France Household Consumption Falls More than Expected

Household consumption of goods in France rose 0.7% month-on-month in March 2026, matching market forecasts and rebounding from a 1.4% decline in February. This was the biggest monthly gain since February 2025, driven by a renewed increase in purchases of engineered goods (1.6% vs -2.1% in February), particularly durables (2.9% vs -2.3%) and textiles and clothing (1.1% vs -4.4%). Energy expenditures edged up 0.1% after falling 1.4% in the prior month, as electricity consumption rose slightly, while diesel usage dropped again. Food consumption decreased at a slower pace (-0.1% vs -0.6%), as higher spending on tobacco and beverages partly offset continued declines in purchases of agricultural products and processed fruits and vegetables. Yearly, household spending increased 0.5%, following an upwardly revised 1.6% drop in February. For the first quarter of 2026, consumption fell 0.6%, reversing a 0.4% rise in the previous quarter, mainly due to lower energy spending (-2.3% vs 0.5% in Q4).

Household consumption of goods in France dropped 1.4% month-on-month in February 2026, worse than market expectations of a 0.2% fall, following a downwardly revised 0.4% rise in January. This marked the biggest monthly fall since April 2024. Energy expenditures declined further (-2.4% vs -1.2% in January) as gas and electricity consumption plunged amid warmer weather. Spending on engineered goods fell again (-1.7% vs 1.1%), with decreases across all components, namely durable goods (-1.8% vs 0.8%), other engineered goods (-0.1% vs 0.2%), and textiles and clothing (-4.0% vs 3.6%). Food consumption also dropped (-0.5% vs 0.4%) due to lower purchases of agri-food products, particularly beverages and tobacco. On an annual basis, household spending fell 1.5% in February, after a downwardly revised 0.3% gain in the previous month.

Household consumption of goods in France rose 0.5% month-on-month in January 2026, more than market expectations of a 0.3% increase and following a downwardly revised 0.5% drop in the previous month. Spending on engineered goods rebounded (1.0% vs -0.8% in December), driven by increased purchases of durable goods (0.9% vs -0.9%), clothing and textiles (2.1% vs -1.8%), and other engineered goods (0.4% vs -0.1%). Food consumption also recovered (0.6% vs -0.5%), supported by spending on both unprocessed agricultural products and agri-food products. Meanwhile, energy expenditures fell 0.8%, reversing a 0.3% rise in December, due to a sharp decline in the consumption of unleaded petrol and diesel. On an annual basis, household spending rose by 0.4% in January, after a downwardly revised 0.8% fall in December.