Most valuable French brands 2021: total value growing despite pandemic

French brands have done better than simply resist the crisis, as proven by the overall value of the BrandZ™ Top 50 Most Valuable French Brands 2021, announced today by Kantar. The total brand value of the ranking has increased by almost 5%, to be worth $325 billion. On an international scale, only the value of the brand rankings for China (+12%) and Germany (+5%) have also increased during this critical period.

In a volatile and uncertain environment, strong brands have shown that they represent a valuable guarantee of continued growth in the long term. Following the impact of the pandemic, the BrandZ Top 50 French Brands are recovering their value on the financial markets much faster than the CAC 40 Brands. At the beginning of 2021, the stock market index of the 50 strongest French brands is up by 14.1% on average, whereas the index of the CAC40 remains stable.

French brands are global brands

Analysis of the BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable French Brands reveals that they are global powerhouses. More than 80% of the value of the Top 50 French brands results from overseas, and those brands with a stronger global footprint are growing three times as much. This is one of the reasons why luxury brands have succeeded despite the pandemic, due to their strong presence in China and other Asian markets. Luxury accounted for 50% of the total brand value of the Top 50 and grew by 8% to $162.6 billion.

Luxury brands retained the top three positions in the ranking, as Louis Vuitton grew by +11% to $59.4 billion. In second place, Chanel grew by 2% to $43.9 billion, and Hermès secured third position for another year with 13% growth, achieving a brand value of $38.9 billion. Despite the restrictions on travel and shopping, luxury brands mobilised against the pandemic as they pivoted towards the production of PPE equipment and improved their online experiences.

Finding resilience in the pandemic

French retail brands have quickly adapted their business model, as a result of the pandemic. For example, Décathlon (no.21; $2.6 billion; +11%), which places innovation at the heart of its strategy, provided hospitals with diving masks turned into respirators. In parallel, the closure of shops was compensated by digital acceleration, and the Decat'Coach App has been a huge success, enabling people to maintain health and fitness. Leroy Merlin (No.31; $1.6 billion; +12%) benefited from more time spent by consumers on their homes. The brand provided in-demand services, such as appliance breakdown repairs, and accelerated to a hybrid physical and digital customer experience, offering click and collect services, and online customer service and advice.

New entrants and fastest risers in the strongest position

The strongest French brands have adapted to trends accelerated by the crisis exceptionally well:

• Concern for hygiene and health: La Roche-Posay shows the strongest growth in the ranking (no.28; $2.0 billion; +25%), there has been a very strong pace of growth for brands in the hygiene and beauty sectors (+12%), due to consumers’ heightened concern for health and the increased use of pharmacies
• Consuming less, but consuming better: Monoprix (no.50; $0.7 billion), which joins the ranking for the first time in 50th place this year illustrates this trend. A pioneer in the democratisation of organic food since 1990, Monoprix now applies its commitment to sustainability to its entire offer: food, beauty, fashion, clothing and leisure.
• Development of the circular economy: this trend benefits leboncoin (no.38; $1.1 billion), with more than 40 million ads in 2020, more than double the previous year, and strong growth in fashion, home, leisure and multimedia
• The importance of buying local and CSR in consumer choice: Yoplait (no.30; $1.9 billion) enters the ranking for the first time. It benefits in particular from its local roots and programmes committed to the planet: protection of bees, emphasis on recycling, and to society: introducing low-sugar options, and positive education programmes for children and adolescents. Garnier (no.7; $7.8 billion; +10%) is L'Oréal's flagship brand for green beauty. The brand has benefited from growing consumer confidence in heritage brands and from the success of innovations, including Ultra Doux solid shampoo and the Garnier Organic range.

The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated some trends that were at stake before the crisis. And French brands were already well positioned on these dimensions. The ability of brands to deliver a multi-channel customer journey has become more important than ever given the current situation. Brands now need to ensure that consumers’ needs are met both online and offline.

French “savoir-faire” and French “savoir-être”

The more that brands in the BrandZ French Top 50 are judged to be different by consumers, the stronger their growth. Brand purpose and quality of communications of the 50 strongest French brands are the main sources of their differentiation and growth.

The success of French brands is based on their know-how in the categories in which they excel: the famous French “savoir-faire”. In the coming decade, brands will increasingly have to build emotional relationships and trust on the basis of their reputation, by assuming greater environmental and social responsibility. The majority of strong French brands are already well-positioned in this dynamic, with a demanding home market and managers who are very aware of the cause. The know-how of French brands is already and will continue to be a source of value, differentiation and international growth.

The BrandZ™ Top 10 Most Valuable French Brands 2021