Summary of our market study

French tobacco market estimated at €20 billion

The global and French tobacco markets are undergoing major changes, with regulatory measures and changing public attitudes leading to a decline in traditional tobacco consumption.

In France, sales volumes have been steadily declining, from 46,000 tonnes of cigarettes sold in 2020 to 31.7 billion units in 2022.

These reductions are part of stringent policies such as the Evin law and the law to modernize the healthcare system, which have introduced plain packaging and stronger health warnings. Higher tobacco prices have also contributed to the decline in tobacco consumption, with cigarette prices rising by 85.8% and rolling tobacco by 189.3%

The number of tobacconists fell from 28,000 to 23,500.

Imports rose from $1.8 billion to $1.6 billion, and exports from $333.8 million in 2020 to $410.6 million in 2022.

The e-cigarette market is gaining ground, perceived as less harmful than traditional tobacco, and is worth around 1.2 billion euros.

The sector is highly regulated: French customs supervise retail sales and the management of tobacconists, with taxes accounting for around 80% of the retail price of cigarettes.

The global tobacco market is dominated by major companies such as Philip Morris and British American Tobacco.

Downward trends in the French tobacco market

Despite a wide range of cigarettes, cigars and electronic cigarettes, demand has been steadily slowing. The population of male daily smokers was around 30%, and has fallen to 20% by 2021. For female smokers, the figures have risen slightly to 20% in 2021.

Among people aged 18 to 75, the proportion of daily smokers has decreased to almost 25% in 2021.

The Provence-Alpes-Côte-D'azur, Hauts de France and Occitanie regions show some of the highest figures. Île-de-France, Pays de la Loire and Normandy are the regions with the lowest smoking rates.

men aged 25 to 34 and women aged 18 to 24 are most likely to be daily smokers. Smoking rates drop significantly with age, particularly among women. Less educated and unemployed people are more likely to be daily smokers.

A large proportion of daily smokers have expressed a desire to quit, leading to increased sales of smoking cessation treatments.

Key players in the tobacco market

Philip Morris International (France): As a subsidiary of one of the world's largest tobacco manufacturers, Philip Morris in France carries the weight of its global brand. Known for its flagship product Marlboro, the company has a profound influence on market trends and consumer preferences, constantly anchoring its position at the forefront of the industry.
Imperial Brands: This British tobacco multinational, which was founded over a century ago, has developed a powerful portfolio of products and brands. Imperial Brands has a broad geographic footprint, with products sold in over 160 countries, and is known for its ability to innovate in the marketplace.
Japan Tobacco: Originating in the Japanese tobacco market, Japan Tobacco International has extended its reach worldwide. Holding some of the fastest-growing international brands, the company's international arm has made a significant impact through strategic acquisitions and expansion policies.
British American Tobacco: Another industry heavyweight, British American Tobacco operates in a multitude of countries. The company has aligned its business strategies with market trends, investing in reduced-risk products to meet changing consumer demand.
China National Tobacco Corporation: This state-owned enterprise, which is the world's largest tobacco company in terms of the size of the domestic market it controls, underlines the importance of state-backed players in the sector. Although less well known on the international scene, its monopoly in China makes it a key player to watch.

the tobacco market - France

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Number of pages : ~ 40 pages
Format : Digital and PDF versions
Last update : 11/11/2023

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Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Situated at the crossroads of public and private issues, the tobacco market is a highly specific, highly regulated and monitored market, which nonetheless affects all segments of the global and French population.

The scope of this study includes the production, distribution and sale of tobacco and its by-products, such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, rolling tobacco, chewing tobacco and snuff. New forms of consumption, such as electronic cigarettes, will also be discussed.

The tobacco market is in decline in France, influenced first and foremost by rising cigarette prices, which have led to a drop in cigarette sales over the past twenty years. The market is also in difficulty due to the boom in sales of medical patches and electronic cigarettes. According to Santé Publique France, there are now almost 12 million daily smokers in France.

The tobacco market is dominated by leaders such as Philip Morris International (which owns the Malboro and Philip Morris brands), Seita (which owns Fortuna, Gauloises and Gitanes), Altadis Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and British American Tobacco. There are also some forty tobacco distributors in France, the main one being Logista France. Finally, the retail sale of tobacco products is regulated by the French customs authorities.

