To boost this meeting in decline, traders could be tempted to offer significant discounts from the start.
Let’s go for a month of winter sales, from Wednesday until February 8. But traders, “not sure to figure out the numberHoped, fear that the Covid-19 epidemic will dissuade consumers from hunting for bargains, at least in shops. “With everything that happens at the sanitary level“Anna Sanchez, director of the Mango store in Strasbourg, was rather fatalistic on the eve of the sales kick-off. “Our goal would be to try to do as well“Than in 2019, but”with the current number of contaminations, we are not sure how to get there“.
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Expected customers
“The concern is strong, we see that the decision to put everyone to telework (to stem the spread of Covid-19) has already had a significant impact on the influx into shops“Florence Bonnet-Touré, secretary general of the National Clothing Federation (FNH), which represents independent businesses in the sector, warned Monday.
“Customers, we are waiting for them. But look how calm it is, there isn’t a cat in the streets!“, Worried Joëlle Allègre, co-owner of the Shoes Art store in the Chartrons district in Bordeaux, Tuesday on the eve of the start of the sales. “We have the impression that the sales are not really the priority.“
“Wednesday, it will be double or nothing», Abounded Clémence du Curia, saleswoman at Aigle in Strasbourg. “Customers tell me that during the sales, we are too tight, that there are too many people … It is true that it is not ideal. But I’m still optimistic, I wanna believe it’s gonna work“.
In this uncertain environment, traders could be tempted to cut prices significantly, to get the period off to a good start. “We are already seeing private sales at 50%. The sales will start very, very strong because we do not know what will happen after“, Estimates Christian Baulme, president of the Round of districts which represents 400 merchants of Bordeaux.
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Less exceptional period
The period has in any case lost its uniqueness with the emergence of promotions and private sales. “We had already noticed in recent years that we worked better on certain days before the sales than during the sales», Explains Lilit, sales assistant at the Géox store in Strasbourg, where many items are already showing -20% or -30% for private sales.
“The sales were good 5 or 6 years ago, there was a rush on Wednesday, a lot of people on Saturday, there were six of us working in the store with temporary workers, whereas now we are only 2.5 full timeShe continues. Currently, the shop’s clientele, who are rather elderly, “is afraid of the Covid“And in addition”learned to buy on the Internet, where there are promotions all year round», She emphasizes.
The context of inflation is likely to weigh on sales, because when other expenditure items are more important, consumers reduce the budget allocated to fashion spending. Something to worry traders: 8 independent traders out of 10 say they are worried about the sustainability of their commercial activity in 2022, according to the FNH.
What to push, also, to find other economic models, less dependent on the slashed prices: thus in Bordeaux, Maxime Razes, who manages the shop Do you speak French ?, selling only Made In France articles, will not do no sales.
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“It is estimated that the price of the product is fair for French producers. There is no reason for the product to be devalued at any time of the year», He explains. “If we do the sales, we have to do it all the time, private sales … it’s endless“.