Last February, Dua Lipa posted a photo of a supermarket shopping basket to Instagram. Inside she’d placed a yellow Louis Vuitton Speedy handbag – and three packets of crisps from the Brittany-based brand Brets.
The French were already obsessed with Brets: last year the family-owned brand overtook Lay’s to become France’s favourite crisp, with a market share of nearly 27 per cent. Lipa’s post helped push the brand onto the global stage. George Hess, founder of Victus Emporium, which handles Brets’ UK imports, says its social media was “bombarded” after the post. He also says the brand has seen 40-50 per cent controlled growth year on year since it was first stocked four years ago. In 2025, Brets’ revenue was €187mn.
Brets crisps at a supermarket in Dieppe, France
The Brets story started in 1991, when agriculture entrepreneur Alain Glon founded a potato supply chain to promote local varieties and provide an extra source of income for the area’s growers. (Alongside cider and salted caramel, Brittany produces great spuds.) Initially the potatoes were sold to other crisps brands, but soon Glon started cooking up his own. Four years later, the first flavour was born: poulet braisé (braised chicken).
