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What you need to know about France’s winter sales

French stores hold four weeks of sales in the winter, run to a government-mandated timetable.

Published: 4 January 2022 15:06 CET
Updated: 4 February 2022 12:12 CET
A woman walks past a shopfront advertising sales in France.
A woman walks past a shopfront advertising sales in France. Most of the country is set to enter the winter sales period on January 12th. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

Sales in France are highly regulated by the government, which sets two distinct periods when shops are allowed to offer discounts on a wide range of goods: winter and summer. 

The law states: “Winter sales begin on the second Wednesday of the month of January at 8am. This date is brought forward to the first Wednesday of the month when the second Wednesday falls after the 12th of the month.”

This means that this year, the four-week window for grabbing a post-Christmas bargain is fast approaching in most French départements, running from Wednesday, January 12th to Tuesday, February 8th. 

There are however some exceptions. In Moselle, Meuse, Meurthe-et-Moselle and Les Vosges, sales have already begun and will run until January 30th. These parts of France border Luxembourg and Belgium and have different dates to align with commercial patterns in those countries to avoid competition – this has been the case for close to a decade. 

READ ALSO Know your consumer rights during France’s sales

French overseas territories also have their own winter sales periods, which have all now passed. In La Réunion for example, they take place in September. 

National winter and summer sales were previously set at six weeks but were cut down to four weeks in 2020. That same year, the winter sales period was pushed back because of the pandemic but this year, the sales will not be delayed. 

The sales will come as relief to both consumers and businesses in France. In the lead up to Christmas, one survey found that 48 percent of French people were less financially comfortable than the year before. The toy and electronics sectors took a particular hit. The sales could provide an opportunity for retail therapy with cheap clothes, bargain electrical goods and low-cost jewellery among the items available. 

For businesses on the other hand, sales provide a chance to clear unwanted stock, attract new customers and crucially this year, mitigate some of the economic damage caused by the pandemic. 

“We hope that the sales will work, that they will attract lots of people,” said the Federation of Traders in Metz, in a statement to BFMTV. 

High street retailers will hope to see a boom. But online shoppers will also be able to bag a bargain during this period. 

During the sales, goods must have been on display for at least a month at normal prices before being discounted, all items must be clearly labelled with the pre-sale price and the sale price, and shops are forbidden from hiking the prices of items before the sales, in order to make discounts seem more attractive.

The normal exchange and refund rules also apply to goods bought in the sales.

France is one of the very few countries that has such highly regulated sales, with shoppers in Great Britain and the USA accustomed to seeing endless discounts, promotions and special offers all year round. 

The idea behind the French system is to protect smaller retailers who cannot compete with big chains and multinationals that are able to buy in bulk and sell some items as a loss-leader.

Member comments

  1. “The idea behind the French system is to protect smaller retailers who cannot compete with big chains and multinationals that are able to buy in bulk and sell some items as a loss-leader.”
    If you have a business that relies on a Government to keep the doors open, it’s time to close the doors.

    1. Part of the role of a functioning government is to protect the populace from the unscrupulous. Giving capitalism free reign ends up turning society into a cut throat one where only those at the top can afford a half decent life. Small businesses are strangled or bullied out of existence and competition is eventually rigged between the few remaining players in any given market. So I salute the French government for making an attempt at keeping the playing field level, even if I do not always appreciate the higher prices I have to pay for some products in France…it remains the lesser evil.

      1. Rubbish. Written by someone that has never had a business or employed people. If a business has to be propped up by Government regulations, it should close down. The prices in France are already rigged, so your stylized idea of how businesses run in France is not working. A business is there to make money on its own merit, if it can’t without the help of Government rules it closes. Now let me get back to feeding my unicorns.😛

        1. All businesses are “propped up” by Government regulations. Oil subsidies, the taxpayer-paid military that protects their interests, legislatures that they lobby and outright buy through campaign contributions and “fact-finding junkets,” and the fact that small businesses are at an extreme disadvantage when the (again, taxpayer-paid) courts are involved in litigation in disputes over things like copyrights and patents. Many of the very largest corporations would collapse without government support and subsidies, like defense contractors.

          Let me put it another way—if large corporations didn’t need government support, then why do they spend so much bloody money trying to gain it? Clearly it’s a good investment for them, and an option not available to small local enterprises. I’m very pleased to live in France where so many small businesses survive, preserving communities that would otherwise be steamrolled into the homogenous hellscape of so many towns and cities in my home country. Try visiting places where the only remaining retailer is a Wal-mart and tell me that’s a lovely alternative.

          1. They should just close and stop kidding themselves they are profitable. I suppose you are someone that wants the countryside to be preserved because it all looks so picture-book perfect, then complains about the smells and noise. Nothing wrong with Walmart. At least, one can buy paracetamol and Ibropufin over the counter at a reasonable price.

  2. Many small villages are able to survive and provide retail services for the local and elderly citizens and those people who don’t have access to private transport due to the regulated sales.

