In France, there are two sales periods of 4 weeks each.
- Winter clearance sales in January.
- Summer clearance sales are usually organized between June and July.
These dates apply to online shopping too, regardless of where the company is based. A few examples are Darty, Fnac, Amazon, etc. However, other promotional offers can be given outside these periods too.
Summer Sales Calendar
In mainland France, the summer discount sales period starts on Wednesday, 26th June 2024, and ends on Tuesday, 23rd July 2024 (included).
However, some specific areas in France and the overseas French territories have their own summer sales period.
| Region | Period of Summer Sales in 2024 |
| France | |
| Mainland France | 26th June to 23rd July |
| Corse-du-Sud (2A) | 10th July to 6th August |
| Haute-Corse (2B) | 10th July to 6th August |
| French Overseas Territory (Outre-mer) | |
| Guadeloupe (971) | 28th September to 25th October |
| Martinique (972) | 3rd October to 30th October |
| La Réunion (974) | 3rd February to 1st March |
| Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon (975) | 17th July 17 to 13th August |
| Saint-Barthélemy (977) | 12th October to 8th November |
| Saint-Martin (978) | 12th October to 8th November |
Price
- Since 28th May 2022, the displayed price during the clearance sale must be the lowest in the last 30 days. This new rule applies across the EU, for both online and in-store shopping.
- The product on discount must have a sticker or label with the old price crossed out (the “reference price”) and the new price.
- It is forbidden to increase the price of a product before the sale period, to make customers believe in a promotional offer larger than it is.
- It is forbidden to do misleading advertising by showing different prices on the front window and inside the shop.
Returns and Warranty
Discounted products have the same warranties as regular products sold without any discount. This includes hidden defects, conformity issues, and after-sales service.
- In principle, there is no exchange for an item purchased in the store (unless the seller offers it commercially). The seller will generally indicate that the sale items are neither taken back nor exchanged.
- For online shopping, consumers have 14 days to return the items, other than some exceptions.
- Hidden Defects: The seller must replace or refund the item.
- Conformity Issues (within 2 years): The seller must repair, replace, or refund the item if it can’t be repaired or replaced.
- Other Cases: The seller is not legally required to exchange or refund, but may choose to do so.
- The seller must follow any return or exchange policies they advertise, whether in-store, on receipts, or elsewhere.
Attention, any defect that occurs during the purchase will not be covered by the legal guarantee of conformity.
More Information
- Concerning Reunion Island, the summer sales start before the winter sales.
- The online sale dates are the same as the mainland France dates, regardless of the location of the company headquarters.
- In the shop, the distinction between items on discount and non-discount must be clear to consumers: precise labeling, separate locations in the store, etc.
Sources & References
General
- Summer sales in 2024 service-public.fr
- Soldes: rules to respect service-public.fr
- Soldes: consumer rights service-public.fr
Laws
- Article L310-3 of French Commercial Law
- Decree of 27 May 2019 setting the dates and start times of discount sales
