The market for organic products was long confined to specialized stores dedicated to the cause. But with the mass craze for all things organic, this is no longer the case.
The organic food market was worth 8.4 billion euros [9.5 billion USD] in 2017, a 17% growth from 2016, according to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. While 452 million euros [511 million USD] of organic products were purchased last year by the catering sector, the largest volumes - 7.9 billion euros [8.9 billion USD] (+18%) - were consumed at home, representing 4.4% of the total food consumption.
Among the specialized stores, Biocoop is the leader with a network of 540 shops, followed by La Vie Claire (340 shops), Biomonde (200 shops), Naturalia - bought by Monoprix/Casino in 2008 - (141 shops), Bio c’est bon (83 shops), L’eau Vive (68 shops) and Le Grand Panier bio (13 shops). They are all experiencing a growth in the double digits and keep opening new shops. Today, these distribution systems account for 17% of the market share.
But the biggest winners are the retail giants: as part of an aggressive competitive strategy, they have been developing new brands dedicated to the sale of organic products, such as “Le marché bio Leclerc”. Carrefour has been opening Carrefour Bio stores since 2013 and has also recently acquired So.bio, which will become the banner for its organic market throughout France. The goal: 5 billion euros [5.7 billion USD] in organic sales in 2022. Today, the sales share of organic products at Leclerc and Carrefour averages around 4% of their total revenue. According to the marketing research firm Nielsen, the share of organic products in the total revenue of average and large retailers should reach 11%.
Source: Business Insider