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Summary of our market study
The French stationery market is estimated at between €1.2 and €1.4 billion.
The global stationery market, valued at $22.4 billion in 2020, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2% over the perriod 2020-2027, driven by rising literacy rates and the proliferation of higher education institutions. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to drive this growth.
The French market was faced with the challenge of dematerializing documents and increasing raw material prices. The industry has been confronted with a sharp rise in production costs, particularly for paper pulp, with prices per tonne rising from €500 to €900 between early 2021 and August 2022.
The manufacturing sector is dominated by a few large companies
Distribution is split between supermarkets and hypermarkets, which control over 70% of school supplies, distribution chains for professionals such as Bureau Vallée and Office Dépôt, and retail stores selling newspapers and stationery.
Trends in stationery demand in France
In the supplies market, consumable stationery products account for between 25% and 35%, instruments for around the same amount, and adhesives for between 5% and 10%. The school supplies market is highly concentrated around the back-to-school period.
Major distributors such as Bureau Valley, with sales approaching half a billion euros, and Office Dépôt, with sales approaching 400 million euros, dominate the market, indicating that the size of the stationery market in France is estimated at between 2.5 and 3 billion euros.
French stationery manufacturers and retailers offer aesthetic, personalized products.
Consumer demand reflects a clear preference for well-known pen and notebook brands, led by Bic with an approval rating of over 75%.
Stationery market players
- 3M stands out for its wide range of office and stationery products
- Bic, a global giant in writing instruments
- Hamelin offers a wide range of stationery products
- Pilot Pen, a specialist in writing instruments.
- Bureau Vallée has a vast network of stores.
- Office Depot France, a subsidiary of the financially troubled American distributor
- Paper Tiger tackles the designer stationery niche
- Exacompta Clairefontaine, a well-known brand of high-quality paper products
- Cultura, chain of cultural stores
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and presentation
Stationers are stores selling stationery products, often operating alongside a bookshop or newsagent. Stationery products are those used for writing or printing text. There are 3 categories:
- School supplies (sheets, notebooks, etc.)
- Correspondence (unprinted envelopes and cards)
- Administrative (registers, account books...)
The global market was estimated in 2023 at $26.2 billion by Researchandmarkets, and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1% over the period 2023-2030. The global stationery market is expanding thanks to rising literacy rates and a growing number of young people in higher education, fuelled by numerous national government initiatives. The fastest-growing regions are expected to be Asia-Pacific, thanks to widespread use of different types of stationery products, a growing number of educational establishments, and a growing demand for stationery products. a growing number of educational establishments in both rural and urban areas, and access to education for more sections of society.
The sector has to contend with the dematerialization of documents and correspondence in companies, and the advance of electronic mail among private individuals. Weakened, the paper industry is trying to reinvent itself through innovations in aesthetics and price range diversification. In addition, the market has been hit hard by rising raw material prices, prompting players to adopt new measures to adapt to the situation.
Related sectors (notably pulp) continue to evolve towards more environmentally-friendly practices, a new offering that also caters to a new customer base.
1.2 A fast-growing global market
A study by Researchandmarkets estimated the stationery market at $**.* billion in ****. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (***) of *. *% between **** and ****.
Global stationery market trends World, ****-****, in billion dollars Source: ****
A large number of companies have entered the market (***).
The rise of education in developing ...
1.3 A healthy domestic market
Stationery distribution (***) :
sales growth in the newspaper and stationery retail market in specialized stores France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****
In order to study the data relating to the market size of the retail trade in newspapers and stationery in specialized storeswe have combined the **** sales figures provided by INSEE ...
1.4 Foreign trade in stationery
French stationery market trade balance France, ****-****, in millions of dollars and as a % of sales Source: ****
The French stationery market trade balance, between **** and ****, reflects a downward trend in exports and an increase in imports, leading to a gradual decrease in the coverage ratio.
During this period, exports of stationery ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 France's favourite pen and notebook brands
The graph below is based on OpinionWay's survey of French people's favorite brands in February ****. These are respondents' answers to the question"Do you like this or that brand of pen?"; for each brand, the percentage corresponds to the proportion of respondents who answered "yes".
Bic is France's favorite pen brand: ...
2.2 French consumers looking for environmentally-friendly stationery products
Breakdown of French people willing to pay more for more environmentally-friendly stationery products France, ****, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, %, % Source: ****
In ****, a significant proportion of French people - **%- say they are prepared to pay more for more environmentally-friendly stationery products. This trend demonstrates a growing interest in sustainable products among French consumers, reflecting increased awareness ...
2.3 The back-to-school season, a good time for stationery sales
The back-to-school period is a pivotal time for the stationery market, marked by a significant increase in sales. Every year, parents and students set off in search of essential supplies for a new academic year. It's a propitious time when consumer trends, customer preferences and innovations in the sector prove particularly ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Value chain
Source: ****
The paper industry's value chain involves several players, each playing a specific role in the creation, distribution and use of products. First, pulp producers extract and process the raw material needed to make paper. Next, paper producers transform this pulp into different types of paper, suitable for a variety of ...
3.2 Number of companies and number of employees
Stationery manufacturing
The manufacture of stationery products in France is highly concentrated in a dozen or so companies. These companies account for around two-thirds of the sector's sales. [***]
To determine the number of players in this market segment, we will analyze Urssaf data relating to NAF code **.**Z, which is defined ...
3.3 Increased digitalization of companies could affect the market
The acceleration in the digitalization of communication media, catalyzed by the health crisis, has had a significant impact on the need for office supplies, such as writing utensils and filing items. Indeed, around a significant number of companies continue to use cloud computing services launched at the start of the crisis ...
