Summary of our market study
In 2021, the French rum market is valued at 719 million euros.
The global rum market saw significant growth of 10% in sales volume between 2020 and 2021, reaching 150.6 million 9L cases sold in 2021.
In 2022, the global spirits market was valued at $143.48 billion, and is expected to reach $193 billion in 2027, with an annual growth rate of 5.9%.
Rum accounted for 14% of spirits sales in France by value and volume.
Despite a 1% drop in sales to 652.5 million euros by mid-2022, the French rum market continued to demonstrate innovation, with 23 new references introduced, contributing 53% to market growth.
The French overseas departments remain the driving force behind production, accounting for 80% of volumes, thanks to a favorable tax regime compared with mainland France.
Distribution is still largely handled by supermarkets, although online sales have grown, with 24% of spirits purchases made online by 2022.
Rum market trends in France
In a market dominated by white rums, followed by amber rums, there has been a marked increase in the popularity of spiced rums.
Rum is one of France's favorite spirits, with consumption reaching nearly 40 million liters a year .
This makes rum the third most consumed spirit in the country. Rum drinkers have a relatively younger and more feminine profile than other spirits such as whisky.
Rum consumption shows a significant seasonal pattern, with a marked increase in interest during festive periods such as Christmas and New Year.
The growing popularity of cocktails, with rum-based concoctions such as the Mojito becoming French favorites, has given a major boost to the rum market.
Rum production is concentrated in France's overseas departments and territories, thanks to favorable tax conditions. Distilleries in Martinique and Guadeloupe have proved resilient.
Rum distribution in France is mainly via supermarkets. However, the trend towards online purchasing is gaining ground. Internet sales are on the increase.
Established brands and innovative pioneers
The rum market, both worldwide and in France, features a wide range of players, from long-established giants to emerging independent distilleries.
- La Martiniquaise, a leading company
- Havana Club, world leader of Cuban origin
- Captain Morgan
- Old Nick
- Saint Jamesté
- RhumRhum - represents the innovative spirit of new independent distillers.
- A1710 - highlights the niche of artisanal distillation.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Presentation and definition of the rum market
The rum market in France refers to the economic activity related to the production and sale of rum.
Rum is a brandy originating in the Americas, produced from sugar cane. The rum market is a sub-segment of the spirits market: drinks made from distilled alcohol. There are two types of spirits: simple" spirits (rum, whisky, gin, vodka), whose taste is linked to the distillation of the raw material, and "compound" spirits, such as aniseed-flavored aperitifs.these include "simple" spirits (rum, whisky, gin, vodka), whose taste is derived from the distillation of the raw material, and "compound " spirits, such as aniseed-flavored aperitifs or liqueurs, whose taste is derived from the addition of aromatic substances to a neutral alcohol or brandy. Rum is consumed as a beverage or in cooking.
There are different categories of rum:
- white rums
- amber rums
- aged rums
- spiced rums
The global spirits market is dominated by North America, followed by Western Europe. The white spirits and rum category accounts for a very large share of the global spirits market. The global rum market is growing and is set to remain so in the years ahead, largely dominated by a few international brands.
Like the global market, the French rum market is also dominated by international spirits giants. However, it remains attractive to new independent players such as RhumRhum and A1710. The French market is growing in both volume and value. given the specificities of the French tax system, spirits production is concentrated in the French overseas departments and territories. Distribution is largely organized through supermarkets.
White rums dominate the market, followed by amber rums. The spiced rums segment is one of the most dynamic, although it accounts for only a marginal share of the market.
In France, the rum market is stable, with a slight decline of -1% between 2020 and 2021. It is the spirit with the highest sales, ahead of vodka, liqueurs and gin. The market leaders in France are Captain Morgan, followed by Old Nick and Saint James. In thesame year, France's main rum export customers were the United States and Germany (13% each of total exports), followed by Italy and Belgium (6% each).
The rum market can draw on the cocktail trend , which is helping to renew rum's image and stimulate demand. In fact, this is one of the main lines of communication used by the major rum brands on the French market.
1.2 The global rum market is growing
The global spirits and rum market
The spirits industry was hit hard by the restrictive measures imposed by the pandemic: the ban on going out and the absence of festive or social occasions led to a drop in spirits sales and consumption. In ****, the sector began to recover, and market growth ...
1.3 Key figures for the domestic market
The French spirits market
Consumption of spirits in France is up overall on ****, at ***.* million liters in supermarkets (***).
Breakdown of supermarket sales by spirits category (***) France, ****, in Source: ****
Sales in the spirits industry are estimated at **.* billion euros. (***)
A market subject to geopolitical uncertainties
Despite a good recovery from the pandemic, ...
1.4 Foreign trade in rum
evolution of the French rum trade balance France, ****-****, in millions of $ and as a % of sales Source: UN Comtrade Code: ****** - Rum and other spirits obtained by the distillation of fermented sugarcane products
France is a net exporter of rum, and there has been a definite increase in its coverage ...
1.5 Effects of COVID-19 on the wine and spirits market according to a market expert
This interview was conducted by a Businesscoot analyst with an industry expert (***)
How do you see the impact of the COVID-** crisis on the wine and spirits market?
My feeling is that the major trends are not going to change. Demand should pick up as soon as containment ends. We should ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Demand for spirits and rum in France
Overview of spirits consumption in France
Consumption of spirits has fallen sharply in recent years. In ** years, per capita consumption of pure alcohol has fallen from *.** liters per person in **** to *.** liters per person in ****, under the influence of public policies to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol. Consumers of ...
