The garden furniture market - France (2025)

1.2 Steady growth for the global outdoor furniture market

The outdoor furniture market was estimated at $**.** billion in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.**% to ****.

Estimated sales growth for the global outdoor furniture market World, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****

Rapid urbanization and rising living standards, particularly in developing countries, are driving this market. Industry players are keeping pace with customer demand, which is increasingly moving towards sustainable furniture made from recycled materials and designed with low CO* emissions. There is also a preference for lightweight, easily transportable furniture.

The world leaders in the outdoor furniture segment are :

IKEA Century Furniture Agio International Company Limited Brown Jordan International Barbeques Galore[***]

1.3 The French market

In ****, sales of garden furniture in France reached *** million euros, an increase of *.*% on the previous year, outstripping overall furniture market growth of *%. From **** to ****, garden furniture sales growth was **.*%.

Size of the French garden furniture market France, **** - ****, in millions of euros Source: ****

According to IPEA (***), this growth is due to the transformation of the garden or terrace into a new living space, where the emphasis is not only on functionality, but also on design and style.

The garden furniture market is part of the wider home furnishings market, estimated at **.** billion euros in ****, representing an increase of *% compared to ****.

Furniture market segmentation France, ****, in Source: ****

The garden furniture sector thus represents a small part of the furniture market, with amarket share of only*.*%.

Indoor furniture players such as Roche Bobois are diversifying their offer by offering outdoor versions of their iconic pieces, designed to withstand the elements. This is the case with the Mah Jong sofa, created in ****, which now has an outdoor version. This trend also extends to items such as wooden decks, which now imitate parquet flooring. New markets are also emerging, such as outdoor cooking appliances, premium garden coolers, patio refrigeration solutions and outdoor bars, a ...

1.4 Foreign trade in furniture

This section covers French furniture imports and exports in general. In fact, no data are available for outdoor furniture alone. Although the figures in this section cover a broader scope than that of this study, they still provide a better understanding of foreign trade in garden furniture.

Exports:

French furniture exports are on the rise overall, following a decline in **** due to the health crisis. Up **.*% over the **** - **** period, French exports reached a value of $***.* billion in ****.

French furniture exports by value France, **** - ****, in $ billion Source: ****

The top ten buyers of French furniture include eight European countries. Only the United States (***) belong to this ranking although they are not European.Germany is the main buyer of French furniture, far ahead ofItaly, followed by the United States, Belgium andSpain within a handkerchief.

Main buyers of French furniture World, ****, in billions of $ Source: ****

Imports:

Imports follow the same trends as exports, undergoing a slight decline in ****. Imports rose by **.*% in value between **** and ****, reaching $***.* billion last year.

French furniture imports France, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****

In the ranking of the top ten furniture suppliers, we find the main French furniture-buying countries in a different order.Germany remains in first place, followed ...

2.1 The French and their gardens

In the wake of confinement, the French are increasingly keen to have and maintain their own gardens. Indeed, by ****, **% of people in France will own their own garden, with an average surface area of *** m², a larger size than gardens in Germany or the Netherlands. The growing popularity of gardening activities in France is attributed to the perception that it is a relaxing activity and an effective way of getting physical exercise[***].

A majority of French people(***) consider the upkeep of their garden to be a source of pleasure, while **% see it as a burden. This positive sentiment is shared by all generations, but is particularly marked among people aged ** and over, where the gap is * points higher than the average[***].

According to a Unep-Ifop survey published in ****, "relaxing" is the main preoccupation of French people with a garden among the aesthetic and social practices associated with using such a space. This activity is preferred over the possibility of entertaining friends, embellishing one's property or allowing one's children to play outside.

Personally, do you use your garden for the following activities? France, ****, survey based on a sample of *** households Source: ****

The garden is a privileged place for shared activities. The most ...

2.2 Highly seasonal demand

The garden furniture market is characterized by strong seasonality, with the bulk of purchases concentrated between March and June, a period during which consumers are often influenced by good weather.

trends in interest in the term "garden furniture France, Sept ****-Sept ****, Google Trend index Source: ****

A value of *** represents the moment of greatest interest. Another value (***) means that interest was **% of this maximum. From one year to the next, interest in "garden furniture" seems stable.

While the postponement of purchases to sunnier weeks does not significantly affect specialist retailers and players offering these products almost all year round , it can have an impact on supermarkets, garden centres and DIY stores, which allocate specific slots for the promotion of garden furniture.

