Clearly it’s not just because of the pandemic that mid-range fashion is collapsing in France. The sector has been collapsing since at least 2014, with La Redoute cutting 1,350 positions at the time, soon followed by La Halle, Happychic (Jules, Brice, Bizzbee), C&A, Celio, Camaïeu, San Marina, Minelli.
Store closures, job protection plans, receiverships and liquidations continue and accelerate, also affecting children’s fashion. For example, the Bonton brand went into administration in October 2023, before being finally taken over on 15 December by finance company Roger Zannier. and the IDKids group (which operates the subsidiaries Okaïdi, Obaïbi, Jacadi, Oxybul éveil et jeux, Rigolo Comme La Vie, Bubble and N’JOY) have announced a restructuring plan to better focus on their strong businesses.
Now it’s the turn of two other children’s fashion brands, adored by mothers, to go into administration.
Du Pareil au Same and the Sergeant Major, placed in receivership
It is in fact the turn of the Générale pour l’Enfant (GPE) group to be placed in receivership, as revealed by the AFP on March 20, 2024. This is the parent company of the children’s brands Du Simile allo Same (DPAM) and Sergeant Major. This court decision was registered on March 14, 2024 at the request of the commercial court of Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis).
The Générale pour l’Enfant group, owner of Du Pareil Au Meilleur and Sergent Major, has been under payment suspension since March 6. He therefore finds himself under observation for six months, until September 16, to try to heal the situation. The future will tell if it will be successful, if it will be liquidated and/or taken over in extremis.
Could a law against ultra-fast fashion save mid-range fashion brands in France?
Among the reasons that explain the collapse of mid-range fashion in France is the emergence of ultra-fast fashion players such as Primark, PrettyLittleThing, Boohoo, AliExpress, Wish, Shein and Temu. These new heavyweights contribute to the polarization of the sector towards luxury on the one hand (even traditional fast fashion players such as Zara and H&M are becoming increasingly premium) and low cost on the other, making the middle ground obsolete.
It is to limit the social but also ecological damage that two legislative proposals against fast fashion are currently being studied in France. On the one hand that of the Républicains deputy Antoine Vermorel-Marques, on the other that of Anne-Cécile Violland of the Orizzonti coalition. Both aim to limit the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry, penalizing brands that release too many new references, in particular through an eco-tax system. But also ban them from advertising.
The balance sheet of fashion brands in difficulty today in France
- 2014: La Redoute cuts 1,350 positions
- 2017: La Halle aux chaussures closes 141 stores, 730 layoffs
- 2018: Happychic (Jules, Brice, Bizzbee) closes 88 stores, 466 layoffs
- 2019: C&A closes 14 stores, cuts 115 jobs
- 2020: C&A closes another 30 stores and 200 more layoffs, while La Halle closes 454 stores and cuts 1,555 jobs, Celio closes 102 and cuts 200 jobs.
- 2022: Camaïeu cuts 2,600 posts
- 2023: San Marina cuts 680 jobs, Kookaï 150
- 2024: Minelli cuts 392 jobs
Listen to Apéro des Daronnes, Madmoizelle’s show that aims to break down taboos on parenting.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
