Chorba, bricks, fermented milk or even dates: so many essentials for breaking the fast at sunset, in a country with some 5 million Muslims, according to several studies conducted in particular by the independent American institute Pew Research Center, the Montaigne Institute or even INSEE.
“Ramadan is a festive time when there is an acceleration in consumption“, notes Frédéric Yu, import manager at Auchan.
The same goes for Isla Délice, French leader in cold meats, frozen foods and halal meal solutions, which sees its “production volume doubled during this period“, according to its CEO Eric Fauchon, who also explains the phenomenon by”a concentration of promotional operations“.
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In this niche, all channels combined, Isla Délice claims 49% of the market share in halal meats and 53% for halal frozen foods.
According to data from the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, for the only halal meats, the second main player was Fleury Michon at the end of 2020 with a 17.1% market share, followed by Oriental Viandes (8.8%), Isla Mondial (7.6%) and Réghalal (6.4%) which belongs to the French group LDC, European leader in poultry and catering.
The term “halal“means what is”lawful“for the consumption of Muslims, in opposition to”haram“prohibitions, especially food such as pork. Concerning meat”halal“, the main certification bodies are the mosques of Paris, Evry and Lyon, as well as the AVS construction organization.
– “Ultraproximite” –
Saloua, a 64-year-old Franco-Tunisian, does not hesitate to cross Paris to get her supplies at Carrefour Auteuil, in the 16th arrondissement: “I live in the 5th, but I come here on purpose to buy pepper salami that I can’t find elsewhere“.
According to her, the large distribution “has made a lot of efforts in recent years with halal products, we find more and more things. At the small shopkeeper, I wouldn’t have the same products, here there is more variety. Okay, sometimes it’s a bit expensive. Frankly 2.70 euros for 100 grams, it’s hugeshe said, pointing to slices of cold meats.
The health of the sector is not limited to the period of Ramadan. “Between 2010 and 2020, the consumption of these products doubled and it is believed that this trend will further assert itself by 2050“, according to Frédéric Yu. Isla Délice identifies for its part”steady growth of 8% to 10% per year“for the halal market, which it values at 500 million euros in France in 2020.
Isla Délice grew by 24% last year and reached 100 million euros in turnover. In comparison, a group like Fleury Michon claims an overall turnover of 735.4 million euros in 2020.
The large distribution players did not wish to speak, but according to data from the Federation of Commerce and Distribution, the turnover of halal meats, for example, increased by 18.9% in supermarkets. during the year 2020 and 9.2% in hypermarkets – despite a context of health crisis unfavorable to these structures often located outside the perimeters of authorized travel.
The place of halal in supermarkets remains despite everything marginal: only 376 million euros in annual sales, or 0.32% of some 100 billion euros all food products combined, according to the IRI panelist.
“Halal is still widely practiced by local shops, not to say ultra-proximity, therefore through traditional trade, especially specialized butcher shops.“, explains Frédéric Yu.
Sarah Mohsen, 34, confirms: “I buy cold cuts, turkey breasts and frozen halal products here (in a hypermarket). Because it’s my Carrefour, it’s where I do my shopping. But for the fresh, the fish, the butchery, I buy outside.”
The large distribution has yet to play cards, because of its size. “It has scale effects and can offer very attractive prices to which we, consumers, are always sensitive.“, explains Olivier Salomon, director of the consulting firm Alixpartners.
