PRESS RELEASE - THE LATEST TRENDS SHAPING THE FRENCH PARCEL MARKET

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PRESS RELEASE – THE LATEST TRENDS SHAPING THE FRENCH PARCEL MARKET

Published on 04/05/2025

Effigy Consulting is thrilled to announce that Baptiste Brossard-Kimmel, its Managing Director, was interviewed by ici Paris Ile-de-France (former France Bleu)

Discover the key takeaways from this interview with Willy Rovelli and Nicolas Malaboeuf, covering two critical topics: The government’s proposed measures – announced by Eric Lombard – targeting small import parcels (under €150), and the rollout of parcel lockers in France and its implications for traditional out-of-home (OOH) delivery models.

French measures installed to target small import parcels
  • Strengthened quality control / compliance with EU standards
  • Management fees per parcel are planned from 2026 to 2028. Why that timing? The EU intends to eliminate the customs duty exemption for imported goods under €150. The goal here is to cover the transition period before EU-wide regulation is implemented.
  • Tightened VAT controls – this is relatively recent: since 2021, VAT must be paid from the first euro on goods imported into Europe. In cases of VAT fraud, it is rarely the platforms themselves at fault, but rather third-party sellers (often independent vendors operating from Asia).
  • Why is the French government acting now? The motivation is increasingly social. For example, the French textile sector –  both independent players and major retail chains (e.g., Camaïeu, Naf Naf, Minelli, Esprit, Jennyfer…) – is under significant pressure.
  • There are constraints on what can be done at the national (French) level only, while entry points are EU-wide (Liege, Amsterdam for Western Europe).
Parcel Lockers in France: Impact on Traditional Out-of-Home Deliveries
  • e-commerce delivery via lockers currently represents 6–8% of volumes in France. This share exceeds 10% in countries like Italy, Spain, Austria, and reaches 9% in Germany — not to mention Eastern European markets, where locker usage exceeds 60% in Poland.
  • Why lockers adoption is so fast: (i) for delivery operators, lockers are highly efficient — up to 10 times more than home delivery and (ii) consumers value the 24/7 availability and flexibility.
  • As a result, there’s an ongoing race to expand locker networks. Mondial Relay and its competitors are making significant investments to build infrastructure — and now face the challenge of scaling usage and achieving profitability from it.

For a comprehensive and in-depth look at this topic, please refer to the full interview: France Bleu – Trends Shaping the French Parcel Market