While the inflationary context continues to weigh on household budgets, a large proportion of them have waited for the payment of the ARS, paid to low-income households at the end of August, to buy notebooks and pens. If the market is down, the sector remains confident.
It seems that back-to-school allowances are used to pay for students’ supplies. The Association of Stationery and Office Manufacturers (AIPB), which brings together 10,000 professionals in the sector and 150 brands, presented its annual study carried out by NielsenIQ-GFK based on sales between June 24 and August 25 in supermarkets and specialty stores. And the observation is clear: a large proportion of families or students waited for the payment of the back-to-school allowance paid to low-income households on August 20 in mainland France, Guadeloupe, Guyana and Martinique to equip themselves. The phenomenon is not new but, “We are seeing an even stronger wait-and-see attitude than in 2023,” notes Samuel Gimenez, GFK consultant specializing in stationery.
Competition from specialist stores
Between the week of August 12 and that of August 19, the amount of sales jumped by 63%, while the acceleration had taken place a week earlier in 2023. This delay corresponds to the payment of the ARS being postponed, this year, by one week compared to previous summers. “The role of the ARS is preponderant” in the purchasing decision, confirms Samuel Gimenez, even if, this year, the holding of the Paris Olympic Games may also have kept families away from the stationery aisles for a while.
The inflationary context also continues to weigh on household budgets. Result: the school supplies market is down. As of August 25, back-to-school sales, excluding pencil cases and school bags, were €332 million, down 7%. The number of products sold also fell by 5.6%, even though the average price was down 1.5% after a strong period of inflation. In terms of purchasing habits, the large stores that dominate the market are increasingly competing with specialist stores that are banking on a wide range of products and competitive prices, particularly for major brands that are particularly popular with customers. Two out of three items sold in large stores are national brands.
One in two families expects discounts
“Some organizations recommend buying supplies in late June or mid-July, but that’s a mistake. It’s a myth to believe that it’s more interesting.”insists Christophe Le Boulicaut, CEO of Stabilo and vice-president of AITB. According to the association, promotional offers are more interesting from the start of the school year, while nearly one in two families wait for discounts to decide to buy. It remains to be seen whether the tempting promotions will be enough to make up for the delay in getting going in August. “Everything will be decided in the next three weeks”hopes Samuel Gimenez. The sector remains confident, in 2023, 54% of the sales amount had been achieved in four weeks.
