Even if a sharp drop in attendance is anticipated at the time of the France-Argentina match, professionals expect a simple postponement of Christmas shopping.
While the kickoff of the World Cup final between France and Argentina will be launched this Sunday at 4 p.m., French traders expect not to see a living soul in their stores. However, the last Sunday before Christmas is an essential day for gift shopping. “It is certain that this will reduce the number of visits to stores during these hours.recognizes Yohan Petiot, CEO of Alliance du Commerce.
A trend anticipated by The Nines store in Paris, specializing in men’s clothing, which has decided to close its doors from 3:30 p.m. “We figured there wouldn’t be many people, so we might as well close the shop and go watch the game ourselves. “explains the store manager. The question also arises for the manager of the Nodus store, in the 8th district of Paris : “We wonder if our employees will be able to return home easily, with public transport, if France wins.asks the manager, who anticipates a necessarily negative impact on her sales.
Despite this anticipation, the time is not for concern or criticism, on the contrary. “ If we win, it will make the French people happy and it can have a positive impact on their races. “, says Francis Palombi, president of the Confederation of traders.
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And even if the match does not end with a victory for the French team, traders are still counting on a postponement of purchases that could not be made this Sunday at the end of the afternoon. “The French will organize themselves differently because Christmas will take place in any case. They will be hitting stores more this Saturday and the rest of the coming weekpredicts Yohan Petiot. An optimism shared by most professionals. In the Montpellier suburbs, the manager of the Celio store is not worried: “Shopping will simply be postponed.»
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