2024-01-10 11:05:00

Merchants display a banner announcing the winter sales the day before their launch on January 9, 2024 in Strasbourg (AFP / FREDERICK FLORIN)

The winter sales open on Wednesday in the middle of a cold spell in France, but are no longer the dream of small traders who consider them too close to Black Friday and drowned out among the “permanent promotions”.

The cold weather sweeping the country might even have pushed consumers to buy non-discounted clothing.

Marc Sanchez, general secretary of the Union of Independents and Small Businesses (SDI), believes that these sales are “distorted” and that “traders (don’t) expect much from them anymore”.

Both are asking the government to push back the date of the sales.

The winter ones, launched in most French departments on Wednesday and which are due to end on February 6, come too quickly following Black Friday and the post-Christmas private sales, judges Mr. Sanchez.

These successive waves of promotions mainly benefit “large brands” and should be better supervised, according to the head of this union which brings together 25,000 small businesses.

“Permanent promotions” which penalize local commerce, agrees Francis Palombi, president of the Confederation of French Traders.

Nearly 60% of French people would consider giving up winter sales this year or devoting a smaller budget to them (AFP / LOIC VENANCE)

“We, the independents, can no longer operate like that because we don’t have the profit margin to do promotions all the time,” he believes.

Carole Raquin, manager of the Apparence store in Lyon, agrees: “The month of January is rarely a very good month for our small boutiques: customers are looking for discounts of -50%, -70%, which we cannot to offer”.

Maëlys Martin, a customer at an H&M in Lyon, “didn’t even know that the sales started today”.

In 2023, independent fashion businesses recorded a turnover down 3% on average, according to the FNH.

– Heated debates –

Push back the date of winter and summer sales, eliminate them altogether, introduce one or two weeks of discounts at the end of each of the four seasons, regulate other promotional events more drastically, etc.

These proposals agitate the National Commerce Council (CNC), a body created at the initiative of the Minister for Commerce Olivia Grégoire, and which met twice on the subject of sales in 2023, according to her office.

“We are not once morest the fact that the file is reopened but we need a minimum of shared proposals. And here, we cannot say that this is the case”, we whisper from the minister’s office .

“Significant differences between small merchants”, but also between “brands which would rather like a model like abroad, with sales which start immediately, and independents and multi-brands which want sales as late as possible”, the compromise seems far, explains Olivia Grégoire’s office.

Especially since some believe that the system “is almost the least worst proposed” and advocate “the status quo and maintaining the usual schedule” like the Commerce Alliance, which brings together department stores and major clothing and retail brands. the shoe.

Certainly a “very important moment for consumption and retailers”, sales must not become “the alpha and omega of commerce, there are issues which are much more important and structuring” such as the store experience and ecological transition, still believes the office of Minister Olivia Grégoire.

The fashion sector (commerce and industry) represents 150 billion euros in turnover per year in France, 580,000 jobs and brings in 36 billion VAT to the State, according to the FNH.

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