Soldes & soldes flottantes calendar

French sales are not free-for-all: they are tightly regulated. The main soldes are two fixed windows per year (winter + summer). Beyond that, "soldes flottantes" let specific product categories run their own sale at any time. This tool shows the 2026 dates and tells you what is on sale when.

Year of travel

What you want to buy

What this tool actually solves

French sales law (Code de la consommation L121-19) limits most categories to two 6-week windows per year. But the "soldes flottantes" mechanism (L121-19-1) lets a category run its own sale at any time — most used for furniture (Galeries Lafayette Maison, IKEA), kids' clothing (Petit Bateau, Cyrillus), and outdoor equipment (Decathlon does floating sales on seasonal gear). Many travellers don't know that 80% of the year, the big department stores have rotating sales outside the official window.

How to read the result

Each row is a sale window. The "scope" tells you whether it covers all categories or only specific ones. The "typical discount" is the average markdown at Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, FNAC, Decathlon, IKEA etc., for the chosen category.

Limitations

The official dates are set by the Minister of Economy and change annually. The 2026 dates shown here are based on the 2024–2025 publication pattern (winter usually starts second Wednesday of January, summer usually starts last Wednesday of June). Confirm with the government's announcement.

FAQ

Are sale items refundable?

Generally yes, but with conditions. Sale items carry the same 14-day cooling-off period as full-price items. The retailer can refuse exchange but cannot refuse refund. Defective items are always refundable regardless of sale status.

Why are LVMH brands never on sale?

Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel have an opt-out — they don't run sales in France because their brand is positioned at full price only. The only way to get a "deal" on LV in France is the Biennialé / outlet shop in La Vallée Village (Marne-la-Vallée), where prior-season items are 30–50% off list.

About

1 of 38 tools in France Trip Toolkit. Independent. Based on the Code de la consommation (L121-19 and L121-19-1) and published Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, FNAC, IKEA calendars 2024–2025.

Privacy

No tracking.

Disclaimer

Estimate only. Confirm sale windows with the retailers and the Ministry of Economy announcement for the year of travel.