These figures explain why the bankruptcies of ready-to-wear chains are increasing

2023-05-23 14:53:26

Compared to 2019, volume sales of clothing, footwear and fashion accessories were down 22%. And the market share of online shopping sites in the sector has increased from less than 12% to more than 18%.

The French are buying fewer and fewer clothes and, to get dressed, more and more of them are going online. This explains the cascading bankruptcies of ready-to-wear brands (Camaieu, Kookaï, San Marina, etc.). And to take the measure of the extent of this trend, it suffices to look at the figures of the barometer LSA/Edges published this Tuesday.

In the first quarter of 2019, so before the health crisis, sales of clothing, shoes and accessories generated just over 10 billion euros in turnover. In the first quarter of this year, they barely exceeded 9 billion. It is certainly slightly better than the last two years, when this course had not been crossed. But the weak recovery observed in 2023 is due to the rise in prices.

In 4 years, the number of items purchased has dropped by 22%

Sales in volume have clearly fallen compared to 2021, going from 616 to 572 million items sold over the first three months of the year. The comparison with 2019 is even more striking: -22%. Consumers are buying fewer clothes, shoes and fashion accessories. And moreover, they also go less often to stores that sell these products: the number of transactions has fallen by 20%, still compared to 2019.

Fewer people in the shops, fewer items purchased, less turnover, while on the charges side, the Smic has been significantly increased and, when they do not increase, the rents of the shops, them, do not not drop. We understand better why the most fragile brands are struggling to cope.

Only sports stores are resisting

Especially since, moreover, consumers are increasingly renewing their wardrobes via the internet.. In 2019, less than 12% of clothing, footwear and fashion sales were made online. According to the latest figures from Kantar, the internet market share for these product categories now exceeds 18%.

In other words, barring any unlikely trend reversal, the carnage has only just begun for channels specializing in fashion. In fact, among the brands that sell clothes, there is only one category that is resisting and even progressing: these are sports stores. And this is quite easily explained.

Whether going to work or going out, more and more French people prefer sneakers to moccasins and sportswear to suits or dresses. And besides, the big fashion brands have understood this well and are making more and more space on their shelves for “sportswear” ranges.