Overview
- Toy stores report packed aisles on December 24 with depleted shelves, led by construction sets and popular adult board games including Flip-7, which has sold 6,000 units since early December.
- JouéClub says the final three days before Christmas account for about 10% of its annual sales.
- An OpinionWay survey for Amazon finds 43% of French shoppers buy gifts in the last week, including 19% who wait until the final three days.
- Retailers respond with added staff, in-store events and hands-on advice, including a Paris toy shop doubling its team and a Nîmes merchant hosting an aperitif to draw late buyers, while digital gift vouchers offer a fallback.
- Major centers log heavy footfall, with Marseille’s Terrasses du Port topping one million December visitors and expecting tens of thousands in the final days, as some shops cite gains such as a Dunkirk chocolatier reporting 10% year-on-year growth.