Finally, it should be borne in mind that this graph is an indicator of online traffic and by no means a concrete indicator of market health. Proof of this is the fact that on this graph, **** appears to be a bad year for garden furniture, whereas we saw in *.* that this year saw record results.

2.3 The most popular items

In March ****, price comparison provider Idéalo published an article on its website entitled: Garden furniture: **** trends. This article reports the results of a study based on traffic on its platform in ****, **** and ****.

Please bear in mind that these data relate to the Idealo platform, and are therefore not necessarily representative of market reality. Nevertheless, they remain a very good indicator for approaching our demand.

The "stars" of demand

The chart below shows the furniture most in demand by the French.

Garden furniture most in demand by the French, by year France, ****-****, base *** for most popular category Source: ****

So, in ****, after two years of progression in the rankings, garden lamps have finally dethroned chairs and shelters, which are now in *rd and *nd position respectively.

The "star" colors of demand

Idealo also reveals the colors most favored by the French when choosing garden furniture. Here again, the ranking is tight.

French people's favorite garden furniture colors France, ****-****, base *** for most popular category Source: ****

For a long time, beige was in first place, but in **** it was overtaken by grey. It's worth noting that this ranking changes a lot from one year to the next, with colors that are in ...

2.4 France's most attractive brands

Bonial, a company specializing in media and technology for retail outlets and their customers, took advantage of its annual Bonial Day event to present the results of a survey conducted in partnership with Ipsos.bonial Day, held on December *, ****, to present the results of a study carried out in partnership with Ipsos. "This is the very first study devoted to the commercial attractiveness of retail chains in France", explained Emily Tamazirt, Senior PR Manager at Bonial. Based on a panel of **,*** consumers, the survey analyzes the attractiveness of *** chains for French point-of-sale customers.

In the " Home Furnishings and Decoration " segment, Ikea came out on top of the ** brands evaluated, taking first place with an attractiveness index of **.*, almost double the sector average (***). The Swedish brand dominates on ** of the ** criteria analyzed, which also puts it in second place all categories combined, just behind Decathlon. But and Conforama complete the podium, with scores of **.* and **.* respectively. Only the "Corporate Social Responsibility" criterion eluded Ikea, to the benefit of Xooon, which came out on top with an index of **.*. [***]

France's most attractive retailers - Furniture & Decoration France, **** Source: ****

In the " DIY & Gardening " segment, Leroy Merlin takes first place with an attractiveness score of ...

2.5 L'engouement du Do It Yourself

Le phénomène du "fait maison" ou Do it Yourself (***), qui a connu une popularité croissante pendant le premier confinement en ****, continue d'attirer l'attention des Français en ****. Cette tendance, renforcée par l'inflation, est appréciée pour son aspect pratique, économique et ludique. Le marché du DIY en France représente désormais *,*** milliards d'euros, témoignant de l'engouement des consommateurs pour cette pratique [***]. La dimension économique est également à prendre en compte, puisque réaliser ses produits soi-même revient à beaucoup moins cher que les acheter en magasin. 

Les particuliers peuvent vendre leurs créations très facilement sur des sites internet comme Etsy. Chacun peut créer sa propre boutique en ligne et être référencé sur la plateforme, en échange d'une somme pour chaque produit listé et d'une commission sur les transactions effectuées. Il existe d'autres plateformes comme Handmade d'Amazon et Bigcartel par exemple. Certaines enseignes proposent tout le matériel nécessaire pour les loisirs créatifs, comme Cultura qui dispose en plus de *** magasins en France.

Dans le cadre du mobilier de jardin, le DIY est un élément de plus en plus important, avec des idées originales comme la fabrication ...

2.6 The second-hand furniture market

According to statistics, **% of French people said they had already bought a piece of second-hand furniture in their lifetime, while **% said they had sold one. Over the last two years, *.* million households were recorded as buying second-hand furniture, representing **.*% of the ** million households in France. Although these figures concern the furniture market, which is broader than the simple garden furniture that interests us in this study, these results point to a trend that is also relevant to our sector of interest.

The average annual budget devoted to the purchase of second-hand furniture by households is *** euros, which represents half the budget allocated to the purchase of new furniture.

Average annual furniture budget France, ****, in € Source: ****

These households reported having purchased an average of *.* pieces of furniture over the course of the year.according to the data, households aged ** to ** show the highest rate of second-hand purchases, with one-fifth having made such purchases in the period studied. This indicates that buying second-hand is a common practice in the equipment acquisition process for this age group. Furthermore, it should be noted that even among the over-**s, one household in ten also opted for second-hand purchases, a significant rate given that this group ...

