The tobacco market in France

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.