Overview
- France’s official calendar sets the winter sales for most of metropolitan departments from January 7 at 8:00 a.m. to February 3, 2026 under article L.310-3 of the commercial code.
- The four Lorraine departments—Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges—run a separate window from January 2 at 8:00 a.m. to January 29.
- Online retailers are required to observe the same sales dates as physical stores nationwide, regardless of where a company is headquartered.
- Several overseas territories follow distinct schedules, including Guadeloupe (January 3–30), Saint‑Pierre‑et‑Miquelon (January 21–February 17), Saint‑Barthélemy and Saint‑Martin (May 2–29) and La Réunion (September 5–October 2).
- Merchants advertise steep opening discounts of roughly 40% to 60%, yet many report that year‑round promotions and sector strain have muted traditional first‑day rushes.