3.1 Sector value chain

Below is a simplified value chain for the garden furniture market, the various stages of which are detailed in sections *.*, *.* and *.*.

Source: ****

3.2 Garden furniture production: French manufacturers face off against foreign manufacturers

France is home to a number of outdoor furniture manufacturers, including Fermob and Grosfillex.For Fermob, production is concentrated at the Thoissey plant in the Ain region. Similarly, Grosfillex has two production sites, one at La Plaine Oyonnax, and the second at Montréal la Cluse, both in the Ain.

A major French player in the market is Lafuma Mobilier, a metal and textile outdoor furniture brand founded in **** in the Drôme region of France. The brand is renowned for the durability, comfort and style of its products, with **% of its range certified by the LONGTIME® label by ****. All products are manufactured at the company's historic site in Anneyron, Drôme.

But not all players have the capacity to produce and distribute French products. As a result, many pure players and specialty stores source Chinese products, notably via online wholesalers such as Yumpu.com.

An important place for second-hand furniture

The garden furniture industry follows a classic distribution chain pattern typical of furniture markets, where second-hand furniture plays an important role. The Institut de prospective et d'études de l'ameublement (***) predominating. Depending on the discount declared by consumers in a survey, this figure would represent at least the equivalent of ...

3.3 Intense competition in distribution

As the garden furniture market is included in the furniture market, we're going to look at the distribution channels for this market.

Distribution channels in the furniture market:

The share of the various distribution channels in the furniture market is detailed in the graph below. Although it concerns a broader market than garden furniture alone, it remains a good indicator for understanding the complexity of the latter.

Breakdown of sales (***) by distribution channel France, ****, in Source: ****

Mass-market furniture stores are the preferred distribution points for furniture purchases, with a **.*% market share. Next come specialist furniture stores (***).

In terms of annual growth, mass-market furniture stores recorded the best result with *.*%, mid-range/high-end furniture stores increased their market share by *.*%, and specialists gained *.* market share points[***].

Distribution channels in the garden furniture market:

Retail sales of garden furniture are thus the subject of intense competition between mass retailers, specialist stores, online sales and general furniture retailers.

General garden retailers

This first category of players includes companies such as Truffaut, Jardiland, Gamm Vert and Botanic, the four leading garden centers in France. All have a well-stocked garden furniture department, including parasols, garden tables, armchairs, outdoor sofas, chairs... These companies generally focus on mid- to ...

3.4 Garden furniture and e-commerce

The IPEA also notes that e-commerce is growing steadily, even as certain furniture brands are gradually withdrawing from the market. And sites such as Cdiscount, La Redoute and Vente-Privée are increasingly diversifying their field of action.

We've identified around a hundred sites that now offer a very diverse range of furniture. Some are highly specialized, others more generalist. The strong point of this offer is that it differs from those of mass retailers, offering consumers a wider choice of products and ambiences. "E-commerce is making progress, because it meets new expectations, particularly in terms of delivery. This is crucial when it comes to heavy, difficult-to-transport products.

Paradoxically, however, this rise is accompanied by the regular disappearance of many dedicated websites. "Many of the pure players who launched their businesses have been unable to hold out over the long term. Because this highly weather-dependent sector requires flexible storage capacity in the event of bad weather. And this is all the more decisive given that the majority of these items are imported from China," explains Christophe Gazel, Managing Director of IPEA[***].

However, e-commerce activity in the online furniture sector, including all pure-player chains and only these, fell significantly over the year, down ...

4.1 Types of garden furniture products

Garden furniture products are first and foremost designed to create moments of relaxation and conviviality between friends and family. The product range has developed over time, and today includes a wide variety of products, which can be divided into four main categories.

Garden furniture

This category includes "typical" outdoor furniture, as well as indoor furniture, albeit in adapted materials. This category includes outdoor tables and chairs, generally made of metal, wood or plastic. There are also outdoor sofas and armchairs, increasingly common in gardens to create an "outdoor living room". Last but not least, deckchairs and loungers are the classic seats for relaxing in the garden. These are generally made of wood or plastic.

Constructions

This division includes all the facilities needed to protect the garden from the vagaries of the weather. In concrete terms, garden constructions include pergolas and gazebos, which are suspended from metal or wooden masts, allowing a large sail to be hoisted to provide protection from the sun. More expensive and more complicated to install (***). Pergola de France is the Internet leader in this sector.