2 Demand analysis

3 Market structure

4 Regulations

5 Positioning the players

List of charts presented in this market study

Prevalence of daily smoking by sex among 18-75 year-olds
Prevalence of daily smoking among 18-75 year-olds by region
Prevalence of daily smoking by level of education
Share of smokers in the population by age and sex
Prevalence of daily smoking by monthly income per consumption unit
Prevalence of daily smoking among 18-75 year-olds by employment status
Daily smokers wishing to quit
Sales of smoking cessation treatments
Cigarette sales and price per pack of the best-selling brand
World tobacco production
Ranking of the largest tobacco-producing countries
Tobacco and cigarette sales
Volumes of tobacco seizures by Customs
Top tobacco companies by total sales
Share of sales by volume of the main tobacco products sold
Breakdown of the price of a €10 pack of 20 cigarettes on January 1, 2021
Change in the price of the best-selling pack of cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the dangerousness of these products?"
Value of imports of tobacco and tobacco products
Value of exports of tobacco and tobacco products
Main tobacco-supplying countries
Main tobacco export partner countries
Number of tobacconists
Breakdown of tobacconists by town size
Tobacconists by activity in addition to tobacco
Tobacco sales by network

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Latest news

Closure of cigarette plant in Corsica - 03/10/2023

The Furiani cigarette factory in Haute-Corse, owned by the British Imperial Brands group, will cease production by the end of this year.
The plant produces 600 million cigarettes a year for local and national markets.
29 employees will remain at the plant, compared with over 200 in the past.
Corsica's special tobacco tax will disappear at the end of 2025.
The closure follows an overall and continuing decline in legal sales volumes, which are being replaced by smuggling and counterfeiting.

Several tobacco companies are banking on this product invented in Scandinavia. - 31/07/2023

The Velo brand nicotine sachet is held between the upper lip and gum for around thirty minutes, for a gradual release of nicotine.
British American Tobacco (BAT), which already markets the nicotine sachets in a dozen European countries, launched the brand in France after a conclusive test.
Since the beginning of the year, BAT's range has been available in a quarter of French tobacconists and on their website.
The sale of Velo nicotine sachets will be banned in Belgium from October 1.
There are several dozen brands of nicotine sachets sold in France, most of them imported.
These new product categories now account for 15% of BAT's business.
Philip Morris expects tobacco alternatives to account for half its sales by 2025, compared with one-third today.
The global nicotine sachet market, valued at $2 billion in 2020, is predicted to grow by over 30% a year between now and 2030.

Tobacco giants face cigarette decline - 13/05/2023

In 2020, 17% of the world's population were smokers, compared with almost 27% in 2000
a further decline is expected, to 15.4% by 2025.
Cigarette sales volumes have fallen from 5,800 billion in 2007 to 4,700 billion in 2020, and are expected to drop to 4,500 billion by 2025.
One third of Philip Morris International's (PMI) revenues come from alternatives to cigarettes, with the share expected to rise to 50% by 2025.
New product categories account for 14.8% of business at BAT (Lucky Strike, Vogue...) and less than 5% at JTI (Winston, Camel...).
Cigarette manufacturers hold just 15% of the French vape market.
At PMI, 79% of profits still come from cigarettes.
Emerging markets such as China, Indonesia, Turkey and Russia remain attractive to tobacco companies.

Tobacco: Logista France downsizes - 07/03/2023

Tobacco distributor Logista France , subsidiary of the Spanish Logista Group
Sales of tobacco and new-generation products such as electronic cigarettes to fall by 3.9% by 2022
Activity of Toulouse depot, which serves 4,500 tobacconists in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, to be transferred to Mions and Le Mans
Logista transports tobacco from factories in Northern and Eastern Europe to its warehouses
It prepares orders, and carriers deliver to France's 23,500 tobacconists
It also has 29 convenience stores where tobacconists stock up themselves

Altria spends US$2.75 billion on Njoy electronic cigarettes. - 07/03/2023

Takeover of e-cigarette manufacturer Njoy
Altria has exchanged its 35% stake in Juul, for which it paid $12.8 billion at the end of 2018, for the right to use some of its technologies on heated tobacco devices.
Juul once enjoyed phenomenal success with its USB-key-shaped vaporettes
Regulatory uncertainties over the future of e-cigarettes in the United States
Altria estimates that its stake was worth only $250 million

The success of Iqos, an alternative tobacco, depends on the goodwill of regulators. - 26/11/2022

Iqos heating tobacco brand from Philip Morris International
19.5 million consumers in 68 countries
7.6% market share
PMI has invested $9 billion to develop its tobacco alternatives
In mid-2020, PMI obtained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell its brand of smoking tobacco and its brand of communicating tobacco
In Japan, where it was launched in 2016, its market share is close to 25%

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

Philip Morris International

Imperial Brands

Japan Tobacco

British American Tobacco

Altria (Philip Morris USA, Malboro)

Logista France (Altria)

Altadis (Imperial tobacco)

Arnold André

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