Ventilateurs, glaces, salades... Comment la canicule transforme les habitudes de consommation des Français

LE FIGARO : Face au dôme de chaleur qui étouffe la France, les achats de produits dits « météo-sensibles » s’envolent, provoquant déjà tensions et ruptures chez certains distributeurs.

La France suffoque sous un « dôme de chaleur », qui devrait porter les températures jusqu’à 39°C localement, selon Météo-France. Désespérant de se soustraire à cette chaleur écrasante, certains Français peu scrupuleux déboulonnent sauvagement les bouches à incendies dans les rues pour en faire jaillir un peu d’eau fraîche. D’autres adaptent leurs habitudes de consommation. Les premiers chiffres sont éloquents : glaces, sodas, boissons rafraîchissantes, mais aussi ventilateurs, climatiseurs ou encore piscines de jardin ont vu leurs ventes exploser ces derniers jours. Au point de mettre certains distributeurs sous tension.

Chez les principaux e-commerçants français - Galeries Lafayette, Darty, La Redoute, Leroy Merlin -, le basculement vers des achats estivaux est aussi brutal que précoce. Les produits dits « météo-sensibles » s’envolent, tirés par une quête simple : se rafraîchir. Sans surprise, les commandes de ventilateurs explosent de 196% par rapport à mai 2025, celles de climatiseurs grimpent de 61%, tandis que les piscines de jardin et les maillots de bain enregistrent des hausses respectives de 144% et 42 %, selon les derniers chiffres de la start-up Stockly, spécialisée dans la mutualisation des stocks des e-commerçants. La hausse la plus spectaculaire revient toutefois aux... machines à glace : +247 % ! » | Par Jean Kedroff | mercredi 27 mai 2026

Si le blocage d’Ormuz « perdure encore deux ou trois mois », la France entrera « dans une ère de pénurie énergétique », prévient le patron de TotalEnergies

LE FIGARO : Le patron de TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, appelle à renforcer la « résilience » des chaînes d’approvisionnement énergétique face aux tensions dans le détroit d’Ormuz, en plaidant notamment pour de nouveaux investissements dans les infrastructures de transport, dont des oléoducs.

Le patron de TotalEnergies Patrick Pouyanné a appelé vendredi à la « résilience » face au blocage du détroit d'Ormuz, évoquant des investissements « probablement dans de nouveaux pipelines » afin de réduire la dépendance à ce passage maritime stratégique. Affirmant qu'il sera difficile de se passer du pétrole issu du Golfe, « très bon marché », Patrick Pouyanné a plaidé pour l'émergence d'alternatives au détroit d'Ormuz. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 25 avril 2026

France Moves 129 Tonnes of Gold from New York Federal Reserve

Apr 8, 2026 | France's central bank has pulled its remaining gold deposit out of the US with a capital gain of $15 billion. Over the past year and a half, 129 tonnes of gold has been moved from New York back to France, while other gold stocks were sold off at record prices. The value of gold has more than quadrupled over the last decade.‬ ‪

Why does gold still matter so much in 2026? International business commentator Vicky Pryce talks with CGTN about the move.‬

Wealth Tax Would Be Deadly for French Economy, Says Europe’s Richest Man

THE GUARDIAN: LVMH owner Bernard Arnault, who could take €1bn hit, says proposed 2% levy ‘aims to destroy liberal economy’

Europe’s richest man, the luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault, has said that a wealth tax that could cost him more than €1bn (£817m) would be deadly for France’s economy.

The French founder of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton said in a statement to the Sunday Times that calls for a 2% wealth tax on all assets “aims to destroy the liberal economy, the only one that works for the good of all”.

The idea of a wealth tax has steadily gained ground in France because of a political crisis, with the government trying to push through unpopular budget cuts. The idea of a 2% wealth tax on fortunes worth more than €100m has been proposed by Gabriel Zucman, an economics professor who has become a household name in France.

