Back to school boost for French retailers
of the school year boosted sales at French retailers in August,
according to the latest figures.
Sales in French hypermarkets and supermarkets grew in August compared to the same period last year as a result of both holiday shopping and the imminent start of the new school year.
The latest figures from the Federation des Entreprises du Commerce et de la Distribution (FCD), the French grocery distribution association, show that hypermarket sales were 5 per cent higher than in the same month in 2001, while supermarket sales were 2.7 per cent higher. Both figures are on a comparable store basis
The FCD said that part of the increase was due to the fact that there was an additional Saturday in August 2002 compared to the previous year, although there were 27 working days in both months.
The star performers for the month among food sales were fish and bakery, while computers (many of which were on special offer), stationery and clothing were the main drivers of growth in the non-food aisles. Audio and photo equipment sales were down slightly for the month.
For the year to date, sales were up 1.2 per cent at hypermarkets and 2.6 per cent at supermarkets, the FCD said.
The latest figures for convenience stores, for the month of July, show that sales were ahead 2.3 per cent for the month and 2.8 per cent for the year to date.
The FCD's data includes petrol sales, which account for around 10 per cent of sales at both hypermarkets and supermarkets.
