“They don’t carry bags”, the sales begin calmly but surely in Agen

The stickers are placed on all the windows. It’s hard to miss it when you walk around the city center of Agen. The winter sales have indeed started on Wednesday January 8. “It’s no longer as expected as before,” say many traders. Saturday January 11, however, many onlookers walked the Boulevard de la République in Agen. But the bags were not always full. “When we see people passing by, we don’t have the impression that it’s the sales: they’re not carrying bags,” regrets Arnaud Cottreel from Ollie Shop.

This change in consumer habits, which is not new, can be explained in particular by the rise of the Internet and second-hand applications, which are lastingly transforming consumption methods. “I’ve been here for 11 years, overall we see fewer and fewer people in the city center. We can’t complain, the clientele remains there all year round. The sales sometimes offer the opportunity to dare with pieces more daring”, slips Sylvie, saleswoman at Christine Laure.

Sales, plus the highlight

At Galeries Lafayette, which opened exceptionally this Sunday, François Lafon analyzes: “We are generally seeing a drop in attendance. However, the people who come buy. They go to the essentials.” Right next door, in Pauline’s locker room, the sales don’t change the habits of Pauline Rodriguez, the manager. “I work with capsules, with little stock. Customers come all year round to find what they’re looking for. Everything goes very quickly.”

December seems to have been a fruitful month. A trend that continues in January. “We opened an additional floor. We experienced excellent momentum in December, which continued into January,” rejoices Emmanuelle of Pépites d’Emma. Same story with Galeries Lafayette. The director agrees: “We remain open on Sundays and public holidays, we try to keep the center alive.” The first week of markdown in Agen is rather calm, but nothing to worry professionals. It’s no longer the meeting you’ve been waiting for.