French Clothing Market Rebounds in Late August After Heatwave-Hit Summer
PARIS – The French clothing market saw a recovery in late August, driven by cooler temperatures and back-to-school shopping, following a challenging summer impacted by a important heatwave, according to a press release from the Commerce Alliance.
Overall activity for July and August was slightly positive, up 0.1% compared to 2024. The Commerce Alliance, representing over 70 clothing brands and 10,000 stores across France, noted a “contrasting summer” after a promising first half of the year.
“The summer sales in july were disappointing, and the heatwave heavily impacted August activity, slowing down sales of new collections,” explained Yohann petiot, Director General of the Commerce Alliance. However, he highlighted a significant rebound in mid-August, fueled by the change in weather and preparations for the school year.
Data from the Panel Retail int. shows a 2.3% decline in in-store activity in July, followed by a 3% increase in August compared to 2024. Despite a particularly difficult second week of August (-7% due to the heatwave), the month finished strong with a 13% surge in the final week.
Paris bucked the trend, experiencing positive growth of 9% in July-august, compared to a 10% decline in 2024. This was attributed to a recovery following a drop in activity related to the 2024 Olympic Games.
Looking ahead, Petiot stressed the importance of maintaining consumer confidence and urged political leaders to support this. He also emphasized the need to combat unfair competition from Asian platforms,citing their growing presence as a threat to French retailers.
Legislation aimed at addressing “fast fashion” practices, specifically targeting companies like Shein and Temu, has passed both the National Assembly and the Senate and is now awaiting final agreement through a joint commission.
