1.1 Definition and presentation

France has around 11 million barbecues and planchas [Undertake] that are used to grill, roast or smoke food.

Since 2004, the industry's turnover has almost quadrupled [LSA consumption] thanks to an increase in volumes sold, but above all thanks to the increase in the average price of a barbecue. This occurs as the industry is witnessing premiumization.

The offer is divided between charcoal, gas and electric barbecues. The planchas can be both gas or electric. While gas accounts for less than 20% of sales, it is responsible for more than 50% of the sector's turnover, thanks to an average price more than three times higher than coal and gas. [World of delicatessen] Manufacturers also sell barbecues for professional or semi-professional use, where the price can amount to several thousand euro.

The rise and success of the gas grill reflects the desire of customers to vary their use of the barbecue, in terms of food (less meat, more vegetables) and recipes (use of the lid, rotisserie, or pizza stone). [ BVA-Weber ] Manufacturers are taking advantage of this trend to market complementary accessories that also allow them to de-seasonalise the business.

1.2 The United States, the undisputed leader in barbecue

In ****, North America accounted for **% of the estimated $*.** billion global market of barbeques. [***]

Source: ****

Sales of barbeques are expected to grow at a rate of *.*% per year until ****, thanks to a better average equipment rate worldwide and a higher average cost per barbeque. However, QY Research anticipates lower growth than that ...

1.3 A growing French market

In ****, France saw turnover for gas and coal barbecues and planchas (***) fall by *.*% to €*** million [***] after two years of growth at a rate of more than *% per year.

Source: ****

Since ****, sales of coal and gas barbecues and planchas have been growing at a CAGR of *.*% per year, showing a real enthusiasm ...

1.4 Mainly imported consumption

A significant part of the production of barbecues is relocated for cost-cutting reasons. Data provided by French customs show that France imported €*** million worth of cooking appliances (***) in ****. These figures exclude electric barbecues, which account for less than **% of the market value.

Source: ****

China is the number one country from which ...

1.5 L'impact du Covid-19 sur le marché des barbecues

La tendance qui se dégage clairement à la suite de l'apparition de la pandémie de Covid-** et des plusieurs confinements qui ont été mis en oeuvre est à la forte croissance du segment des barbecues en France. Frustrés d'être enfermés chez eux, il semblerait que les Français ...

2.1 Growing demand in volume and value

In **** **% of French people owned a barbecue or plancha; for people with a house, this figure rises to over **%. In October ****, **% of French people had had a barbecue in the last ** months [***]. Some regions are particularly fond of barbecues, such as Pays de la Loire (***), thanks to good weather and a ...

2.2 Strong seasonal patterns

Barbecue and plancha are outdoor activities, practised mainly in a garden (***). [***] Spring and summer are thus, unsurprisingly, the French people's favourite barbecue seasons, which is also reflected in sales patterns.

Source: ****

Only **% of French people cook in all seasons. **% of French people who do not barbecue all year round believe that ...

2.3 A trend towards plancha and premium boards

The last few years have seen the emergence of the plancha segment and a more expensive premium barbeque segment, which have driven the growth of the industry.

Source: ****

If the possession of certain equipment overlaps, a total of **% of French people own a barbecue, and **% of them own a barbecue or ...

2.4 Changing shopping habits

Barbecue purchases evolve as nutrition habits change. For example, while meat continues to dominate sales of barbeque foods, other types of foods (***) are emerging, as well as accessories for more elaborate recipes. [***]

Source: ****

**% of people who barbecue cook fish and **% cook vegetables in addition to meat.

These changes in habits ...

2.5 Industry hurdles

Per capita meat consumption in France has fallen by an average of *.*% over the last ** years. [***] Such a drop could impact the use of the barbecue, which is still used mainly for cooking meat, and in particular beef.

**% of French people say they give up barbecues on holiday in order ...

3.1 A market dominated by large players

The French market is dominated by players who specialise in certain products and thus add very specific value. However, the trend in recent years has been towards diversification.

A site like Leroy Merlin references ** brands of barbecues. [***]

While market share figures are complicated to estimate, a handful of players capture the ...

3.2 Production essentially relocated

The majority of barbecues sold in France are imported. For instance, Somagic employs ** people in France, including engineers in charge of model development, and *** employees in China. It manufactures its cast iron barbecues in France and its steel barbecues in China in its Somasia factory. **% of its activity is developed internationally. ...

3.3 Classic distribution channels

Sales of barbecues are still mainly done through traditional distribution channels. Below the overview is provided.

Source: ****

Do-it-yourself stores are in first place, with **% of sales. Internet, i.e. e-commerce, remains small (***).

Large food supermarkets (***), which accounted for **% of their turnover from charcoal barbecues, saw their volumes fall by **% between **** and ...

4.1 Type of products sold

Barbecues and planchas fall into three categories: coal, gas and electric. Planchas can be gas or electric.

Source: ****

While coal continues to dominate the market in volume terms, gas dominates the market in value terms, accounting for more than **% of the sector's turnover. This is explained by the fact that ...

4.2 Customers who make enquiries shortly before their purchase

Buyers of barbeques make relatively little inquiries prior to their purchase; this is an important consideration for manufacturers and sellers, as brand and price are paramount to the customer.

Source: ****

Only **% of French people have done research (***) for several years, and on top of this invested in communication.

Source: ****

**% of ...

4.3 Benchmarking of barbecue and plancha prices

Source: ****

Within each product category there are wide disparities as can be seen above. These can be due to the quality of the products, the surface of the plates, the presence of a trolley, a cover or even accessories. Even within a brand, there are very different models in terms of ...

4.4 An increasingly diversified offer

Companies in the sector are looking to increase their sales through diversifying their offer in order to locate new client demographics as well as increasing the average amount spent by each customer. At Campingaz, complementary accessories represent **% of the turnover [***]

Source: ****

We can see that the complementary products offered by the ...

5.1 Harmonized World Customs System

The Harmonized System is an international nomenclature for the classification of products. It allows participating countries to classify goods traded on a common basis for customs purposes. At the international level, the Harmonized System (***) for the classification of goods is a six-digit code system. [***]

The HS includes approximately *,*** item/product descriptions ...

5.2 Regulated manufacturing to ensure user safety

Barbecues with solid combustion (***):

Appliances, solid fuels and firelighters for solid fuel barbecue cooking must be approved by LNE or CTIF-approved laboratories in accordance with European standards EN-**** [***] listed below:

Specifies requirements for solid-fuel barbeques (***); Specifies the requirements and test methods for charcoal and charcoal briquettes for barbecues; Specifies the safety, ...

5.3 Regulated use to ensure the comfort of the community

The use of the barbecue can cause smoke, odours and (***) noise, which can be regulated by the legislator, particularily on a local level.

In the case of a neighbour's misuse of the barbecue, it is possible to take legal action (***), justifying the "abnormal neighbourhood disturbance" with evidence [***].

It is also possible ...