Garden accessories

A wide range of garden accessories are available, including hammocks, parasols, barbecues, cushions for outdoor armchairs or sofas, or for ...

4.2 A slight increase in prices

The consumer price index for garden furniture, which estimates the average annual change in prices for these products, has been rising steadily since ****. In fact, between **** and ****, prices have risen by almost ** index points.

Consumer price index for garden furniture France, **** - ****, base *** = **** Source: ****

However, between **** and ****, there will be a sharp increase (***), largely attributable to current inflation.

4.3 Supply trends

Garden furniture is a set of outdoor furniture that usually includes a sofa, armchairs and a coffee table. It can also include additional, less traditional elements such as a small swing, footstools, a sun lounger or a bench. This furniture ensemble has become a must-have for designing and enjoying your outdoor space. The garden is gaining in importance and is now considered"the fifth room in the house". The range of outdoor furniture on offer follows a number of trends, the main ones of which are presented below:

Materials

The petrochemical industry, which produces materials such as PVC and polyethylene, is currently being replaced by more natural materials. Local sustainable wood (***), rattan, bamboo, iron and sleek aluminum are increasingly favored, marking a return to basics in the use of materials. For garden furniture made from recyclable and/or recycled materials, we can cite the Jysk and Casa brands, which offer this type of product.

Terracotta, wood, beige, linen and light gray are the predominant colors used in the materials and fabrics used for the furnishings. In addition, garden furniture adopts rounded shapes to inspire security, softness and refuge, as a response to the hostility outside. These include undulating lounge chairs, semi-circular ...

5.1 Standards for garden furniture

When selling new furniture, it is compulsory to label a certain number of characteristics:

price and list of items offered for this price, such as whether or not delivery is included, main materials, manufacturing process, finish, etc. ; overall dimensions; environmental eco-contribution; biocidal properties; if the furniture is made of leather, additional information on the animal species and, more generally, the type of leather; if the furniture is made of textile, the label must show the name and percentage by weight of all fibers.

The full set of labeling rules can be found on the government's Economy, Finance, Action and Public Accounts website: economie.gouv.fr.

If credit is offered to finance the goods, then this procedure is subject to consumer credit regulations.

If the sale is concluded remotely or over the Internet, these purchases are also governed by specific regulations.

In addition, standard NF*** lays down health, safety, durability, design and workmanship characteristics for all furniture in the market.cution for all home furniture, whether for indoor use (***). Standards in the world of outdoor furniture are thus very numerous.

5.2 Regulatory testing

Numerous mechanical, material and safety tests are required on garden furniture products before they can be marketed:

Tests on furniture materials Regulatory tests PCP / Pentachlorophenol content in wood and textile products Cadmium / Cadmium content without materials DMFu / Dimethylfumarate content EN *****-* / Glass fragmentation test **-* / Migration of certain components (***) Performance tests Hardness test Wood moisture VOC / Volatile Organic Compound content

Mechanical tests on furniture Regulatory tests EN *** / Safety test on garden furniture NFD **-*** / Safety test on furniture for young children NFD ** *** / Safety test on chilienne-type seats Intertek qualifying protocols Performance tests * types of use: children, camping, domestic, collective Accelerated aging / Salt spray resistance, Accelerated aging / Sun resistance (***) Accelerated aging / Climatic chamber resistance (***)

Furniture finishing tests Additional tests Solid and liquid food contact Performance tests Abrasion resistance Scratch resistance Grid adhesion Thickness measurement of finishes Stain resistance

Fire tests on furniture Regulatory tests EN **** / Behavior in fire EN ****-* / Ignitability of upholstery ISO ***** / Cigarette and flame ignitability Performance tests Resistance to heat Flammability test for plastics & composites

6. Segmentation

• Ikea Group
• Conforama France
• Adeo Groupe
• La Redoute AMPM
• InVivo
• Kingfisher (Castorama, Bricodépot, KingFisher , Screwfix)
• Jardiland (Groupe Teract)
• Truffaut
• Hespéride (Meubles De Jardin Design)
• Pro Loisirs
• Fermob
• Silvadec
• Au Jardin de Chloé
• Ozalide
• Sklum
• Lafuma Mobilier
• Grosfillex
• Unopiu
• JJA Groupe
• Burger Groupe - Jardipolys
• Gamm Vert (Teract Groupe)
• Botanic
• BUT International
• Maisons du Monde
• Mr. Bricolage
• ITM Equipement (Bricorama, Bricomarché, Brico Cash)
• Forest Style
• Dickson Constant
• Planity
• Planity
• OOGarden