September textile/apparel sales down 16.2% in France
After a very slight decrease was recorded in August (-0.3%), the unseasonably warm temperatures in September and the concern expressed by fashion retailers in general heralded a significant downturn in consumer sales for September. The provisional results published by the French Fashion Institute (IFM) have confirmed this forecast: textile/apparel sales in France plunged 16.2% last month.
The tense economic situation in several sectors of the country has not been mitigated by favourable weather. Temperatures in September were 1.7º C higher than seasonal averages, and did not encourage consumers to buy overcoats and sweaters.
The IFM specified that the marked decrease in sales is to be assessed in the context of the significant increase recorded in the same period last year (+19.5%). “The trends observed in the month of September have been highly volatile in the last few years.” E-tail and mail-order sales are not yet incorporated in the provisional results, and could improve them slightly.
Nevertheless, it must be underlined that the negative performance in September piles misery on an already bleak year for the French textile/apparel industry, so that sales in the first nine months of 2018 are down 4% compared to 2017. There is only one quarter left to save the year.
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