- Title: Paris' suffering retailers brace for muted sales season
- Date: 15th July 2020
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 15, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUING OUTSIDE PRINTEMPS DEPARTMENT STORE SECURITY GUARDS OPENING DOOR/ STAFF CLAPPING CUSTOMERS WALKING PAST OUTSIDE PRINTEMPS CUSTOMERS GOING IN LUGGAGE/ CUSTOMER VARIOUS OF CUSTOMERS WALKING IN MASKED STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (French) GENERAL DIRECTOR OF PRINTEMPS HAUSSMANN, PIERRE PELARREY, SAYING: "Customers (in Paris) tended to, of course, to leave in droves from July 14, so the schedule is not really in our favour. With the special measures in place, of course these sales are very particular. But what we care about is to respect the sanitary measures, this is really important, as I reminded everyone when the doors opened, that the employees respect these safety measures at the same time." CUSTOMERS GIVEN HAND SANITIZER PEOPLE QUEUING UP CUSTOMERS (SOUNDBITE) (French) SHOPPER, WORKS IN HOTEL INDUSTRY, KARINA FOMBA, SAYING: "I think people have been under pressure for a long time and it's continuing, it's still not over. So shopping, it's a means like any other, of de-stressing a little, to think of something else, to help us get over this difficult period we're experiencing." (SOUNDBITE) (French) SHOPPER, DOCTOR, CHARLOTTE GARY, SAYING: "I'm being careful, I think that if you wash your hands regularly, if you wear your mask, I don't think it's more risky. I don't think there is any risk at all in trying on clothes, in touching things, when you wash your hands, there is no problem. It's not something that scares me." VARIOUS OF GARY TRYING ON SHOES GARY LEAVING AND DISINFECTING HANDS SHOPPERS LOOKING AT SHOES WOMAN TRYING ON SHOES SHOES SHOPPERS WALKING PAST SHOES AT 50% DISCOUNT WOMEN LOOKING AT SHOES WHILE WEARING MASKS CLOTHES AT 50% OFF (SOUNDBITE) (French) GENERAL DIRECTOR OF PRINTEMPS HAUSSMANN, PIERRE PELARREY, SAYING: "We also know that we will unfortunately, but fortunately in terms of health, probably fewer people in the store, much much fewer people. On the other hand, what the coronavirus has helped with since deconfinement is that the customers that come, the visitors that come, are more willing to buy. Almost every customer who comes, it's one customer out of two who will make purchases." CUSTOMERS WEARING MASK ARRIVING ON ESCALATOR SHOPPERS WALKING PAST BAGS (SOUNDBITE) (French) GENERAL DIRECTOR OF PRINTEMPS HAUSSMANN, PIERRE PELARREY, SAYING: "It is really absolutely necessary to maintain this level of health and safety, to avoid all future problems. Afterwards, unfortunately, nobody knows how things will develop, but we are optimistic. We hope that thanks to this continued vigilance, we will be able to effectively avoid future problems." VARIOUS OF ITEMS ON SALE EXTERIOR OF PARIS PRINTEMPS DEPARTMENT STORE
- Embargoed: 29th July 2020 12:39
- Keywords: France Printemps sales retail
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA001CMX7SCN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Usually thronging as summer sales kick off, Paris' Printemps department store was relatively quiet on Wednesday (July 15) as doors opened to the 100 or so keep shoppers who queued up before doors opened.
Printemps is among French retailers bracing for a fall in bargain hunters and revenues this year as the coronavirus outbreak keeps tourists away, further hammering the sector.
Clothing chains and department stores across Europe and the United States have been hit hard by closures during lockdowns. In France, retailers were already suffering after transport strikes dented shop traffic in January.
Pierre Pelarrey, who runs Printemps' flagship store in central Paris, a major magnet for foreign shoppers, said business was likely to be half what it was this time last year.
France's official bargain season runs from July 15 until Aug. 11, although many stores have already started promotions in recent weeks, with up to 50% or even 70% off prices.
One bright spot was that some French shoppers were returning, Pelarrey said - and those that did come to the store were more motivated than ever.
France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has struck an upbeat tone on consumer spending, saying last week that it has almost returned to normal levels as people started splurging what they had saved up during the country's two-month shutdown.
(Production: Yiming Woo, Clotaire Achi) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None