Final days to take advantage of France’s summer sales
The original dates were extended
France's summer sales period has been extended by an extra week after a severe heatwave kept shoppers away from the shops during the opening fortnight, the government confirmed.
The summer sales in most mainland departments will now run until Tuesday, July 28 in the evening, rather than July 21 as originally planned meaning the 2026 edition lasts five weeks instead of the usual four.
The extension applies does not apply everywhere: territories that follow a separate sales calendar, such as Corsica and France's overseas departments, are unaffected and keep to their original dates, as set out in Connexion's earlier summer sales guide.
Officials have not ruled out further adjustments if another heatwave strikes before the new closing date, saying they intend to remain responsive to conditions on the ground. However, this remains very unlikely.
Why were the dates changed?
The soldes d'été were originally due to run for the standard four weeks, from Wednesday, June 24 to Tuesday, July 21.
However, the sales opened right in the middle of a severe and prolonged heatwave, with temperatures regularly topping 40C in parts of the country. Town centre shops - particularly smaller, independent retailers without air conditioning - reported footfall collapsing, with some outlets recording turnover down by as much as 30% compared to a normal start to the sales.
Faced with mounting pressure from retail federations and shopkeepers, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that the government would step in. The Minister for Commerce, Serge Papin, confirmed that the sales would be extended by one week to allow shops to recoup lost trade.
Mr Papin explained that the heatwave meant many shops simply were not visited during the first stretch of the sales, so the government had decided to give retailers extra time to make up for it. A modifying decree was published in the Journal Officiel to give the extension immediate legal effect.
Do the usual sales rules still apply?
Yes. The extension only changes the closing date, the rules governing how retailers can run the sales remain exactly as before. Retailers must still follow strict conditions, including:
Items can only be discounted if they have already been in stock and on sale for at least a month beforehand, to stop shops ordering in goods specially for the sales.
Sale and non-sale items must be clearly distinguished for customers, whether through labelling or how they are displayed.
Shops cannot inflate a price shortly before the sales just to make a later discount look bigger than it is.
Retailers must be able to justify their reference price: either the lowest price they actually charged beforehand, or the price recommended by their supplier.
Advertising for the sales must state the start date and, where not all stock is discounted, which products are included: breaches can bring a fine of up to €1,500.