The economist argues that the tax – named the Zucman tax by others – could help France with its squeezed budget. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, this month appointed a new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, after the centrist François Bayrou failed to win support for an austerity budget. » | Jasper Jolly | Sunday, September 21, 2025

ISF, héritage, dividendes… Au-delà de l’impôt Zucman, les propositions socialistes pour «taxer les riches» : DÉCRYPTAGE - La taxe très polémique sur les plus grands patrimoines reste son cheval de bataille dans les négociations avec Matignon, mais le PS a d’autres mesures en tête pour créer des recettes. »

Bernard Arnault étrille Gabriel Zucman et sa taxe sur les riches : Le milliardaire français estime que l’économiste est un « militant d’extrême gauche » animé d’une « volonté clairement formulée de mettre à terre l’économie française ». »

DOSSIER : Taxe Zucman sur le patrimoine des grandes fortunes : notre dossier pour tout comprendre : Cet impôt plancher de 2 % sur le patrimoine des 0,01 % des Français les plus riches est préconisé par l’économiste Gabriel Zucman et défendu par la gauche. Serait-il adopté ? »

Secrets Of The World's Richest Woman EP 1 | Luxury Industry

Secrets Of The World’s Richest Woman - This is the story of a small business that rose to epitomize beauty and glamour, shaped by a family whose wealth, secrets, and public controversies mirror the profound shifts and shadows of the 20th century.

Secrets Of The World’s Richest Woman EP 1 (2017)
Director: Gérard Miller & Jacques Dubuisson
Writer: Gérard Miller & Anais Feuillette
Genre: Documentary
Country: France
Language: English
Release Date: September 22, 2017 (France)

Synopsis:
The incredible journey of a small business that became the archetype of beauty and glamour is embodied through the extraordinary personalities who propelled its success, starting with its founder, Eugène Schueller—the father of Liliane Bettencourt. It’s the story of a remarkable family, so wealthy and mysterious, woven with achievements and unspoken secrets, a reverence for discretion alongside public scandals. A sweeping saga, worthy of a Balzacian novel, that takes us through the 20th century, with its sociological and aesthetic upheavals, as well as its darkest periods.


WIKIPEDIA: Liliane Bettencourt »

More articles on Liliane Bettencourt here and here.

Trump’s Tariffs Will 'Completely Wreck' European Economies

Nov 30, 2024 | “There's a real question as to whether or not Europe is facing another Eurozone crisis.”

Nina dos Santos says Trump’s double-digit tariffs, which would “completely wreck” Germany and France’s economies, could spiral the EU closer to a Eurozone crisis.

France Tries to Contain Protests by Farmers as Outrage Spreads

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The government announced measures to quell the anger, including the scrapping of a fuel tax increase, as thousands of tractors blocked highways across the country.

Farmers blocking the entrance of a supermarket burn tires in Le Mans, in northwestern France, on Friday. | Guillaume Souvant/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Protests by farmers angered by complex regulations, administrative hassles and low wages spread across France on Friday, blocking several highways, snarling traffic for miles and forcing the country’s new prime minister to tear up his schedule and head to a remote farm in the region where the demonstrations began.

Gabriel Attal, the 34-year-old prime minister who took office this month, arrived late in the afternoon in southwestern France to try to ease the tension.

“Without our farmers, we are no longer France,” he declared at a cattle farm in Montastruc-de-Salies, in the Haute-Garonne region. He appeared intent on convincing his rural audience that its angry message had been received, even as some tractor convoys inched closer to Paris.

Mr. Attal said that the government would scrap plans to reduce state subsidies on the diesel fuel used in trucks and other farming machinery, and he promised that it would significantly cut back the time-consuming bureaucratic regulations farmers must follow. For example, 14 different regulations on hedges would be merged into one. » | Roger Cohen and Aurelien Breeden, Reporting from Paris | Friday, January 26, 2024

En direct, colère des agriculteurs : Marc Fesneau promet des « mesures complémentaires » dès mardi : Le ministre de l’agriculture a promis dimanche une « tolérance zéro » en cas de « violences et de dégradations » alors que certains agriculteurs veulent mettre en place lundi « un siège de la capitale pour une durée indéterminée ». LIVE EN COURS »

‘Punished Enough by Brexit’: France Could Relax 90-day Rule for British Second Home Owners

THE TELEGRAPH: Politicians across the Channel argue Britons should be able to ‘spend their money’

France’s 90-day visa rule could be relaxed for British second home owners after French politicians said they had been “punished by Brexit”.

The senate, France’s second chamber, has voted through an amendment to the country’s new Immigration Law giving British second home owners the automatic right to a long-stay visa.

Since Brexit, all British nationals – including those with a home in France – have only been able to stay 90 days out of every 180 without a visa. If they want to stay any longer, Britons have to apply for a temporary long-stay visa of up to six months.

