Sales in France: dates and rules to know

Sales are regulated by law in France: two periods a year, fixed dates and rules on which products can be included. Knowing them helps tell a real price cut from a simple promotion.

The dates

Dates can be shifted in some departments, notably border or overseas ones. Check the official calendar for your department.

• Winter sales start on the second Wednesday of January.
• Summer sales start on the last Wednesday of June.
• Each period lasts four weeks.

What the law says about prices

When a retailer announces a price reduction, the reference price must be the lowest price charged over the previous 30 days (a rule from a European directive applied in France since May 2022). A struck-through price is therefore not free-form.

For the official sales, only items offered for sale and paid for by the retailer at least one month before the start date can be included.

Black Friday and other promotions

Black Friday and similar events are not official sales: they do not follow those dates or rules, but the 30-day reference price rule stays the same for any announced reduction.

Your rights online

For a distance purchase you generally have 14 days to withdraw. During the sales this right applies as the rest of the year, except for the exceptions the law provides.