French fashion retail in transition: overview of a reinvented sector

Retail

Ami Paris, Marais boutique. Credits: AMI

This year, in France, of over 2,000 shop openings recorded by Newmark, only 13 percent concerned the fashion sector. This figure, far from anecdotal, reflected the major shift currently shaping fashion retail and redrawing the landscape of our shopping streets.

The turning point began in late 2019. Progressively, more and more mid-range fashion brands closed their shops. While the total number of points of sale for fashion brands with at least 30 shops in France still progressed slightly (2 percent) between 2015 and 2019, a recent survey by Newmark indicated a decrease of 16 percent between 2019 and 2024.

Fashion remained one of the most present sectors in the commercial landscape, but its weight weakened in favour of the catering and food sectors. In Paris, at the beginning of 2024, the clothing and footwear sectors were among those closing more than they opened. Conversely, the catering and food sectors opened more locations than they closed.

This decrease was not only due to the liquidations and receiverships that have hit brands (Camaieu, Naf Naf, André, etc.) hard in recent years; it also occurred due to optimisation plans by fashion leaders whose financial health remained good. Boosted by the growth of their online sales, the heavyweights of clothing chose to close several of their shops. The Inditex group, parent company of Zara, was an excellent example.

Since 2019, the Spanish giant reduced the number of its shops worldwide by 26 percent while increasing their average surface area by 24 percent. In France, the group notably closed shops in several shopping centres and, in parallel, carried out flagship extension projects in major Parisian thoroughfares as well as in regional shopping centres.

Parisian retail and its newcomers

In Paris, things were not going too badly: the vacancy rate stabilised, high-end beauty and sportswear concepts multiplied, and the number of luxury boutique openings increased (although still far from the 2022 peak).

In 2025, the Golden Triangle (rue François 1er in particular) continued to attract high-end and cutting-edge fashion brands, as did rue Saint-Honoré and the Marais. In addition to these areas, the most popular thoroughfares in the capital remained the avenue des Champs-Élysées, rue de la Paix and place Vendôme, rue de Passy, rue de Rivoli and avenue de l’Opéra, particularly for the restaurant sector.

The arrival of many foreign brands (all sectors combined) was also noted. 103 new entrants were recorded in France in 2024, while for the current year, 75 projects had already been identified. In 2025 (as in 2024), catering (35 percent) and fashion (28 percent) were the two sectors most affected by these newcomers, followed by leather goods and accessories (8 percent), beauty and well-being (4 percent).

In Paris, new foreign fashion, streetwear and sportswear brands favoured the Marais district, while outside the capital, new entrants preferred commercial areas and major shopping centres such as Val d’Europe, Westfield, La Part-Dieu. Among the foreign fashion brands to have opened their own shops in 2025 were Alysi (Paris 7e), Name It (Roubaix), Reformation (Paris 4e), and Unfeigned (Paris 3e).

Twinset Milano, boutique in the Marais district, Paris. Credits: Twinset Milano

Fashion in shopping centres

While fashion accounted for only 13 percent of the 2,000 potential shop openings identified by Newmark in 2025, catering represented 28 percent and food 17 percent. These two sectors, along with leisure and discount, formed the main drivers of new developments, particularly in shopping centres. As FashionUnited noted in 2023, the clothing and accessories segment, which once attracted crowds in the aisles of shopping malls, lost ground to brands from other sectors such as Action, Boulanger, and Gifi.

However, it should be remembered that some fashion brands continued to develop in suburban commercial areas. Besson, Chaussea, Zeeman, Takko Fashion, Vib's, Naomy, We Are Select and Size Factory were the main examples.(AFP)

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

Data

France

Paris