By Gérald Lacipiére, Regional Sales Manager: France
From March 24 to April 20, 2025, the French retail sector demonstrated once again that agility, proximity, and digital engagement are key. According to the latest data from Worldpanel’s P4 2025 report, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Fresh Self-Service (FLS) sales grew by 2.1% across generalist retail channels. This growth was largely fueled by an increase in checkout activity and a slight rise in purchase frequency (+0.1 transactions per household).
What’s driving this shift? A closer look at the data reveals where the momentum is – and how forward-thinking retailers and technology partners like Publitas can respond.
New Growth Engines in the French Retail Market
The online channel continues to outperform, gaining +0.5 points in market share and adding 483,000 new customers during the period. Proximity stores (Proximité) weren’t far behind, growing +0.4 points and reaching 656,000 additional buyers. Discount French retail also edged up (+0.2 pts), benefiting from higher value baskets.
In contrast, traditional formats showed signs of strain. Supermarkets dropped -0.5 points, losing 228,000 customers, while hypermarkets fell -0.6 points, shedding 100,000 customers and seeing basket values drop by €0.94 per transaction.
This rebalancing highlights a fundamental shift toward convenience and accessibility. Retailers embracing digital catalogs that drive both local store visits and seamless online discovery are best positioned to capture share in this changing environment.
Multiformat strategies are delivering results
Retailers winning in P4 2025 aren’t relying on a single channel. The Carrefour Group grew by +2.0 points (to 21.4%), fueled by gains in hypermarkets (+1.1pts), proximity formats (+0.1pts), and online (+0.3pts). Similarly, Intermarché added +1.1pts, combining improvements in in-store loyalty (+0.6pts), proximity sales, and impressive e-commerce growth, including a €5.22 increase in online basket value.
Even E.Leclerc, already a dominant player, saw meaningful gains thanks to a 3.1pt boost in flyer distribution and 27% growth in advertising spend. This proves the ongoing importance of promotional media, both in print and digital formats.
Shopping frequency, loyalty and AOV are important levers
The best-performing banners didn’t just attract more customers; they encouraged them to shop more frequently and spend more per trip. Intermarché’s +0.6pt gain in loyalty and online AOV growth is a clear signal that personalization and relevance pay off. Lidl, while only gaining 0.1pts, improved its brand perception on price (+1pt), promotions (+2pts), and emotional affinity (+2pts), signaling a focus on consistent customer experience over discounting alone.
One of the clearest signals from the P4 data is that retailer-operated digital channels are winning. Carrefour, Intermarché, and Leclerc all saw gains in their e-commerce arms, not through marketplaces, but via their own websites and apps.
This reinforces the need for retailer-owned, controllable, and measurable digital experiences. Publitas gives retailers the tools to create performance-optimized discovery environments without relying on external platforms, supporting data ownership, faster execution, and brand consistency.
What does this mean for your strategy?
France’s leading retailers are proving that digital-first, proximity-driven, and content-rich strategies are the way forward. The P4 2025 data validates a key truth: consumers are ready to engage with retailers that make discovery easy, relevant, and rewarding, whether at home or in-store.
Publitas helps leading retailers transform traditional print catalogs and brochures into personalized, data-driven, digital shopping experiences that grow frequency, reach, and revenue.
As shoppers shift to proximity and digital-first buying behaviors, top-performing retailers like Carrefour and Intermarché are winning with local, online, and personalized strategies. Publitas helps France’s retailers bring product discovery into the digital age, reducing print costs while increasing reach, purchase frequency, and basket size through interactive catalogs that are fast to launch and easy to personalize. Get in touch today if you would like to know more.
About Gérald
Gérald LACIPIÈRE is a globally experienced Senior Sales and Business Development leader with over 20 years’ expertise in digital solutions, e-commerce, and advertising across diverse sectors including retail, automotive, and aeronautics. As Regional Sales Director France at Publitas, he helps retailers and brands boost engagement, customer experience, and sales through innovative SaaS solutions. Gérald has a strong track record in managing key accounts, developing channel partnerships, and leading cross-functional teams across France, Europe, and North America. He holds a degree from Paris ESLSCA Business School and is based in the Greater Bordeaux Metropolitan Area. You can follow him on Linkedin here.
