Published by Mathieu Bahuet in franchise-magazine : http://www.franchise-magazine.com/actualite/breves/le-commerce-specialise-a-encore-devisse-en-octobre-8749.html
Specialized trade slumped again in October
Following September's sharp 7.5% decline, specialist retail activity fell by 4% in October, according to the Procos Federation. The biggest declines were in personal goods and catering.
The clouds are gathering for specialist retailers. Following September's disastrous 7.5% drop in sales, sales last month were down 4% on 2013 (on a like-for-like basis), according to the Procos Federation (50 retailers surveyed on their performance in 50 benchmark centres in 15 conurbations). For the first time this year, cumulative activity is negative (-0.4% over the first ten months).
Calendar shifts were not a factor last month, says Procos, pointing out that October 2014 had as many working days (27) as October 2013 (with the same number of Saturdays). On the other hand, "the particularly mild weather spoiled the launch of winter collections in personal goods".
Stores are the hardest hit, both in town centers (-6.3% in shopping arcades and -4.6% on the first floor of buildings) and on the outskirts (-3.4% in shopping malls), according to Procos (260 chains representing nearly 60,000 outlets). Medium-sized out-of-town stores fared little better (-3.2%)...
Personal goods and catering saw the sharpest falls in business, while brands specializing in hygiene-beauty-health and sport-culture-leisure stood out with a slightly positive end to October.
