French consumer spending up 0.3% in July

France’s household spending on goods rebounded slightly by 0.3 per cent in July 2024, after a 0.6 per cent drop during the previous month.

This was driven by a rise in energy and food consumption. Energy spending rose 0.9 per cent due to higher fuel use, while food expenditures increased by 0.4 per cent, particularly in agri-food products like meat.

Despite this overall rebound, some categories faced declines. Durable goods consumption fell 0.2 per cent, primarily due to decreased purchases of transport equipment. Textile and clothing spending also dropped 0.7 per cent, influenced by reduced purchases of shoes and leather.

Conversely, spending on housing equipment surged 3.8 ,per cent driven by increased purchases of furniture and household appliances. Consumption of “other engineered goods” rose 0.7 per cent, reflecting a strong rebound in perfume purchases.