the ever more uncertain future of Alinea

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A furniture brand is once again in turmoil. Alinea has just been placed in receivership. The future of the 36 stores and 1,200 employees is now threatened. In Aubagne (Bouches-du-Rhône), the customers met on the morning of Friday November 21 are fatalistic about the announcement. “It’s a shame, because we’re losing stores where there are a lot of interesting and pretty things, for all tastes, for everyone and for all budgets.”deplores a customer. “Afterwards, we have no choice but to buy on the internet, given the number of stores which are decreasing.” comments another.

Alinea had already gone through legal receivership five years ago, in the middle of a pandemic. The brand then based its relaunch on moving upmarket, a strategy that did not work. The brand is not the only one experiencing difficulties: from Casa to Habitat to Maisons du Monde, several stores have had to close in recent years. The fault, already, is sluggish consumption. Furniture sales fell 2.2% year-on-year.

“The French have purchasing power problems. They are worried about the future. So normally, this should drive the home market. But there, they are on break. So they buy a little decoration, and are a little more shy about furniture.” explains Christophe Gazel, director of the Maison Institute. Decoration is now purchased on Chinese sites like Temu, which are also investing in the furniture sector. One in four French people say they have purchased a decorative item or piece of furniture on this site in the last 12 months.