Over the past 24 years, the sporting goods chains Intersport and Decathlon have become the leading retailers of clothing in France, overtaking hypermarkets, which used to control a combined 20 percent of the clothing market in 2000, according to the study Référenseigne Fashion carried out by Kantar, a group of market research companies under the umbrella of the US financial investor Bain Capital.
In 2000, the generalist Carrefour controlled 4.4 percent of the French clothing market in value, followed by its peer Leclerc, with a 4.0 percent market share, and Auchan (like Decathlon, owned by the Mulliez Group) at 3.6 percent. Kantar noted that at the beginning of the century, hypermarkets carried well-known brands such as Levi’s, Lee and Converse to make shopping more “attractive.”
In March 2024, Intersport had 5.9 percent of the clothing market, followed by Decathlon at 3.6 percent. Intersport’s market share is expected to increase with the acquisition of 55 Go Sport stores, which is expected to be completed this year. Kantar noted that the purchase will reinforce the banner’s presence in large urban areas, including Paris.
Lagging the duo are the grocer Leclerc and the fashion retailer Kiabi, with a 3 percent share each, les Galeries Lafayette (2.5 percent), H&M (2.0 percent), Gémo (1.9 percent), Amazon (1.7 percent), Zara (1.6 percent) and Carrefour (1.5 percent). Also with a 1.5 percent share are the second-hand retailers Vinted, La Halle and Zalando.
Kantar noted that the number of foreign retailers among the top 20 in France has increased from one, C&A, in 2000 to seven currently: H&M, Amazon, Zara, Vinted, Zalando, Nike and Primark. It is expected that over the next ten years, the presence of international players will increase in France, while grocers are expected to continue losing ground unless they reinvent their business model.
The survey showed that with the increase in brands, the top 20 fashion retailers controlled 39.4 percent of the French market in 2024 compared with 42 percent in 42 percent in 2000. Their combined market, however, increased from 37 percent in 2013.
