Selling Textiles and Clothing in France: The Franchise Route
A Textiles Intelligence research report on French retail franchising in textiles and clothing, with over 40 company profiles
Franchising is one of the fastest growing retail systems in advanced economies, and is progressing especially rapidly in France. French companies now account for over half of franchised outlets in Europe. This Textiles Intelligence report covers 11 major segments of the market and provides profiles of more than 40 companies, including Benetton, Camaïeu, Escada, Etam, Jacadi, Jean Cacharel, Kookaï, Max Mara, Phildar, Pingouin, Prénatal, Pronuptia, Rodier, Stefanel and Zannier. For a manufacturer or brand wanting French retail distribution without building its own store network, franchising was the fast track — and France was the European market where the system was most developed. Textiles Intelligence, formed in 1992 as a spin-off from the Economist Intelligence Unit, supplies global business information to the international fibre, textile and apparel industry, with customers in more than 60 countries.
How Franchising Works in France
Chapter 1 introduces franchising as manufacturers' fast track to retail markets: the nature of franchising, retail franchising in France, and the categories of franchise. Chapter 2 gives the background a new franchisor needs — the franchise contract, franchising costs and charges, the importance of retail franchising, and combined multiple retailing and franchising, the hybrid form in which chains run their own stores alongside franchised ones. Chapter 3 measures the market: the scale of general franchise activity, activity in textiles and clothing, the size and structure of textiles and clothing franchising, and the companies involved. Chapter 4 follows franchising operations in France and abroad — operations in France, operations in foreign countries, and foreign textiles and clothing franchises active in France — and Chapter 5 summarises and judges prospects through signs of maturity, polarisation of operational styles, the effects of recession, and the future.
Profiles by Segment: Outerwear, Sportswear and Children
The profile chapters are organised the way the French market itself is segmented. Women's outerwear profiles include Caroll, Devernois, Escada, Gérard Pasquier, Jean Chancel, Kookaï, Laurel and Max Mara. Men's outerwear covers Bayard, Carnet de Vol, Harryland, Old River and Status. Franchises offering both women's and men's outerwear include Camaïeu Femme and Camaïeu Homme, Jean Cacharel and Rodier. Casual and sportswear covers The Athlete's Foot, Benetton, Chausport, Levi's Store, New Man and Stefanel. Children's clothing — one of the strongest French franchise segments — covers Catimini, Chattawak, Clayeux, Jacadi, Kid Cool, Mars'e, Petit Bateau, Sergent Major, Tartine et Chocolat and Z-La Marque des Z'Enfants.
Lingerie, Household Textiles and the Reference Appendices
Chapter 11 profiles lingerie, wedding dresses, mother-to-be and nursery products — Etam Lingerie, Natalys, Prénatal and Pronuptia — and Chapter 12 covers household textiles, handknitting yarns, haberdashery, craft and other goods, including Carré Blanc, Descamps, Geneviève Lethu, Imagine, Phildar, Pingouin and Souleiado. Appendix 1 summarises franchises by retail sector, and Appendix 2 lists specialised textiles and clothing retail networks across women's outerwear, men's outerwear, shirts, men's and women's sportswear, children's clothing, nursery and expectant mothers' products, lingerie, wedding dresses and accessories, household linen, hand knitting yarns, household textiles, and haberdashery and fabrics. An index of brand and company names completes the report, making its 40-plus profiles retrievable by name for a brand planning its French entry.
Common Questions
How important was franchising in France?
Franchising was one of the fastest growing retail systems in advanced economies and progressed especially rapidly in France, where French companies accounted for over half of franchised outlets in Europe.
Which companies are profiled?
More than 40 companies across 11 market segments, including Benetton, Camaïeu, Escada, Etam, Jacadi, Jean Cacharel, Kookaï, Max Mara, Petit Bateau, Phildar, Prénatal, Pronuptia, Rodier and Stefanel.
What does the report explain about setting up a franchise?
The nature and categories of franchising, the franchise contract, franchising costs and charges, combined multiple retailing and franchising, the size and structure of textiles and clothing franchising in France, and the market's prospects.