Since Monday, and the beginning of the progressive deconfinement, the stores reopen their doors respecting a strict health protocol: queues outside, compulsory masks or even a limited number of people inside the shop to face the coronavirus. Textile and clothing professionals hope that the French will renew their wardrobe before summer. "We still observe a sharp drop in attendance compared to last year for the same dates", explains on Europe 1 Yohann Petiot, director of the Trade and Clothing Alliance.
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"We have observed a gradual opening of our stores since the beginning of the week in the order of 85% of the networks of our stores now open", adds Yohann Petiot, who notes a drop in traffic. On the other hand, positive signal: the traders observe a good transformation rate. "In other words, when people made the choice to go to the store, they bought more than last year," he said.
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Weekend figures expected
Since the gradual opening of the different brands, one department has been particularly successful: the children's department. "One can imagine that they have grown since last year and even during the two months of confinement."
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If the deconfinement is still progressive, Yohann Petiot waits for the next few days to establish a diagnosis of the situation. "I think it is important to see what will happen this weekend," he said. "The weekend will be quite instructive about customer behavior after two months of closure."