The 2024 calendar is known! This year, the traditional winter sales will begin on Wednesday January 10 at 8 a.m. in most French departments. They end this Tuesday, before the return of the summer sales on June 26.
January-February and June-July. These are the periods to remember by consumers eager for good deals. For the exact calendar, please refer to the decree of May 27, 2019 which sets the dates and times for the start of the sales:
- winter sales start on second Wednesday in January 8 a.m.. This date is brought forward to the first Wednesday of January when the second Wednesday occurs after the 12th of the month
- summer sales start on last Wednesday of June 8 a.m.. This date is brought forward to the penultimate Wednesday of the month of June when the last Wednesday occurs after the 28th of the month
Other details provided by this ruling: the duration of the sales is fixed 4 weeks. A rule that may be subject to change: in the summer of 2023, it was decided to extend them for a week following the riots that shook France.
For 2024, this gives the following dates:
- Winter sales from Wednesday January 10 8 a.m. until Tuesday February 6
- Summer sales Wednesday June 26 8 a.m. until Tuesday July 16
This calendar applies in most metropolitan departments, as well as in Guyana and Mayotte. But certain overseas departments or communities benefit from exemptions and offer their customers sales at other times of the year.
| Departments or zones | Start dates of sales periods |
|---|---|
| South Corsica and Upper Corsica | – Summer sales: second Wednesday of July (Wednesday July 10, 2024) |
| Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges | – Winter sales: first working day of January (Tuesday January 2, 2024) |
| Guadeloupe | – Winter sales: first Saturday in January (Saturday January 6, 2024) – Summer sales: last Saturday in September (Saturday September 28, 2024) |
| Martinique | – Summer sales: first Thursday in October (Thursday October 3, 2024) |
| The Meeting | – Winter sales: first Saturday of September (Saturday September 7, 2024) – Summer sales: first Saturday of February (Saturday February 3, 2024) |
| Saint-Barthlemy and Saint-Martin | – Winter sales: first Saturday in May (Saturday May 4, 2024) – Summer sales: second Saturday in October (Saturday October 12, 2024) |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | – Summer sales: first Wednesday after July 14 (Wednesday July 17, 2024) – Winter sales: first Wednesday after January 15 (Wednesday January 17, 2024) |
Source: JORF n0124 of May 29, 2019
Rules to know
As recalled by DGCCRFthe sales are regulated sales. Traders who practice them must therefore respect the dates above, but also some rules. They are prohibited, in particular, from restocking just before the sales to increase their stocks: the goods offered must be have been offering the sale for at least a month.
A sale product, moreover, is a product like any other: it benefits from the same guarantees. Sold or not, the item must be replaced or refunded if it contains a hidden defect. The seller is also required to offer repair or replacement of non-compliant goods within 2 years after purchase, or failure to repay it.