Started on January 20, later than usual, and initially for four weeks (until February 16), the 2021 winter sales have finally been extended by two weeks. After these six weeks, they ended on Tuesday March 2. What is the assessment for traders in downtown Mulhouse, in this context of the health crisis? “These sales worked well for the first few weeks, but then things quickly ran out of steam. The numbers are rather down. I think clearly there has been a curfew effect. In this period, shopping is still complicated ”, reports Sophie Julien, director of the association of local merchants. Mulhouse showcases (280 members), in view of the increases it has had from some of its troops.
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“When working from home, we like our little jogging! “
Marie Thuillier, the director of the Cour des Maréchaux (34 shops), abounds. “The start of these sales was pretty good, especially since there was a cold snap, so people bought big items (coats, etc.). But afterwards, it ran out of steam and the last two weeks were not good, “she testifies, also seeing an effect of health constraints:” With the curfew at 6 pm, people are not in a spirit of loitering, they are more about useful purchases. But the sales, it is especially the blow of heart. “
Overall, observes Sophie Julien, it is the ready-to-wear sector that seems to have suffered the most from the context for these sales, while that of home equipment seems to have better – or even rather well – out of the game (read two examples elsewhere). “A lot of people are telecommuting. When we stay at home, we dress a little less, we like our little jogging! Conversely, we want to take care of our interior, ”she comments.
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“People stop using around 5-5: 15 p.m.”
At the Cour des Maréchaux, ready-to-wear brands recorded overall a drop in turnover “of about 20%” compared to the winter sales of last year, indicates Marie Thuillier, specifying that behind this average, changes can of course be diverse depending on the store. “These sales were perhaps a little better at the independents than for the national chains”, she notes.
Director of The North Face store in Mulhouse (outdoor clothing, streetwear, etc.), at the Cour des Maréchaux, Nina Wood cannot compare with the winter 2020 sales since her store only opened last June. But the assessment she draws up of this 2021 vintage is in the general tone: overall, “it’s mixed”, despite “a month of January not too bad”, she testifies, also evoking the effect of curfew: “People stop using around 5 / 5.15 p.m.”
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“We have a lot of stock on our hands”
“This year, people were greedy in terms of reductions,” says Nina Wood. For his store, these very average sales at a crucial period – “We make about 60% of our annual turnover over the three months from November to January” – translate into this consequence: “We have a lot of stock on arms ”, relates the director, who hopes that the brand will agree to take back more products than expected. “We are independent, we are not a franchisee at all,” she explains.
In this clothing store in another sector of the city center, which sports a national brand, the manager also draws up a “mixed” assessment. With sales down compared to 2020. “I find that these sales started too late, we should have stayed at the beginning of January. And they end too late too. You see, here we are at the beginning of March… We no longer necessarily want to buy winter! “
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“Make a cross on our margins”
Rue du Sauvage, in his two shops adjacent to the Jump’in brand, one for multi-brand clothing, the other for shoes, David Ullmann shares this feeling: “Frankly, with these extended sales, things are dragging on a bit. . We can’t wait to redo our windows, to bring freshness, something new and color, ”smiles the Mulhousien.
But he draws up a “rather good” balance sheet from these winter sales, and all the more so given the health context. “I have not yet made the overall assessment, we will do it tomorrow, but we hope for stability compared to last year,” he said on Tuesday. A performance that was not without concessions, he says: “It’s a special year, we were over-stock. So we had to be reactive, we immediately started these sales with big discounts. And to do -50% or -60%, that means leaving our margins behind. The goal was just to be able to pay our suppliers. “
The manager of Jump’in also attributes this “rather good” 2021 vintage to another factor: “We’ve been there for thirteen years, people know us, we have a loyal clientele. “
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“People take care of their interior”
In the Jalla boutique (linens, bed linen, bath sets, etc.), rue des Fleurs, these winter sales 2021 went “correctly”, says Fabien Mullner, the manager. “It’s even a little better than last year, despite the reduced opening hours,” he adds. There is undoubtedly part of the effect of the lengthening of sales from four to six weeks, he adds. But in these times of health crisis, the store is probably also benefiting from its sector of activity: “We are in a period where people are perhaps taking the opportunity to take care of their interior a little more”, remarks the Mulhouse merchant. . And at home, attendance during these sales was distributed rather evenly over the entire period, with even “a small rebound” in the last days, he notes.
At Quartz (contemporary furniture and decorative objects and design), we also observe that in these times of health crisis, the equipment of the house is rather on the rise. “People are very focused on the decoration of their interior, the well-being at home,” notes an employee. And it can be felt in the store on rue des Tanneurs, especially at the end of the week: “Since the deconfinement, we have had very good Saturdays”, indicates our interlocutor.
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