    I appreciate this stance to help keep the local community viable, the greed of unregulated hyper/super markets in the uk have effectively killed the high street small shops.

    It is slightly more expensive granted, but for the greater good I don’t mind paying a slightly higher price.

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PROPERTY

BBQs, plants and laundry: What are the rules in France around balconies?

If you want to grill some ribs, install heavy plants or even hang up your laundry to dry on your balcony in France, then there is one document you'll want to consult beforehand.

Published: 7 May 2024 10:43 CEST
BBQs, plants and laundry: What are the rules in France around balconies?

If you live in an apartment building in France, then you might be curious whether there are any rules regulating what you are allowed and not allowed to do on your French balcony.

The answer is relatively simple: it depends on your copropriété. In France, a copropriété is a type of building that is split up into several different apartments that are individually owned. It is also the name of the individuals who together make up the co-owners of that shared building, similar to a ‘homeowner’s association’.

READ MORE: PROPERTY: What you need to know about ‘copropriété’ fees in France

Most of the time your building will also hire a syndic, or managing agents for the building.

Every copropriété should have a règlement de copropriété, which is a written document outlining all of the operating rules of the building, as well as the rights and olbigations of the ‘co-owners’ and tenants.

This document governs the common areas of the building and the fees that go into the building’s maintenance (les charges), but it can also regulate the use of private areas under certain circumstances. For example, the règlement might have its own rules about the hours that you can do noisy renovation work, or a list of colours allowed for the shutters on your exterior windows.

So can I barbecue on my balcony?

As you may have guessed from above, the règlement de copropriété may outline the rules for balcony or terrace usage.

This means that the document can dictate anything from whether or not you can hang laundry outside to the weight of plants allowed and the rules on barbecues.

The gist is that the regulations governing balconies and what you can do on them vary widely from one apartment building to another.

Some apartment buildings allow for people to use small electric grills for barbecues, while others might ban grilling and barbecuing altogether.

When asking about your balcony, be sure to find out whether any parts of it are considered ‘shared space’.

Under some circumstances, the règlement may deem balcony railings to be part of the shared space, which would have consequences for the minimum amount of maintenance required by the owner. Though, this would be most likely to occur if the upkeep of your balcony’s railing has a direct impact on the structure of the building or other apartments.

Similarly, the document might consider the actual concrete slab of the balcony to be the responsibility of the copropriété for maintenance and upkeep. In this case, if you had a crack in your balcony then the repair costs would fall on the copropriété and not you individually.

How do I find out about the règlement for my building?

If you have a gardien (doorman) you can start by asking him/her. They would likely have a copy on-hand, or they might just know the answer to your question.

Otherwise, you can reach out to the building’s syndic, or you can even request a copy of the document from the land registration service. The latter option will cost €30, and you would need to file a formal request (you can find the form here).

How are these rules decided?

The règlement for the copropriété is voted on in a general meeting of co-owners, and it can be changed.

To do this, you would need to gather the ‘general assembly’ of co-owners in the building. Then you would need to vote. Depending on the nature of the change, French law can require that the co-owners in the building reach a simple majority (most owners present vote yes) or an absolute majority (out of all owners, including those not present, the majority vote yes).

You can find the voting rules on this government website.

In general, the items outlined in the règlement will be justified somehow. For example, the rules related to furniture and plant height/weight might have to do with concerns about safety and ensuring that the concrete slab of the balcony holds up.

But that does not mean that ‘aesthetic’ concerns are irrelevant – your copropriété might consider something like hanging laundry to dry from your balcony to be an ‘aesthetic harm’ (or hygienic concern) for your building.

The standard for all French copropriétés is that anything that changes the exterior appearance of the building is not allowed, and in order to do so, you must get special permission.

READ MORE: The rules for installing air conditioning in your French home

What about local laws and rules?

In certain situations, there might be additional local laws and rules that regulate activities you might want to do on your balcony.

For example, when it comes to BBQs, some areas – especially if there is a drought – will ban or restrict them to avoid the danger of starting wildfires.

Certain legal clauses might restrict charcoal BBQs and allow gas ones, while others could restrict barbecuing to certain times. Check with your local mairie to see if there are restrictions where you live.

READ MORE: What are the rules of having a BBQ in France?

Departmental health regulations may also contain rules that would apply to balconies and terraces.

For example, in Paris the health regulations prohibit the storing of flammable liquids, seeds, bread crumbs or food of any kind on windows, balconies and outside parts of buildings.

It also stipulates that anything hanging from a balcony or window should be done so in a safe manner so that it does not create a dangerous environment for passers-by or other building occupants.

Overall, you can do what you want with and on your balcony, as long as you comply with the copropriété rules and existing local or departmental health/safety regulations, you do not alter the external appearance of the building or carry out any large-scale, structural work that you’d need a permit for, and as long as whatever you do/install on your balcony does not create a safety risk.

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