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Bakeries, cheese shops… In Paris, food businesses are booming!

undefined undefined 27 novembre 2025 undefined 17h00

The Editor

Jagoda Bartus

Bakeries, cheese shops, fish markets, wine merchants… In the capital, food businesses are opening faster than they are closing, according to a study by Apur published this Wednesday. This trend is transforming the streets of Paris, sometimes at the expense of ready-to-wear shops.

In Paris, finding a bakery is more of a reflex than a treasure hunt: nearly all residents live within a five-minute walk of a bakery. This close proximity highlights a phenomenon pointed out by the Apur: between 2011 and 2023, 1,029 additional food shops have sprouted up in the streets of Paris.

This growth is fueled by a double trend: a slight decline in population and, at the same time, an increase in the number of shops. As a result, the density has skyrocketed: there were 3.1 food shops for every 1,000 residents in 2011, compared to 3.8 for 1,000 today.

This almost instantaneous accessibility is part of a broader trend: all the local food-related businesses, along with cafés and restaurants, are growing in contrast to the overall decline of Parisian commerce, which has been consistently decreasing for twenty years.


Wineries and cheesemongers on the rise, but butchers on the decline

While traditions endure, they are reinventing themselves. In contrast to butcher shops, which have seen a 45% decline over the past twenty years, other trades are finding new life. This is the case for wineries: their numbers have doubled since 2000, reaching 681 establishments in 2023. Almost half are now part of a network, ensuring visibility and rapid growth.

Fish shops and cheesemongers are also enjoying a revival, with aincrease of 8% between 2020 and 2023, despite the competition from supermarkets and specialty stores.

This vibrancy pales in comparison to that of the dining scene: the density of restaurants and cafés is twice as high as that of food shops. In ten years, they have increased from 6 to 7.3 establishments per 1,000 inhabitants, confirming the Parisian appetite for dining out and the omnipresence of terraces.


A growth that contrasts with the decline of Parisian commerce

This boom in food businesses is taking place against a backdrop of general decline: between 2000 and 2023, the total number of commercial spaces in Paris has plummeted from 43,333 to 37,409.

While food shops are multiplying, fashion retailers, once the stars of shopping streets, are fading away. After a steady increase until 2014, they lost 5% between 2014 and 2017, followed by 13% between 2017 and 2022, due to bankruptcies, judicial recoveries, and changing trends (the rise of e-commerce, changes in mobility, surging rents).

This ongoing increase in food shops and restaurants places Paris well above European standards: the capital shows levels more than twice as high as those of London, Rome, or Madrid. A unique French characteristic that is transforming the urban landscape… and our consumption habits.