Martine Berthet, a French senator representing the Savoie area in the Alps, tabled a change to these rules after receiving complaints from British second home owners in her region. » | Ruby Hinchliffe, Money Reporter and Henry Samuel | Monday, November 13, 2023

Les Français sont de plus en plus à renoncer à certains besoins de base

Sep 6, 2023 | C’est ce qu’a révélé ce mercredi une étude du Secours populaire et de l’institut Ipsos. Frappés de plein fouet par l’inflation, près de trois Européens sur dix déclarent devoir renoncer à certains besoins de base, comme manger à leur faim ou chauffer leur logement.

Brexit Blamed as Number of Britons with Second Home in France Plummets

THE CONNEXION: New survey results show the number of households in England with a second home in France has fallen by 30,000 in a decade

The number of British people with second homes in France has dropped considerably in recent years Pic: E. Spek / Shutterstock
The number of Britons owning a second home in France has tumbled by more than 30,000 over the past decade, new figures reveal.

There were 93,000 households in England with a second home in France in 2012-13, according to the English Housing Survey.

The latest poll, published by the UK government, shows the number of households concerned dropped to 60,000 in 2021-22.

Estate agents have blamed Brexit and in particular the subsequent restrictions on free movement that mean Britons can only spend 90 days in any 180 in France. » | Hannah Thompson and Théophile Larcher | Monday, July 24, 2023

En France, la croissance ralentit, l’inflation s’envole

LE MONDE : L’économie française a ralenti au troisième trimestre, la hausse du PIB se limitant à 0,2 %.

A l’image de la météo quasi estivale pour une fin octobre, l’économie française, pourtant handicapée par des prix qui continuent de flamber, refuse d’entrer dans l’hiver. Selon les données publiées, vendredi 28 octobre, par l’Insee, l’activité au troisième trimestre a bien marqué le pas, avec un produit intérieur brut (PIB) en hausse de 0,2 %, après 0,5 % au trimestre précédent, mais elle reste positive. Pour 2022, l’acquis de croissance s’établissait donc à 2,5 % à fin septembre, un chiffre légèrement en retrait par rapport aux prévisions de l’exécutif, de 2,7 %. » | Par Béatrice Madeline | vendredi 28 octobre 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

L’inflation alimentaire en France s’approche des 10 % dans les supermarchés

LE MONDE : Certains produits de première nécessité, comme les pâtes ou le riz, se sont envolés de 20, 30, voire 130 % sur un an. Et le rythme ne ralentit pas.

« L’invitée surprise. » C’est ainsi que Jean-Philippe André, président de l’Association nationale des industries agroalimentaires (ANIA) qualifie l’inflation. Il se remémore, qu’il y a un an à peine, le sujet n’était même pas abordé. Depuis, la valse des étiquettes s’est enclenchée dans les rayons des supermarchés. Et le rythme ne ralentit pas. Après avoir franchi la barre des 5 % en juin, l’inflation alimentaire s’approche désormais du seuil des 10 %.

C’est le constat dressé par le cabinet d’analyses IRI France, qui publiait, jeudi 29 septembre, les données collectées à la fin de ce mois. Cette société qui scrute les achats des consommateurs après leur passage en caisse avait enregistré un premier frémissement des prix à la hausse, en décembre 2021.

Neuf mois plus tard, elle constate que les prix des produits de grande consommation ont bondi, en un an, de 9,11 %. Sur les seuls produits alimentaires, la progression est de 9,75 %. IRI France pointe les rayons épicerie salée, crémerie, surgelés et glaces, où les hausses de tarifs dépassent les 10 %. Avec une mention spéciale pour les viandes surgelées dont l’inflation frôle les 30 %. Seuls les apéritifs anisés se distinguent avec une tarification en léger retrait. » | Par Laurence Girard | jeudi 29 septembre 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Grande distribution : Lindt, Danone et Kiri accusés de « shrinkflation » sur les produits alimentaires

LE MONDE : L’ONG Foodwatch met en cause six marques qui ont modifié la taille de leurs produits-phares ces dernières années pour ne pas trop augmenter les prix.

Nestlé, Lindt & Sprüngli ou encore Danone ont trouvé la solution pour ne pas trop augmenter les prix en rayons et risquer de faire fuir des clients inquiets pour leur portefeuille : ils réduisent discrètement la quantité, voire la qualité, de certains de leurs produits, dénonce l’association Foodwatch dans une étude reprise par l’émission « Complément d’enquête », diffusée jeudi 1er septembre sur France 2. » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 2 septembre 2022

At a Paris Market, Costs Rise, Even for the Humble Baguette

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Soaring inflation in Europe is starting to squeeze shopkeepers and consumers. Many are preparing for more price increases in the new year.

