The cookie market in France

Cookies are dry cakes generally made from flour, sugar, eggs and fat. This study focuses on the market for sweet cookies, to the exclusion of savoury cookies, which are the subject of a separate analysis. Cookies should also be distinguished from other bakery products such as viennoiseries, pastries and soft cakes, due to their specific textures, uses and consumption channels.

Sweet cookies are consumed mainly for breakfast, snacks or afternoon tea, by all generations. This segment includes a wide variety of products: dry cookies, shortbread, wafers, cookies, diet, organic and gluten-free cookies, coded under customs nomenclatures 190530 (wafers and wafers) and 190531 (sweet cookies, with or without cocoa).

The French sweet cookies market has a contrasting structure. on the one hand, it is dominated by national brands, which will account for 65.2% of sales in 2025, thanks to strong consumer loyalty to heritage brands such as LU (77.9%) and Saint Michel (78.2%). On the other hand, production remains largely fragmented, with 87% of manufacturers belonging to the SME/VSE fabric, creating a gap between commercial concentration and industrial diversity. This contrast can also be seen in geographical distribution: regions such as Brittany (110 sites),Occitania (80) or PACA (75) concentrate production sites, while others, such as Normandy or Centre-Val de Loire, have barely thirty or so.

Food superstores remain the main distribution channels, with hypermarkets (32.5%) and supermarkets (30.1%) leading the way, followed by own-brand stores (EDMP), convenience stores and, more marginally, e-commerce (8.1%). Consumption is very regular throughout the year, with no strong seasonal variations, and a stable purchase rate of around 72% over the main periods.

Finally, the market is strongly driven by families with children or teenagers (41.1% of spending), but also remains firmly rooted in the lower-middle classes (43.1%), reflecting a dual requirement: affordabilityon the one hand, but also quality, local origin and a sense of product on the other. This gradual move upmarket, driven by organic, dietetic and "terroir" private label segments, is shaping a changing demand that seeks to reconcile pleasure, responsibility and a controlled budget.