Paris (AFP)

A few days before the start of classes, a list of school supplies in hand, families feverishly roam the stationery rays: a ritual often considered a chore, but representing a windfall for professionals in the sector.

This year again, the parents of a child entering the 6th will have to pay nearly 200 euros on average, according to Families of France.

"It's a classic for families, a rather constrained expenditure but inevitable, a passage that some try to spread over time" for the sake of savings, explains to AFP Charly Hee, the president of the association.

He suggests stocking during promotions, buying in batches (especially through associations of parents of pupils), thinking "sustainable" (especially for school bags, which are expensive), recycling unused supplies previous years, etc.

If for parents this period is a bad time to pass, for industry professionals it is a financial windfall: the French market for stationery weighs 2 billion euros per year, according to the GfK institute.

In a February study, the GfK estimated that large-scale retailers still have the lion's share of the market at the start of the season (77% market share, down 3.4% year-on-year), far ahead of specialty stores and online commerce sites (23%, an increase of 12%).

- "Barred" lists -

"Supermarkets remain essential but their share erodes in recent years" in the face of services and advice offered by their competitors, says AFP Eric Joan, CEO of stationery group Hamelin, owner of notebooks Oxford and based in Caen .

This family group, which generated 400 million turnover in 2018, claims a million users (students and students) for its application Scribzee, "which scans the handwritten notes, allowing to save, store, classify and to share, "he says.

"As has been done in other sectors - sports or food - we have seen in recent years a transfer of consumers from supermarkets to specialized distribution," adds Christel Jaffres, general manager of the Office Vallée sign .

This network, which has 322 stores in France and abroad, generates 30% of its annual turnover of 450 million euros at the start of the year.

In terms of strong trends this year, the leader saw an increased demand for "advice, services and time saving", but also more "barred" lists of products already in the possession of children and therefore reusable. The banner also increased sales of "green" products (including pens and glues) by 10% in two years.

- "Shopping pleasure" -

At the Carrefour in Villeneuve-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-Seine), this "big commercial highlight" represents 50% of the annual turnover of the stationery department, says the store's director, Cyrille Bouleau.

Better: Tuesday, when the payment of the back to school allowance (ARS) to the most modest families, he saw a 70% increase on the shelf, "and even 80% Wednesday."

If the kit, the schoolbag and the diary remain "shopping pleasures" often made "before the departure on vacation, in July, with the children", the rest of the list is generally done the last week before the return, sometimes on internet, to benefit from the delivery in particular, falls there.

For some parents in a hurry or wanting to avoid the chore, stationeries and websites also offer to carry out the shopping themselves (with a "back pack") in exchange for the list of supplies, a service "turnkey" which seduces more and more, explains Ms. Jaffres to AFP. "Like the + drive + in the food."

© 2019 AFP