Florian Bocciarelli, right, a third-generation butcher in Paris. Meat prices are up 10 percent since the summer. | Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times
PARIS — At the Marché d’Aligre, a bustling open-air food and antiques market in the Bastille district of central Paris, Mohamed Sharif grabbed a piece of chalk and reluctantly marked up the price of the fragrant Valencia clementines that he sells to throngs of shoppers.

Transport costs for produce imported to France had more than doubled since autumn amid a surge in gasoline prices, he said, one of several factors that have driven up wholesale costs for oranges from Spain, lychee from south China and passion fruit from Vietnam — and the prices he must charge at his fruit stand.

“Customers don’t understand why they are having to pay more for what they buy,” Mr. Sharif said, pricing a pound of clementines on a recent weekend at 1.90 euros (about $2.15), up from 80 cents ($0.90) a week earlier. “People are buying less because costs are going up.”

Meat prices at a nearby butcher are up 10 percent since the summer. Some French cheeses are expected to rise 20 percent in the new year. Even the traditional baguette, a staple of the French diet, will get more expensive, bakers say. » | Liz Alderman | Published: Wednesday, December 22, 2021 ; Updated: Thursday, December 23, 2021

France Accuses UK of Violating Brexit Fishing Deal | DW News

Oct 17, 2021 • The UK and the European Union wrangled for months over a deal that was supposed to regulate their post-Brexit trade relationship. But almost a year after it went into force, the squabbling continues. French fishermen say London's not honoring its side of the bargain by refusing to grant access to its waters - and now Paris is threatening to take action.

France Expected to Impose Four-week National Lockdown

THE GUARDIAN: Emmanuel Macron reportedly planning move after record number of new Covid cases

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is expected to impose a new four-week national lockdown to halt the spread of Covid-19, according to French media.

The announcement would follow record numbers of new cases in France that have put pressure on hospitals, and a startling rise in coronavirus deaths.

Macron is due to make a televised address on Wednesday evening after holding a second emergency meeting with government ministers. The prime minister, Jean Castex, also met union leaders and opposition parties to justify the need for stricter measures.

Large swathes of France, including Paris, have been placed under a night-time curfew, but officials say this has not been enough to stop the virus. » | Kim Willshir | Wednesday, October 28, 2020

The Serfs: The Second French Revolution

Trump's Threat to Tax French Wines Labelled 'Completely Moronic'

THE GUARDIAN: Retaliatory proposal follows France’s announced levy for US technology companies

A threat by Donald Trump to tax French wines in retaliation to a proposed levy aimed at big US technology companies is “completely moronic”, France’s agriculture minister has said.

French plans to place a 3% tax on the “GAFAs” – Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple – drew an angry response from the US president, who warned last week that his administration would announce “substantial reciprocal action”.

“They shouldn’t have done this,” Trump told reporters. “I told them, I said, ‘Don’t do it because if you do it, I’m going to tax your wine.’” He added that, despite being teetotal, he had always preferred American wine to French wine.

On Tuesday, the French agriculture minister, Didier Guillaume, hit back, telling BFM TV: “It’s absurd, in terms of having a political and economic debate, to say that if you tax the GAFAs, I’ll tax wine. It’s completely moronic.

“American wine is not better than French wine,” he added. » | Reuters | Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Trump Threatens Tariffs against 'Foolish' Macron

BBC: US President Donald Trump has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of "foolishness" over a digital services tax, and hinted that he would tax French wine in retaliation.

Mr Trump voiced his anger in a Tweet on Friday, in response to French plans to tax multinational firms like Google.

French authorities argue that the firms pay little or no corporate tax in countries where they are not based.

The Trump administration has said the tax unfairly targets US tech giants.

"France just put a digital tax on our great American technology companies. If anybody taxes them, it should be their home Country, the US," Mr Trump wrote on Twitter.

"We will announce a substantial reciprocal action on Macron's foolishness shortly. I've always said American wine is better than French wine!"

Asked about the issue in the Oval Office later, Mr Trump, who is teetotal, said: "I've always liked American wines better than French wines. Even though I don't drink wine. I just like the way they look." » | BBC | Friday, July 26, 2019

EU-turn: China Makes Multi-billion-dollar Deals with France, Even after Macron’s Criticism

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting his Chinese counterpart in Paris. It's the last leg of Xi Jinping's three-nation European tour, which has seen him stop off in Italy & Monaco.