Every year after the Christmas holidays end, people start to look forward to the winter sales: four weeks of shopping therapy with official discounts starting in early January. 

In Monaco, like any other year, the winter sales kick off slightly earlier. Most shops begin their sales on Thursday 2nd January 2026, while sports retailers start later on Saturday 15th February.

Across most of mainland France, including the Côte d’Azur, the winter sales will take place from Wednesday 7th January until Tuesday 3rd February 2026, starting at 8am on the opening day.

Online shops must follow these same dates, no matter where they’re located.

However, shops in four departments along France’s eastern frontier get a one-week head start – beginning Friday 2nd January and finishing Thursday 29th January. This earlier schedule helps them stay competitive with retailers just across the border. The departments are: Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, and Vosges.

The rules behind French sales

France’s sales periods operate under strict regulations. Retailers can only reduce prices on goods they had in stock before the sales started, and all discounted items must be clearly labelled.

Price cuts must be measured against whatever the shop charged during the month beforehand, and businesses can only use the term ‘soldes’ during official sales windows.

Standard consumer rights apply throughout. While physical shops only have to accept returns on defective items, online purchases come with the usual fortnight to change your mind.

Reductions are set to reach 50% at shops across the region, with some retailers dropping prices further as the month progresses.

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Main photo credit: Ron Lach, Pexels.