Temu's "uncontrolled growth" in the French market

After an "explosion in sales" in 2024, the Chinese online commerce platform Temu accelerated its presence in the French market in early 2025. This move was in response to US protectionism, which is encouraging its "uncontrolled growth", according to a Joko application study relayed to AFP on Tuesday.

This shopping application questioned, "Who can stop Temu's uncontrolled growth?" after analysing the bank transactions of one million people aged 18 to 64, representative of the French population.

In two years, among discount retailers, Temu's market share (in value) has risen from 8 percent in 2023 – the year of its arrival in France – to 19 percent in 2025 (January to May).

For the Chinese platform, which sells all sorts of fashion, home and electronic equipment online at very low prices, 2024 was the year of an "explosion in its sales", up 129 percent.

This "spectacular" growth surpasses that of its competitors such as Shein (plus 57 percent), Normal (plus 42 percent), Action (plus 20 percent) and AliExpress (plus 20 percent). Others have retreated, like La Foir'Fouille (minus one percent), Gifi (minus five percent) and Stokomani (minus 8 percent), in a discount market that grew by 23 percent in 2024.

"Its strategy combining ultra low-cost, permanent renewal of the offer and massive visibility, particularly on TikTok, has allowed (Temu) to establish itself as a major player in discount retail, notably to the detriment of Gifi and AliExpress," the study indicated.

In 2025, Temu recorded an increase in growth of 47 percent. A "victim" of the customs surcharges imposed by Donald Trump on parcels coming from China, Temu redeployed to Europe and France "from February 2025".

This was "a successful refocusing strategy" according to Joko, because, with substantial advertising investments, Temu's customer base climbed by 10 percent in May.

This "historic overinvestment" by Asian platforms in advertising "leads to additional costs for (traditional fashion) brands ranging from 15 to 50 percent", Yann Rivoallan, president of the French Federation of Women's Ready-to-Wear, recently shared with AFP.

With its "prices that are difficult to compete with", Temu is also making its mark on the territory of "expert" retailers, such as Cdiscount and Micromania in electronics; and Conforama, But, La Redoute and Ikea in home furnishings, according to Joko.

"Temu is no longer perceived as an alternative low-cost option, but as a credible generalist marketplace (multi-brand online sales platform)," the study observed.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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