Volumes of consumer goods rose 2.7% during the Olympic fortnight, according to Circana, bucking the downward trend in food purchases.
A real popular success, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which ended on August 11, seem to have achieved a new feat: that of giving the French back the desire to treat themselves when they go shopping.
While the volumes of consumer products sold in supermarkets have been declining for more than three years, due in particular to inflation, they increased by 2.7% during the two Olympic weeks in France, compared to the same period in 2023, according to panellist Circana. And even by 6.7% in Paris, which hosted the main competition venues.
Among the purchases popular with the French and tourists, pleasure products such as ice creams (+54%), fruit salads (+35%) or crisps (+14%) found themselves in a very good place in the trolleys. Just like, helped by the return of more favorable weather, beers (+18%) or waters (+26%).
Controversial Olympic effect
Although the ambient optimism during the competition has extended to the shelves, the euphoria remains temporary and does not allow the negative overall trend in volume purchases to be reversed, down 1.1% since the beginning of the year, the panellist points out.
Also read“In a few hours, nothing is left”: from phryges to T-shirts, Olympic merchandise is (finally) successful
And for good reason, since the epic of the Blues world champions of 1998, the real impact of sporting victories on household morale, and the French economy in general, remains controversial. That year, the growth of the French GDP reached 3.6%, according to the World Bank, an increase due more to favorable tax measures and the vote for the 35-hour week than to television purchases or going out to bars.
Twenty years later, on the occasion of the second world title for the Blues, economists at Euler Hermes estimated the impact of the event on French growth at 0.1 points.