3.4 Production with rising costs
french stationery industry output price index trend France, ****-****, index base *** in **** Source: ****
The evolution of the French stationery industry's output price index between **** and September **** shows an overall upward trend, with minor fluctuations over the years. After a slight decline between **** and ****, the index showed a gradual increase until ****, followed ...
3.5 Stationery distribution
Market share of various stationery product distribution channels France, November ****-November ****, as % of sales Source: ****
Stationery products are most often purchased in hypermarkets and supermarkets. This category accounts for **.*% of the sector's distribution. In second place are mail order and office supplies, which account for **.*% of the market. Cultural outlets and ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 A wide range of products available
UFIPA classifies stationery products under different categories:
Our wide range of stationery products meets the needs of both professional and private customers. Indeed, certain stationery items, such as pens, notebooks or notepads, are essential both in the workplace and in everyday life at home. Characterized by their universal utility, these products ...
4.2 Rising prices
It can be seen from the graph below that since ****, the index has risen gradually, but this increase accelerated from **** onwards. This steady rise can be attributed to several factors, including rising raw material costs, inflationary pressure on production costs, and logistical and supply challenges. Between **** and ****, the consumer price of ...
4.3 Customization and fantasy
To counter the advance of digital communications and information archiving, stationery manufacturers must continue to innovate in order to offer consumers new items every year.
First and foremost, this innovation means that stationery products are more aesthetically pleasing than ever before. Helloprint notes, for example, an advance in minimalist style and ...
4.4 A growing second-hand offer
The rise of the circular economy has led to a significant expansion of the second-hand stationery market. One example is the initiative launched by Cultura with Okazio. Aware of the growing importance of eco-responsibility and consumers' ecological concerns, Okazio has positioned itself as an innovative platform enabling the exchange, sale and ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Minor regulatory changes
In addition to a document from the French Ministry of the Economy, which sets out the main points defining stationery products, other laws and decrees have recently modified certain regulatory aspects of the profession.
In ****, a decree modified the legal payment period between industry professionals.[***] Whereas the latter used to have ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
Manufacturers :
Distributors :
- Hamelin Groupe - Oxford
- 3M France
- Office Depot France
- Bureau Vallée
- Papier Tigre
- Cultura
- Exacompta Clairefontaine
- Pilot Pen France
- BIC Groupe
- Schwan-Stabilo
- MTM Groupe Paperflow
- Antalis France
- Carton Service- Inapa
- Lyreco France
List of charts presented in this market study
- Global stationery market trends
- Sales trends in the stationery manufacturing market
- Sales trends in the retail market for newspapers and stationery in specialized stores
- Consumer price index for stationery and drawing materials
- French stationery trade balance
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Latest news
Bic makes progress with its new shavers - 20/02/2024
- In 2023, Bic's sales rose by 9.2% at constant exchange rates and by 1.3% as reported, reaching 2.26 billion euros.
- Despite lower volumes in stationery and lighters, the number of units purchased in the shaving segment increased. 9.5% of Bic sales came from products launched in the last three years.
- The EZ Reach lighter exceeded the 100 million euro sales threshold and gained 10.7% of the segment by value in European supermarkets in one year.
- Sales of the lighter rose by 3.3% at constant exchange rates.
- In France, Bic gained 1.4 points of market share in value in stationery.
Cultura hires ex-Décathlon man as general manager - 08/02/2024
- Year Cultura was founded: 1998
- Number of employees: 4,500
- Number of stores in France: 109 (including 4 franchises)
- Number of references on e-commerce site: over 4 million.
Another international buyout for Antalis - 06/02/2024
- - Antalis recently completed two acquisitions, including Pakella and Tecnoprimaf.
- - Tecnoprimaf is an Italian company specializing in wooden transport packaging.
- - The company is based in Castelfranco Emilia, near Modena, and has 80 employees.
- - Tecnoprimaf's sales are expected to reach 26 million euros in 2023.
- - Tecnoprimaf has five production sites.
- - Tecnoprimaf's main markets are production equipment and ceramics.
- - With this acquisition, Antalis is now the leader in custom packaging solutions in Italy.
Bic recaptures the flame - 16/10/2023
- The non-permanent tattoo market is expected to triple over the next seven years to 1.5 billion euros.
- Inkbox sales are in the region of $22 million.
- Today, tobacco accounts for only half of the global market for firelighters, compared with 60-70% a decade ago.
- In the United States, tobacco accounts for 28% of the flame market.
- In Brazil, cooking far outstrips tobacco, with 50% of the flame market, compared with 8% for tobacco.
- Bic's largest lighter factory produces 3 million units a day, or 50% of the division's worldwide production.
- Bic has a broader vision for shaving, which generated over 15 million euros in sales in its first year.
- By 2022, Bic has revised its sales forecasts three times, ending the year up 13.8% at constant exchange rates, to 2.23 billion euros.
Antalis always greener | Greener with Antalis - 11/10/2023
- Antalis belongs to the Japanese group Kokusai Pulp & Paper (KPP). KPP is a leading distributor of paper, packaging and communication products.
- The group is present in 29 countries.
- It generates sales of 563 billion yen, or around 3.578 billion euros.
- Antalis is the leading BtoB distributor of paper and industrial packaging.
- Antalis is also number two in the distribution of visual communication media.
- Antalis employs 3,800 people.
Plaxtil and Cultura join forces to recycle old schoolbags - 20/08/2023
- Plaxtil was created in 2020.
- The company works with brands such as Lacoste and Kiabi.
- It is collecting non-reusable schoolbags from 110 Cultura stores until September 3.
- Plaxtil employs around twenty people.
- It achieved sales of 850,000 euros and earnings of over 200,000 euros.
- The company is preparing to raise 3 million euros to finance the creation of small recycling plants.
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the stationery market | France
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