Household consumption was still recovering in 2014

In 2014, household purchasing power recovered significantly, particularly due to price stability. Consumption and household savings benefited from this. Household consumer expenditure thus continued to recover slowly (+0.6% after +0.4% in 2013 and – 0.3% in 2012) and the household savings ratio rose for the first time since 2010. 2014 was marked by the stability of car purchases, following two years of sharp decline, and by the return to growth in spending on leisure and culture. In addition, technological goods were still preferred by households. Conversely, telecommunications services and food consumption slowed a little. Housing-related spending declined due to heating expenditure falling sharply in 2014, due to the particularly mild weather.