In Paris, in the C & A store on boulevard Haussmann, two retirees chase the third and last markdowns of the 2022 summer sales, without much enthusiasm. “ Since the start of the sales, I have only bought two blouses at Caroll, which had a big discountsays Marie, one of them (who did not wish to give her surname). I pay attention: everything increases, except the amount of my pension. »
In the children’s department on the second floor, Ndeye Cissé is looking for the last items to slip into his daughters’ suitcases before they leave for summer camps. “I buy a lot for my children, but little for myself. With the general rise in prices in recent months, I am in the red. »
In these times of inflation and limited purchasing power, shopping is not a priority for the French. This is evidenced by the lack of enthusiasm for the summer sales: over the first three weeks of promotions, from June 22 to July 13, clothing brands posted a 13% drop in their sales and a 23% drop in their footfall compared to 2019, according to Panel Retail Int. for the Trade Alliance. And if online sales increase by 50%, they do not compensate for the weakening of stores.
Behavioral changes
This constitutes a new blow for the sector. Despite rising 15.1% in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021, it fails to match the activity levels of 2019. At issue: concerns about purchasing power . ” In an inflationary period, consumer trade-offs are unfavorable to non-food products. And, on the eve of the holidays, those who have to make choices can save on clothing expenses »explains Yohann Petiot, managing director of the Trade Alliance.
Admittedly, in Paris, the department stores are benefiting from the return of tourists. At the Citadium shopping center in Caumartin, Hanaël Saint-Louis-Gabriel, salesman on a jeans stand, welcomes the presence of foreign customers. “In June, we achieved the objectives of the stand, and we are ahead of those of July. » However, not all customers return to the shops. The health crisis has accentuated changes in behavior already at work: “Customers have lost the habit of window shopping. When they move, it is with an idea of what they want to buy”notes Emmanuel Le Roch, general manager of the Federation for the promotion of specialized trade (Procos).
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