City centers, shopping areas or even the Internet: during this time of the race for Christmas gifts, the offers are legion. Aware of the importance that the holidays represent, most of the city’s boutiques have – like every year – dressed up for the occasion.
“In terms of turnover and attendance, it is by far the most important period of the year”assures Joanna Elbaz, director of the Grand Var shopping center in Valletta and La Garde. “We always look forward to it.”in turn confirms Antoine Liotard, boss of the Toulon Mayol center.
Decorations, chalets, activities, photos with Santa Claus… Everyone plays the game to support and bring in as many customers as possible during these key weeks. But, ultimately, who convinces the inhabitants of the Toulon area the most?
In the territory, everyone has their own method for shopping for toys, clothes and cultural products. More than 70 of you gave your testimonies in our latest online questionnaire. Living mainly in Toulon (46.5%), the respondents live mainly in municipalities located between Six-Fours and Le Lavandou, and have an age between 19 and 95 years old (51 years old on average).
Grand Var is still popular
Overall, city boutiques and shopping center boutiques stand out neck and neck. Nearly 41% of you favor the former, and more than 43% prioritize the latter when purchasing gifts. With 15.5%, the Internet remains far behind.
Among the most cited shopping centers, we find (in order) Grand Var, L’Avenue 83, Mayol, then Carrefour Ollioules. According to the Var residents, the presence of very large brands (Zara, Printemps, Primark, etc.), the plethora of choice, as well as the ease of parking are significant advantages. “You can find everything there at all prices.”validates Isabelle, a regular at Mayol. For her part, in Grand Var, Valérie finds “all in one visit”.
Black spots on the other hand: difficult traffic, particularly in the La Garde – Valletta area, and crowded galleries. “There are a lot of crowds, whether in the parking lots, in the aisles or at the checkouts”pointe Audrey. “There is a frenzyconcedes Michel Adamo, director of L’Avenue 83. And who says frenzy, says traffic problems.”
So, to escape the madness of shopping malls (among other things), many buyers head, when they can, to city centers. In Hyères, for example, “the Christmas market attracts a phenomenal crowd to the center, where there are also large perfumeries that bring customers.”indicates Jérôme Roy, president of the downtown merchants association.
Two out of three people go to town
Among those surveyed, two out of three use town shops for their Christmas shopping. One in two even goes to the center of Toulon for the holidays. THE “grand air”“the atmosphere”the “tranquility”the “proximity to the seller” and the desire to support small traders are the most cited arguments.
“I only buy in shopping centers when I cannot buy from these merchants”explains Sophie, a 23-year-old Gardéenne. “I live in Toulon and the pedestrian center is very pleasant. It has nice shops and offers newly installed signs”in turn praises Marie, a sixty-year-old. Among the negative aspects, paid parking and excessively high prices are ultimately the only points that stand out.
Boris Touaty, president of the city center merchants’ association, confirms the growing popularity of this area during the holiday period: “In my opinion, the largest open-air commercial area is Toulon city center! Today it is very well attended. Merchants have set up an offer to get prices on parking tickets, free parking is available on certain days in several car parks, and we are served by a lot of bus lines.”
“Support small businesses”
A sign of this good health, the old center recorded 24% additional visitors between 2021 and 2022, according to the City’s commerce department. “This ranked Toulon first city in France in terms of increased attendance in city centers during Christmas festivities.underlines Boris Touaty. And to continue: “Businesses with increasingly premium ranges are setting up. This means that brands are confident in the dynamism of downtown Toulon. We also see it in terms of flow.”
In fact, of all those surveyed, half claimed to have changed their consumption habits in recent years. And, usually, it’s either for more Internet or more… downtown! This is the case for Hélène: “I changed my habits because the city center is pedestrianized and very pleasant, even if I buy more online than before.”
Claire wants “support small businesses, artisans, rather than big industry. I also prefer to be outside, enjoying my city, discovering it while doing my shopping. I have the impression of being in real life, of feeling freer.” So, shopping for gifts isn’t a chore for everyone.
“Complementary” commercial zones
Almost with one voice, the various representatives of shopping centers and city centers interviewed refuse to talk about competition. According to them, the offers proposed from Ollioules to Hyères via La Garde, La Valette and Toulon are complementary.
At L’Avenue 83, despite the presence of other commercial areas nearby, for example, we experience the Christmas period very well, with often more than 600,000 visitors during the month of December.
“Our strength is to have an open-air center, which allows for quite pleasant family walks and also to enjoy a leisure area which has no equivalent in the Toulouse area,” says Michel Adamo. Afterwards, overall, I find that we are all quite complementary. The food offering in Grand Var is very popular at the end of the year and we find quite unique brands in the center of Toulon. there to have, in the mainland, operators who work together.”
Joanna Elbaz validates: “We have such a close relationship with L’Avenue 83 that its customers are mine and mine are theirs. Toulon? There is a beautiful city center, but a city center customer is not necessarily a customer of a shopping center.”
Despite a drop in activity since mid-2023 (attributed in particular to the work on the A57 motorway), the director of Grand Var hopes to have a December as busy as usual, since 1 to 1, 2 million visitors are still expected.
“Controlled competition”
On the Mayol side, where we welcome more than 9 million people per year and where crowds are sometimes doubled on December days, Antoine Liotard also evokes “controlled competition” between establishments: “Our figures increase from year to year over the holiday period. This also goes with all the store openings carried out (14 in 2024).”
“For me, there is no competition with shopping centers, even less Mayol, which is located in the old center, insists Boris Touaty in turn. The outing in the city center of Toulon is often more “pleasurable”, you take the time to stroll around. There’s something for everyone!”
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