French fashion market records 1.5% decline in January 2025

It has been a less-than-promising start to 2025 for France’s fashion and textile industry. According to provisional figures from the French Institute of Fashion (IFM), the sector’s revenue (excluding mail order sales) fell by 1.5% in January compared to the same month in 2024. The revenue was 14% lower than in January 2019, before the pandemic.

Across all distribution channels, only department stores and mass-market retailers—including Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, and Monoprix—saw an uptick in revenue, growing 1.7% last month.

Specialty retail chains (such as Zara, Celio, and Etam) remained stable at -0.2%, while multibrand independents saw a 1.7% decline. Mass-market fashion chains (Kiabi, Gémo, La Halle) also recorded a dip, down 2.5%. The hardest hit were hypermarkets and supermarkets (Auchan, Leclerc, Carrefour), whose revenue plunged by 10.6%.

Across the entire sector, online sales outperformed physical stores, rising 2.4% while the latter recorded a 2.6% revenue drop compared to January 2024.

In 2024, the French fashion market remained stable, with a marginal 0.1% increase in sales compared to the previous year. However, from September 2024 to January 2025, the market gained momentum, posting a 2.4% increase.

Looking ahead, IFM envisions three possible scenarios for 2025. The most optimistic forecast anticipates a 2% market growth, while a more moderate projection suggests a marginal increase of 0.2%. In the most pessimistic scenario, the market could see a 2% decline in revenue.