disguises, confetti, party favors… customers flock to the stores

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Glasses, glittery hat, mother-in-law’s tongue: in her boutique, Christel Bourgeois sells something to celebrate the New Year in glitter and pomp. Two days before New Year’s Eve, latecomers are looking for their last party items, including the essential party favors in boxes to pay less. Atmosphere, but also decorations, are part of the New Year’s budget. With a little touch of disco, perhaps, the 80s are making a comeback. A trendy and inexpensive theme. “With three or four neon accessories in different colors, straight away, that’s it, we’re in the theme”indicates Christel Bourgeois, director of the “La Fête” store in Fleury-Mérogis (Essonne).

For some, end of year rhymes with “costume” and not just any costume. “The theme is the first letter of the first name and I’m Christopher, so I have to choose C. (…) I went either on knight or on Caesar”, shares a customer. Verdict: the Roman emperor costume at €25.90 wins. The costume comes from a warehouse in central France: 5,000 square meters of party items. The biggest orders left a month ago. Today, only around forty restocks for out-of-stock stores. New Year’s Eve represents more than a million euros, or a quarter of the annual turnover. “For us, between November and December, we send between 30 and 40 pallets per day to our customers and several dozen packages daily,” indicates Jérémy Vergne, CEO of Perty Pro – Tim and Puce Factory.

In a store, the average basket amounts to 24 euros for the transition to the new year, slightly down year-on-year.