France Sugar Confectionery Market Research Report, 2026

French confectionery makes a thoughtful gift to loved ones. French traditional candies boast some of the most savoured tastes, flavours, and textures. Nougats made from honey, almonds, and pistachios were used earlier to treat sore throats, constipation, and burns, while candy canes are mostly used as Christmas decorations today. Anis de Flavigny is made with natural anise and covered with several layers of sugar. The Pastilles de Vichy, white candies in an octagonal shape, was originally used as medicine. These were made from the thermal waters of Vichy and are now consumed for their digestive properties and their refreshing mint taste. Nancy Bergamotes made from bergamot essential oil, it has an orange and translucent colour and a tangy taste. Violettes de Toulouse, a flower that blooms at the year-end, is a purple flower that has been the emblem of Toulouse for over 3 centuries. These are available in the form of a perfume or cookie flavour and are very delicate to make. The violet flowers are coated with sugar and crystallised by hand. The Bêtise de Cambrai is a traditional confection from Cambrai, in the North of France, made from sugar, glucose syrup, and mint extract. Berlingots de Carpentras have a pyramidal shape, bright colors, and white stripes, and were sold as medicine. "La pastille du mineur" They were invented in Tourcoing, in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and are black in colour and hard candies invented for miners. As the miners were prohibited from smoking inside, it was imitated to give the sugar candy a similar look and feel. They were detoxifying, brought a feeling of freshness, and aided in digestion. Verdun Dragées known for their use in weddings, baptisms and communions, they are one of the oldest confections in France. Babeluttes de Lille. Made with caramel and honey flavour or brown sugar, they are rectangular in shape and light brown caramel in colour. Cachou Lajaunie is known for its benefits and is combined with cachou powder and liquorice. It gives a feeling of freshness and helps people with dry mouths and dentures in poor condition.

According to the report titled "France Confectionary Market Research Report, 2027", published by Actual Market Research, the market is projected to grow around USD 2 billion by the end of the forecast period. Candy attracts consumers of all ages due to its comforting taste, sparkling colours, and varied shapes. Chewy and hard-boiled candies together constitute a 50% market share in the French sugar confectionery market. On the other hand, sugar-free candies are in great demand thanks to the consumer's concerns over daily sugar intake. The rising prevalence of chronic diseases, combined with the desire to stay fit, has put a damper on demand. E-commerce is expected to increase the sales of sugar confectionery in the forthcoming period, while convenience stores best suit the consumers' buying preferences. New market players are viewing this demand as a business opportunity and are producing sugar-free confectionery products with nutritional benefits. However, artificial sweeteners used instead of sugar have different melting points in different forms, and this can be a challenge for the manufacturers. The selection of artificial sweeteners is very crucial, and manufacturers precisely study the ingredients for the product to get the best quality sugar-free candy. Another major role is played by the look of the packaging, along with the quality of the product. Attractive packaging is very important for the manufacturer as this is the first feature of the final product that the consumer notices.

Companies launch limited-edition candies to boost sales and create brand loyalty that attracts consumers widely. The trend is expected to be followed in the forecast period too. For example, Ferrero SA’s Tic Tac, which was launched with gentle messages for a limited time frame, was an instant hit among millennia’s. Innovating with natural flavours and reducing sugar content in candies is a new strategy adopted by market players to gain leverage in the market. Organic confectioneries are the future products that will be in demand over the forecast period. The competition would be stiffer as players engage in more and healthier versions of these confectioneries. They are adding natural herbs and spices to make new varieties. The French market is also facing challenges as a result of an increase in health crises and is looking for ways to attract both children and adults to their products. Some small players are concentrating on producing traditional candies and sticking to demands from old customers.

The majority of the bestselling candies are manufactured by Haribo, like Tagada, Golden Bears, Dragibus, Chamallows, and others. Haribo candies can be found at any grocery store with a large variety. Around 38 million pieces of sugar candies made by Haribo are savoured each day in France. Tagada are strawberry flavoured, while golden bears are the famous gummies loved worldwide. Chamallows are a kind of marshmallow candy, and the French are quite familiar with their sight. Dragibus is a chewy marble-sized fruit candy that comes in variables of seven colours that contain no gelatine and stick to the teeth while chewing. Others include 5 CarenSac Candy, which is made with liquorice, Carambar, which is caramelised and softer, and Chupa Chups, which comes in 50 flavours and is available in 160 countries. These candies can be easily found in supermarkets and convenience stores across France. Some of the most famous are Monoprix, Intermarché, Carrefour, LIDL, LECLERC, Casino, Hyper-U, and Auchan.

COVID-19's Impact
Lockdowns in 2020 and continuing restrictions in 2021 disrupted the supply chain, posing challenges for manufacturers in the sugar confectionery market. In 2020, the pandemic outbreak deteriorated the category’s performance due to a reduction in impulse purchases amongst consumers. The sugar confectionery market suffered heavy losses during the pandemic as there was no impulse buying and, as it was not essential, consumers did not pay attention to them. Also, since the lockdowns were imposed, there were no gatherings, weddings, or birthday parties, and thus there were fewer people to be consumed. However, in 2021, the economy recovered at a slower pace than earlier. As French consumers were looking to minimise the time and money spent in stores, they focused on buying the essentials. Sugar confectionery is not essential and thus was not considered a priority. People tend to look for familiarity and affordable pleasures in times of crisis. That offers brands the opportunity to recapture consumers they may have lost and to gain new fans through great-tasting, fun products that also have functional benefits and better-for-you claims. Intense competition, pricing issues, and shifting consumer preferences will continue to put downward pressure on vendors’ profit margins.

Considered in this report

•    Geography: France
•    Historic year: 2016
•    Base year: 2021
•    Estimated year: 2022
•    Forecast year: 2027

Aspects covered in this report

•    France Sugar Confectionery market with its value and forecast along with its segments
•    Various drivers and challenges
•    On-going trends and developments
•    Top profiled companies
•    Strategic recommendation

By product type in the report:

•    Hard boiled sweets
•    Plain Mints
•    Caramel/Taffy
•    Chewy
•    Novelty
•    Liquorice
•    Sugar-free
•    Others (Nut, coconut, marshmallows, fudges, medicated throat lozenges)

By sales channel in the report:

•    Supermarkets/ hypermarkets
•    Convenience stores
•    Pharmacy & drug stores
•    E-commerce retailers
•    Others 

By age group in the report:

•    Children (1-20 yrs)
•    Adult (21-55 yrs)
•    Geriatric (56 & above)

The approach of the report:
This report consists of a combined approach of primary as well as secondary research. Initially, secondary research was used to get an understanding of the market and listing out the companies that are present in the market. The secondary research consists of third party sources such as press releases, annual report of companies, analyzing the government generated reports and databases. After gathering the data from secondary sources primary research was conducted by making telephonic interviews with the leading players about how the market is functioning and then conducted trade calls with dealers and distributors of the market. Post this we have started doing primary calls to consumers by equally segmenting consumers in regional aspects, tier aspects, age group, and gender. Once we have primary data with us we have started verifying the details obtained from secondary sources. 

Intended audience
This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to sugar confectionery industry, chocolate industry, government bodies and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.