While inflation has been raging for several months, the sales period opens this Wednesday.
This, usually buoyant in terms of consumption, will end on February 7.
In a context of a reduction in the budgets of many households, it remains to be seen whether the lower prices on the labels will attract customers.
Above all, the sales are far from being the only appointment to benefit from advantageous prices, since certain brands have started their private sales, promotions reserved for identified customers, from the day after Christmas.
It is besides all the ambivalence of this framed period, which loses importance each year vis-a-vis the competition of the private promotions.
Cécile Nury, director in charge in particular of customer relations at Relais Colis, thus observes that the sales effect "has been somewhat blunted in recent years on the volumes of parcels" managed by the delivery company and which remain "50% higher than a normal day.
By way of comparison, volumes during the key holiday season, including Black Friday, are more like twice as high as on a normal day.
“December was a good month”
And for physical commerce?
"The context of the sales depends on what we did during the season", answers Yohann Petiot, general manager of the Alliance du Commerce, which brings together department stores and clothing and footwear brands.
October and November were “not very good” and “the Black Friday period was not exceptional either”.
“On the other hand, the month of December was good”, he continues, with sales “11% higher compared to 2021 in stores and 4% online”, according to a panel of around forty representative brands. of the clothing market carried out by the Alliance du Commerce with Retail Int.
“We hope to maintain this momentum for January, the start of the month seems good for the moment”, according to him.
Lower markdowns due to inflation?
After years disrupted by the Covid-19, traders have according to him "reasonable stocks", and Yohann Petiot advises customers to "come as soon as the sales start" to "do good business".
But with inflation hitting businesses, retailers might be tempted to make smaller markdowns to preserve their margins as much as possible.
Reason for concern according to Yohann Petiot, in addition to the "fragile social climate": "in January a certain number of bills fall which have increased further, the question arises as to whether the French will have the purchasing power to have fun" .
Traders will have a first part of the answer this Wednesday.
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