The postponement of the date of the sales did not allow local shops to build up a cash flow, regrets Marc Sanchez, general secretary of the independent trade union, which brings together 25,000 traders, micro-businesses, craftsmen and liberal professionals.
What is your balance sheet?
MARC SANCHEZ. According to the survey we conducted (Editor's note: from July 28 to 30 with 570 shops with 0 to 19 employees) , the turnover is down compared to the period of last summer sales for more than half of the traders surveyed. This drop is even greater than 20% for 57% of them. These are figures for the end of July but the trend is the same for the first week of August. The sales therefore did not save local businesses, already strongly marked by confinement, but also by strikes at the end of last year and before that by the yellow vests crisis.
How do you explain it?
This is obviously linked to the health situation, which is very anxiety-provoking with the wearing of a mask, social distancing, but also concerns related to unemployment ... All this does not create a climate conducive to purchasing. Moreover, 45% of traders have noticed a drop in the average basket of customers.
Did the postponement of the dates have a positive impact?
We campaigned for this postponement. Because of this anxiety-provoking context, but also because some large brands have not played the game by offering private sales from mid-May, it must be recognized that the impact is minimal: only 22% of the businesses surveyed recognize it. a positive effect. The start of the school year may therefore be very difficult for some, who will have to face a wall of debt without having been able to build up sufficient cash to honor them. Hence the need to take emergency measures such as the extension of the solidarity fund until the end of the year.
With all the business operations carried out during the year, does the sales period still make sense?
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Not too much indeed. For many of our members, this period is no longer a driving force, it is of little use. For the sales to regain meaning, destocking operations and other promotions carried out throughout the year should be prohibited.
