The French toys and games market ranks fifth in the world and second in Europe, behind the United Kingdom and ahead of Germany. There are 5,238 establishments in France (head offices and secondary establishments), which represents an increase in the head office population of +7% between 2020 and 2021.
A resilient sector, driven by "made in France" and video games
The French toy and game market ranks fifth in the world and second in Europe, behind the UK and ahead of Germany. In 2020, according to lNPD Group, with 212 million toys sold, the national market recorded a turnover of 3.6 billion euros, down 1.5% compared to 2019; this market has been shaken in France by the yo-yo of confinements with the main consequence being the closure of its specialized shops and its shelves in large stores. A situation that has largely benefited the online sales channel, whose activity has increased by 36%.
In terms of insolvencies over the last 12 months to the end of October 2021, thanks to the various forms of financial aid and support, the number of insolvencies in the sector has never been so low since 2016, with less than 30 insolvencies, a number that is 40% lower than the previous period, for 41 salaried jobs threatened.
The Covid crisis: jackpot for video games
Video games are one of the few segments to have been boosted by the global pandemic and its confinements. Now, 52% of French people say they play every day, all media included. The average age of the gamer is 39 years old and almost equally male/female.
In 2020, the French video game market achieved its best performance ever with growth of 11.3%. 5.3 billion in revenues, including €2.7 billion for consoles (media and games), €1.4 billion for mobile games and €1.2 billion for PC games. Sales of complete dematerialized games on consoles experienced a record growth rate of 79%. Sales of physical games held up well, but nevertheless fell by 3.2% in a particularly difficult context for in-store distribution, which is still concerned about the increasing dematerialization of video games with the emergence of the cloud.
"Following the example of organic farming, there is currently a consumer craze for responsible and local purchasing; the toy sector is no exception to this trend. Thus, during the confinement, families have rediscovered board games and other puzzles ... Now, French brands represent nearly 15% of the toy market, against 13.4% in 2020 with assets of reliability and creativity that are a specificity of "made in France"."
- Max Jammot Head of the economic research department at Ellisphere
