2021 Export Report from Team France Export: Rebound of French export SMEs and mid-size companies

Mid-size companies and SMEs are the main contributors to the expansion of the French export system, which reached a record level of 136,400 export businesses at the end of 2021. The number of mid-size companies increased by 5.7% and SMEs by 6.2%. Their exports of goods increased by 15.9% compared with 2020. French SMEs and mid-size companies are also showing dynamic growth in the amount of their exports, at 14.3% and 16.4%, respectively, compared with 2020, exceeding their pre-crisis level by 8.3%.

Team France Export has regained activity levels equivalent to those before the Covid-19 pandemic

Team France Export, which brought Business France, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Bpifrance under the authority of the regions at the end of 2018, returned in 2021 to levels of activity equivalent to those seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The system supported 10,547 SMEs and mid-size companies, almost half of which had never exported or had been exporting for less than two years. Among them, 8,128 had benefited from projection services on foreign markets, one quarter more than in 2020.

Team France Export has strengthened the start-up and sustainability of SMEs and mid-size companies in their international development and contributed to economic benefits

In 2021, 721 businesses started a measurable international activity, more than half of which (56%) were micro-enterprises (fewer than ten employees). The firms monitored by Team France Export are generally better able to maintain their export activity than other businesses. Nearly 94% of firms supported by Team France Export which exported in 2020 continued to export in 2021, compared with 77% for all businesses. According to French Customs Authority data on merchandise exports alone, the firms monitored by Team France Export saw their exports increase by almost €8 billion in 2021 compared with 2019, and by more than €12.5 billion between 2020 and 2021.

The support of the TFE has generated an order book estimated at more than €1.1 billion, which should generate more than 15,000 jobs

The impact study carried out by IPSOS on behalf of Business France reveals that more than €1.1 billion of additional export revenues is directly linked to the work of Team France Export, with an average of €142,000 per business. The increased activity generated by these new business trends has enabled the businesses concerned to create jobs. The results of the IPSOS study indicate that around 15,300 additional jobs, created or being considered by these firms, are expected in France,with 60% attributed to SMEs.

“These results are thanks to the fast adaptation of the services offered by the members of Team France Export to the needs of SMEs and mid-size companies. This is why we continue to rely more than ever on digital technology and online tools, such as e-windows and e-marketplaces, to help our businesses face different challenges and launch themselves beyond our borders.”

Christophe Lecourtier, Chief Operating Officer at Business France