2026.01.3006:53:56UTC+00France Household Spending Falls Beyond Forecasts

In December 2025, France saw a 0.6% month-on-month decline in household goods consumption, surpassing the anticipated 0.4% drop. This followed a 0.3% reduction in November. The downturn largely stemmed from a significant reduction in spending on engineered goods, which slid by 1.0% compared to November’s 0.5% rise. Notably, expenditure on durable goods decreased by 1.2%, and spending on textiles and clothing contracted by 2.1%, while other engineered goods remained unchanged. Food consumption continued its downward trend, dropping by 0.9% compared to a 0.1% decrease the previous month, driven by reduced purchases of seasonal and festive foods, despite an uptick in tobacco consumption. Conversely, energy consumption saw a recovery, increasing by 0.8% following a 2.0% decline in November, attributed to heightened petrol and diesel usage owing to lower fuel prices; however, demand for gas and electricity fell due to unseasonably mild weather. On an annual scale, household consumption decreased by 1.0%, although it posted a 0.4% increase on a quarterly basis compared to the prior quarter.