DÉCRYPTAGE – Clothing, decoration, furniture, and restaurant stores are facing the household’s reluctance to spend.
Nothing could have come at a worse time for merchants than further deterioration of the international situation, pushing wealthier households to save more and others to settle for the essentials. Faced with sluggish consumption for months in an uncertain political and economic environment, stores are now feeling the first effects of the conflict in the Middle East that erupted at the end of February.
In March, the turnover of non-food stores (clothing, furniture, decoration, high-tech, excluding restaurants) fell by 2.2% compared to the same period last year, according to the latest figures from Procos, the federation representing 310 specialized retailers with a turnover of 110 billion euros. “The month of March was very bad,” explains a federation representative. “This situation is directly linked to the conflict in the Middle East.” Fuel prices at the pump, which crossed the symbolic €2 per liter mark, also
