French refrigeration sector sees mild contraction in 2025 as employment and revenue dip 1.5%

In October 2026, the French National Trade Union for Refrigeration, Professional Kitchen Equipment and Air Conditioning Companies (Sneffca) published its annual industry survey, reporting a mild contraction across the domestic refrigeration, kitchen equipment, and air conditioning sector in 2025.

Employment and revenue

The sector employed 33,900 people in 2025, a 1.5% decline compared to 2024. Overall revenue fell by the same 1.5% margin, reaching €6.87 billion in 2025, compared with €6.98 billion in 2023. According to Sneffca figures, 89% of employees held permanent contracts and 97% of positions were full-time. The industry remains heavily fragmented: 91.5% of companies are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees, yet they account for 51.5% of total sector revenue.

Workforce composition

Women's share of the workforce edged down from 18% in 2024 to 16.5% in 2025. In contrast, the proportion of apprenticeship contracts among young workers rose slightly, reaching 8.5% compared with 7% the previous year.

Activity and service mix

Refrigeration continues to be the sector's core activity, contributing 53.5% of revenue – a share that has held steady since 2023. Air conditioning accounts for 32.5% and commercial kitchens for 12%. Over the past two years, revenue in these three areas declined by 1.5%, 1%, and 2.5% respectively.

On the services side, installation now represents 62% of revenue, up 2 percentage points over two years. Contractual maintenance, at 14.5% of industry activity, fell by 4%, while repairs and after-sales services, contributing 22.5% of revenue, dropped by 8%.

Source: IIR sector monitoring.