EUROPE 1 AND YOU - Chocolate: despite inflation, the French want to treat themselves to Easter

Guillaume Dominguez, edited by Yanis Darras 07h43, 06 April 2023

Easter is just around the corner, and so is the craving for chocolate. As every year, the French do not intend to deprive themselves on the commodity, despite prices increasing by an average of 10% this year. In one of the Parisian boutiques of master chocolatier Patrick Roger, customers still languish in front of the windows.

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Facing the central shelf of the store, Martine's eyes shine. In front of her: eggs, hedgehogs, fish and other chocolate subjects. After a moment of hesitation, she finally leaves on "a chocolate hen", for her daughter. But this year, this mother had to tighten her budget: a hundred euros for chocolate, no more.

"It's really a pleasure consumption"

So, "I try to find a balance between the gift and the budget and we see if we can make the effort to buy other good chocolates," she explains to the microphone of Europe 1. A little further in the shop, Christine opts for the assortment of fried black white and milk. There will be less chocolate this year, but it will be quality, she assures. "You never eat chocolate that doesn't come from a chocolatier. So, it's really a pleasure consumption. We want good chocolate," says the customer.

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Changed behaviours

Despite Patrick Roger's desire to set the prices of his Easter chocolates, the inflation effect is still felt on sales. "There is still a reluctance to take (small chocolates) for each person. For example, people will tend to take a big topic, rather than taking four small packages for each member," notes Corine Roger, store manager.

But the maintenance of prices has consequences: to cope with the price freeze, Patrick Roger had to reduce his chocolate production, reduce the opening hours of his shops, and eliminate bonuses for his staff.