In February, fashion chains in France posted relatively buoyant results, their sales growing by 3.6% according to the Retail Int. survey by retail association Alliance du Commerce. Instead, sales for independent fashion retailers (both multibrand and franchised stores) fell by 8% in February 2025 compared to the previous year, when they had also dropped, falling 6.3% below February 2023. The French national apparel association (FNH) said that “the situation is becoming increasingly concerning,” after sales in January had also posted a negative result, decreasing by 5.5%.
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By product category, sales for womenswear retailers fell by 12% in February, while both lingerie and home linen stores recorded an 11% downturn. Comparatively better results were posted in February by mixed-gender fashion stores, whose sales dropped 6%, and menswear retailers, which lost only 1%.
Among the worst-affected regions, sales for independent fashion retailers fell by 11% in Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, while they slumped by 20% in the East of France, and notably by 24% in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region.
“There currently is a 14% commercial vacancy rate in city centres, a record. In 10 years, the share of apparel retailers on the retail trade total fell from 33% to 22%. Boutiques are disappearing, replaced by standardised stores. Worse still, 66% of household spending takes place on the outskirts of cities, compared to 12% in city centres. At this rate, our city centres will soon be empty,” said Pierre Talamon, president of FNH, in a press release.
In 2024 as a whole, independent fashion retailers in France fared relatively well, their revenue dropping by a mere 1.7% compared to 2023.
