Sales start this Wednesday, January 8: a “must” for fatalistic traders

After the end of 2024, during which the French had many opportunities to spend, will the sales that begin this Wednesday be attractive ? MAXPPP – Alexandre MARCHI

Coming out of a Black Friday that broke records, end-of-year celebrations and vacations during which consumers spent, what will be the level of adhesion of the French ?

The ritual is still there: the end-of-year holidays are barely over when the sales period begins. Starting this Wednesday, businesses are entering four weeks of promotions, and we still wonder whether they will win the support of the French. And if so, to what degree ?

“It's a necessary step, independent businesses have no choice, despite everything”, replies, somewhat fatalistically, Jean-Guilhem Darré, general secretary of the Union of Independents and VSEs (SDI). The latter conducted a survey among its members: 89% of them “approach the sales with a negative state of mind”.

It is necessary to “shift the dates”

Indeed, “nearly 64% of them believe that they will not be able to sell off their stocks”. And this, “despite the significant markdowns from the first day”, reductions that start at -30% on average. Too early, is also the criticism made by the Confédération des commerçants de France (CDF).

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“The sales are a key moment for retailers, especially independent ones, believes Pierre Bosche, its president. To ensure their sustainability, they must be able to adapt to new consumer expectations and market realities”. According to him, it is necessary “to shift the dates of the sales”, which “will help boost local trade, balance practices and preserve the attractiveness of city centres”.

“No sales in the middle of a season”

Indeed, the historical positioning of the winter sales in the calendar no longer holds. “It is nonsense to have to position the sales at this time, we do not have sales at the heart of a season”, insists Jean-Guilhem Darré. Especially in a “tense context in terms of purchasing power”.

It must be said that they come at the end of a long spending cycle: Black Friday, first, then the end-of-year holidays, and finally, the school holidays. Especially since Black Friday broke records this year. According to figures from Médiamétrie's Global Internet Audience, nearly 8 out of 10 French people visited merchant sites during the end-of-November event.

The weather, this long-awaited ally

Every day, there were an average of 22.1 million of them, or more than a third of the population. Not to mention the “exponential growth”, to use Jean-Guilhem Darré's words, of sales between individuals. More particularly the success of Vinted.

“The real competition is digital”, he insists. Fortunately, the latter remains hopeful. “The advantage at the start of the sales is the weather,” he notes. “It's cold, and that's positive for the consumption of winter clothing.”. This helping hand is not to be refused.