An observation visit was made to EUROPAIN 2008 (March 29 – April 2), the international bread and confectionery trade fair held every three years in Paris, France. An overview of the fair exhibitions and local circumstances is reported herein.

Exhibitions

EUROPAIN 2008 was held at Paris’ Parc des Expositions, and featured 644 bakery and confectionery companies from around the world, attracting 86,367 people from 120 countries.
The exhibition center was sectioned off into separate zones for chocolate and confectionery, pastries, ice cream, retail equipment, bread companies (manufacturers and wholesalers), and privately owned bakeries. While relatively few exhibits featured equipment and machinery, the majority of the depositors, assembly line equipment and other machinery displayed was equipped with safety covers. The importance placed on safety was also illustrated by the many machines equipped with wiring ducts to prevent short-circuiting or disconnection, as well as locking air-pressure gauges. These developments suggest a global trend of emphasizing user safety in equipment design.

Bakeries and Confectionery in Paris

Visits to Shopi, Franprix and other supermarkets along Boulevard Saint-Germain revealed them to be not much different than their counterparts in Japan. One difference, however, was the lack of a chilled confectionery section in the Parisian markets. While our principal image of family shopping in Europe and North America is of major weekend shopping trips to megamarkets, in fact, convenience store-like shops near residential and office areas have been increasing to accommodate the rising numbers of seniors and workers living away from their families. These stores are rapidly gaining popularity for their time-saving convenience and simplicity.
Although the pricing of boxed confectionery, at about 300-400 yen, is more or less the same in Paris and Japan, food prices appeared to be about 150% of those in Japan (particularly for fresh food), due to the strong Euro and other factors.
Lines formed in front of crepe and waffle shops along the streets of Paris. The waffle shops offered a wide variety of toppings, including maple syrup and jams, enabling customers to choose their personal favorites.
Visits to shops including Christian Constant, Pierre Hermé, Gérard Mulot, Marquis, Angelina, and Bon Marché found chocolates and macaroons popularly featured at every store, with macaroons an especially strong seller at 150-300 yen.
A macaroon bought at Ladurée Printemps tasted quite rich and delicious. Customers were lined up to buy them, perhaps because it was a rainy Sunday and the other stores in the area were closed.
Europeans have become quite conscious of their health, and more and more products promoting health are being developed in the food sector. Of special note was a trend toward a concept of food that is “delicious, nutritionally balanced and effective for health.”

 
Exhibition center
Crowds attending EUROPAIN.

Crepe shop on the
Champs-Élysées.

Shelves of confectionery at a Paris supermarket.
The majority of the products come in boxes and bags.