The Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry conducted a survey to gather the sentiments of 108 shopkeepers at the beginning of the winter sales.
In a challenging economic context, marked by attacks and the October storms, they provided their responses in the form of forecasts.
67% of merchants believe that the winter sales will be normal (51%) to satisfactory (16%) compared to the previous year, across most sectors. Only the personal equipment sector anticipates rather disappointing sales at 50%.
Stores located in the city center are optimistic about the winter sales; conversely, shopkeepers in shopping malls and commercial areas are much more skeptical: 42% of them assume that the outcome will be satisfactory.
Regarding the attendance rate, it will be significantly lower compared to last year (a decline for 53% of merchants). Once again, shops in commercial areas feel more affected by this drop in attendance (64% of store managers think there will be a drop in attendance), whereas for the city center, managers estimate it at 47%.
An Improving Turnover
Despite a decrease in attendance, turnover does not seem to be affected by the current context. 52% of merchants believe their turnover is equal to or greater than last year. This trend is especially confirmed in the Antibes area, the East area, and in shopping malls.
Nonetheless, sales no longer have the same impact as before (compression of purchasing power, increase in private online sales), leading to a shift in purchasing behaviors.
In a bleak economic context, the Côte d’Azur CCI aims to support the 20,000 shops in the department by launching the second phase of its promotion campaign for trade and services: “Consume Côte d’Azur”.
For Bernard Kleynhoff, President of the CCI, “we must turn the page on 2015 and motivate consumers to support the Azurean economy by prioritizing the local commercial fabric. It is about the survival of shops. Based on a true partnership operation combining local authorities and merchants’ associations, the objective is to give a boost by playing on the spirit of solidarity.”
