What you need to know about France's 2025 summer sales

Local France

12 hours ago

In France there are only two official '
soldes
' - sales - period per year, one in summer and one in winter.
The government sets the dates and outside of these periods shops are heavily restricted in the type or size of discounts that they can offer.
Dates
This year the summer sales begin on Wednesday, June 25th and run until Tuesday, July 22nd.
Well, that's the case in most of France - of course, there are exceptions.
In the Mediterranean island of Cosica the sales run from July 9th to August 5th.
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There are also different sales dates for France's overseas départements including Guadeloupe (September 27th to October 24th), Martinique (October 2nd to October 29th), La Réunion (February 1st to February 28th), Saint-Barthélemy et Saint-Martin (October 11th to November 7th) and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (July 16th to August 12th).
When is a sale not a sale?
Les soldes
are highly regulated - at other times of the year shops are allowed to offer discounts, but this is not a sale.
The difference is the level of discount - stores can sell items for less than their original price, but they are not permitted to sell the item for less than they bought it for, apart from during the
soldes
period.
The one exception is that shops are permitted to have closing-down sales if they are shutting down, or closing temporarily for refurbishment.
Sale items must be clearly marked and separated from non-sale items, with the before and after price plainly visible. Online stores must also abide by these rules.
Stores are forbidden from hiking the prices of items before the sales period to appear as though it is offering huge discounts during the
soldes
.
During the rest of the year discounting is allowed in certain circumstances, so you might see promotions or
vente privée
(private sales, usually short-term events aimed at regular customers or loyalty-card holders) throughout the year. All of these events must, however, abide by the golden rule - the item cannot be sold for less than the shop paid for it.
What about my consumer rights?
Shopping in French sales is covered by exactly the same consumer protections as non sales periods.
Although some shops may display signs saying something like "
les articles soldés ne sont ni repris ni échangés
" (the articles on sale cannot be returned or exchanged), this is not legally enforceable.
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In case of a hidden defect, the store is required to refund or exchange the product. But beware this is only for defects that were not apparent in the store, for example an electrical item that doesn't work. If you bought a product knowing it was scratched or marked in some way, you don't have the right of refund or exchange.
If you just changed your mind or bought the wrong size, retailers aren't obliged to take it back or allow an exchange, although many of them will.
However, if you buy something by mail order or through the internet you do have the right to send it back within 14 days and the retailer is obliged to refund the money.
Tax rebates
If you are a non-EU resident, you might be eligible for a tax rebate on your sales purchases.
If you spend at least €100 in one store, then you qualify. You should hold onto your receipt and tell the cashier you plan to use a tax rebate so they can give you the necessary documentation (a duty-free slip).
Then when you are leaving you can find the kiosk at the station or airport dedicated to tax rebates (
détaxe
) and file prior to leaving France.