Champagne, prosecco… These holiday essentials were less successful this year

CONSUMPTION – Moderation ends the year in style. For these end-of-year celebrations, the French bought much more foie gras and smoked fish than a year earlier, but fewer sparkling wines, including champagne. Foie gras and smoked fish, salmon and trout, saw sales “exceptional”according to a study carried out by the specialist Circana for the federation of commerce and distribution (FCD), published this Thursday, January 2.

31.1% more foie gras was sold (in value and 33.2% in volume) from December 21 to 28, 2024 than during the comparable period, from Saturday December 23 to Saturday December 30, 2023. The increase is less marked but remains important for salmon and trout, with more than 10% increase in value (+6.2% in volume, which means that the products sold for more than a year ago earlier).

Overall, and while overall sales fell by 2.8% over the period, “festive products are doing well with a significant increase” of their turnover, by 11.3%. Sales are also increasing in volume, although a little less (+8.3%), specifies the FCD in its press release.

On the other hand, champagne wines sold significantly less than a year earlier (-6%), with a decline in the same proportions for other sparkling wines, such as crémants or prosecco (-6%).

“These results highlight purchasing priorities focused on emblematic holiday products, with exceptional performance of gourmet dishes such as foie gras and smoked salmon”comments the FCD in its press release.

The political and economic context, which is very uncertain in France at the moment, makes traders fear a decline in consumption because this generally pushes the French to save rather than consume.