2.2 Demand drivers
The spirits segment is increasingly attracting French consumers. According to the latest SOWINE and Dynata barometer, **% of those surveyed are interested in this segment, an **% increase over ****. **% of French people believe they consume rum, putting it in first place ahead of whisky and liqueurs. Its popularity is up *% on ****. Spirits selection ...
2.3 France's favourite rum brands
The graph below shows the ranking of rum brands preferred by the French. Percentages correspond to the proportion of respondents who say they like each brand of rum.
Negrita is the favorite rum brand of the French, with **.*% of respondents saying they like it.
Preferred rum brands by gender France, ****, in Source: ...
2.4 Cocktail consumption on the rise
Cocktail consumption is booming and logically driving consumption of the alcohols that make them up, particularly away from home: in fact, in ****, **% of French people consumed cocktails only away from home, and **% consumed them both at home and away from home.
Place of consumption of cocktails France, ****, in Source: ****
Nevertheless, the ...
2.5 Demand in the French West Indies
Stable rum consumption
Consumption of traditional rum in Martinique is a stable element within the alcohol consumption picture. Rum accounts for by far the largest share of consumption (***).
Breakdown of alcohol consumption Martinique, **** - ****, in LAP : Source: ****
In Guadeloupe, consumption of hard alcohol is significantly higher than in mainland France. Where ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Industry forces and organization
Numerous players are involved throughout the chain before the rum reaches the end consumer:
The first players in this chain are the farmers and agricultural cooperatives, as well as the distillers (***); Eaux-de-vie and spirits manufacturers then carry out additional production stages; Intermediaries (***) provide the link between manufacturers and distributors; Three types ...
3.2 Production concentrated overseas
The production process
A distinction can generally be made between rums made from the distillation of cane juice (***) and those made from molasses. Obtained by crushing sugar cane, cane juice deteriorates rapidly: the producer must ferment it very quickly, then distill it. Molasses, on the other hand, is a thick, viscous ...
3.3 Distribution
We can observe that the distribution of alcoholic beverages takes place mainly in physical areas (***).
According to Spiritueux Magazine, in ****, rum accounted for **.*% of the value of spirits sales in supermarkets and hypermarkets (***).
A total of **.* million liters of rum were sold in supermarkets, compared with *.* million litres in cafés, ...
3.4 Increasing competition
The rum segment is highly competitive.
Leaders are keeping up a steady pace of innovation to maintain their market share, which is leading to ever-increasing competition.
for example, Captain Morgan, the industry leader in spiced rums, is attacking the white rum segment with Captain Morgan White, to compete with Bacardi in ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Types of rums on offer
Rums can be segmented in different ways: industrial rums vs. agricultural rums age imported rums vs. rums specific to DROMs These rums can be used for a variety of purposes, from disgusting drinks to cocktail bases Types of rums Characteristics Examples of brands White rums White rum is light in color, ...
4.2 A more premium and environmentally-friendly rum offering
The premiumization of rums
As experience grows, a minority but not insignificant proportion of consumers aspire to more premium, even tasting, products. "Standards represent **% of the total market by value, but are losing market share to superpremium and ultrapremium," notes Frédéric Le Garff of Havana Club. According to British ...
4.3 Rising prices
Average rum price trend France, ****-*****, euros Source: ****
We can see that the price per bottle is growing steadily over the ****-**** period, rising from €**.* to €**.**.
The craze for the product and the quest for higher-quality consumption have logically led to a substantial rise in prices, amounting to **.**% over the ...
4.4 Martinique rum
An essential market
While Martinique's sugar cane production is a major source of income, rum production is also an important part of the island's agri-food economy. This sector alone accounts for **% of the added value of the island's food industry and *% of export earnings (***). In ****, total production reached ***,*** hlAP, or around ...
4.5 Old rum price range
Bottled aged rums
The price of a bottle of aged rum varies widely, depending on the brand, the year of production, the degree of alcohol present and the length of ageing. You'll find bottles on the market for as little as €**, rising to almost €*,*** for the rarest and most upmarket. Here's ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Current regulations
As we saw earlier, the specific taxation applied to overseas territories has led to the specificity of the French market. However, aligning the tax system with that of mainland France has long been a legislative snake for public health reasons. According to MP Ericka Bareigts, alcohol is the cause of *.*% of ...
5.2 Future regulations
In the interests of tax fairness and the gradual elimination of derogatory regimes on a European scale, on Wednesday November **, ****, the Senate adopted a government amendment linked to the Social Security budget project spreading over * years and which will lead to aligning the taxation of spiritsparticularly rum, with metropolitan France[***].
The ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Bacardi
- Captain Morgan (Groupe Diageo)
- Malibu (Pernod Ricard)
- Botucal - Diplomático (Groupe Brown Foreman)
- El Dorado Rum
- La Maison Du Rhum
- Dugas (Stock Spirits)
- La Martiniquaise Bardinet
- Pernod Ricard Groupe
- Isautier Rhum
- La Compagnie du Rhum
- Rhum Hardy
- Trois Rivières Rhum (Campari)
- Rivière du Mât
- Neisson Rhum
- Longueteau Rhum
- BBS La Mauny Rhum (Campari)
- Spiridom
- Don Papa Rhum
- Depaz Rhum (Bardinet)
- Dillon Rhum
- Damoiseau Rhum
- Clément Rhum (Bernard Hayot Groupe)
- Charrette Rhum
- Bologne Rhum
- Bielle Rhum
- Bellevue Rhumerie
List of charts presented in this market study
- Rum sales volume trends and forecasts
- Size of the global spirits market
- Breakdown of supermarket sales by spirits category (in value)
- Growth in the two most dynamic segments of the rum market
- Consumption volume by type of alcohol
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The rum market | France
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