« Less dramatic than it could have been. » This is how Bruno Tripon, president of the commerce commission at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Bordeaux-Gironde, describes the end of the year for Bordeaux businesses.
“They worked well during Black Friday but afterwards there was a deficit in attendance and turnover not at all at the level of our expectations, between -10 and -20% for the month of December. Some fared better than others,” adds Georges Simon, president of the Bordeaux mon commerce association. Bruno Tripon did not note “a drop in attendance”. “Good news” for traders, knowing that December is “vital” for them: it “represents, depending on the type of business, between 20 and 80% of their annual turnover”.
“We woke up a little late” but “there was some traffic,” illustrates Corinne Blache, manager of the Lilyaké clothing store. “December was good,” she continues, adding that “the winter season was more buoyant than the summer season.” As for the clothing store L’Armoire poétique, “we still sold but I was expecting something more dynamic,” notes Hannah-Yi Danjon, saleswoman. “We had a good Christmas overall,” say Andréa Abel, Emma Juillet and Lise Viviani, salespeople at La Droguerie. This haberdashery was able to benefit from a “trend to do things yourself”, particularly driven “by social networks”.
Internet “maximum competition”
But also by declining purchasing power and new consumption habits. This year, “in a not great economic context and a political context which weighs on morale” according to Bruno Tripon, it is clear that the customer basket is more modest.
“We feel that they think twice and make fewer compulsive purchases,” confirms Apolline Berthonneau, store manager for the shoemaker Michard Ardillier. “Some people prefer to spend a little more money on products that will last longer. » “The volume of the basket has not decreased much but the value, yes,” specifies a salesman from the Émile et Marguerite wine merchant, who wishes to remain anonymous.
“We feel that people are thinking twice and making fewer compulsive purchases”
Furthermore, Bordeaux must face, like other large cities, “maximum competition” from the Internet, according to Georges Simon. “The difficulty of accessing the city center encourages people to order online,” he emphasizes, recalling that “between 2019 and 2023, our businesses experienced a 50% drop in attendance.” According to the president of Bordeaux mon commerce, people no longer come there by chance. In other words, if the Christmas market and Black Friday were successful this year, “it’s because consumers had a reason to travel”.
Overall, “November and December will not go down in history,” believes Bruno Tripon, but are nonetheless “positive” months in “a turbulent year for commerce.” Let us remember: in Bordeaux, in the third quarter of 2024, judicial liquidations were up 32% compared to the same period the previous year and the vacancy of commercial premises now reached 10.5%. What will it be in 2025?
