The French fashion retail sector is preparing for yet another year without growth. This year, the market contracted by 1.3%, mainly due to declining footfall and at the expense of independent boutiques. Customers do not grasp the difference between price and value, warns the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM).
Only women are holding their own
Gildas Minvielle, director of the economic observatory at the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM), paints a rather bleak picture of 2026—because 2025 was already so disappointing. While Minvielle predicted slight growth for this year, in reality the sector declined by 1.3%. For 2026, the IFM sees three possible scenarios: an optimistic +1%, a pessimistic -2%, and a median expectation of -0.5%.