Specialised retail activity in France recorded a modest increase of 0.9% in March 2025 compared to March 2024, according to data from the Procos panel (Federation for Urban Planning and the Development of Specialised Retail). However, this overall rise masks significant disparities between sectors.
Home equipment remained in decline (-2.7%), linked to ongoing challenges in the housing market and consumer prioritisation of savings.
The federation noted that comparisons in the specialised food sector are complicated due to calendar shifts—Easter fell in March 2024 but occurs in April this year. As such, they advised evaluating March and April figures together for accurate analysis.
Meanwhile, footfall in physical stores dropped by 3.5% year-on-year in March, indicating persistent consumer caution. Online sales, however, grew by 3.1%, continuing the upward trend seen since early 2025.
Overall, year-to-date activity for all specialised retailers showed a slight decline of 0.3% compared to the same period in 2024, which Procos described as "a sign of real stagnation".
Source: www.meuble-info.fr