong opportunity for American companies to target.

DISCLAIMER
Information in this report relies on sources including Government Publications, Opinions of industry experts and other public sources. Infomat can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof. All prices subject to change without notice.

$3500 USD
For the 2008 Edition

Published: 2006 August
Market: Mens
Region: France
Industry: Apparel
Pages: 45
Delivery: 7-12 Business Days
SKU: infre0000277