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Readers can access the full report via The Moodie Report. The AFCOV Index is designed to measure sales patterns across the key travel retail locations in France’s Espace Voyageur network | |
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FRANCE. AFCOV (Association Française du Commerce du Voyageur) has released this year’s third edition of its landmark Index, designed to measure sales patterns across the key travel retail locations in France’s Espace Voyageur network.
The third-quarter results indicate that sales were again weak for the core liquor, tobacco and fragrance categories, in comparison with the same period in 2003 (sales are compared in terms of last year’s 100 index base). Turnover declined -7.97%, -12.73% and -12.62%, respectively.
However other categories – which includes gifts, fashion, jewellery and electronics – turned in a more positive performance, particularly for the month of July, when turnover increased +9.51%.
Compared with the same period year-on-year, sales subsequently dipped – 6.02% and -3.03% in August and September respectively.
AFCOV observed that the so-called “˜traditional’ categories had been affected by two key issues: a sharp drop in tobacco sales and currency fluctuations – most notably the relationship between the dollar and the euro.
It added that sales of these categories had remained more or less stable since the beginning of the year, evidence that they had not been affected by seasonal traffic variations.
Summer traffic peaks had however boosted sales of the non-traditional categories, prompting them to surpass 2003 levels for the first time, although the performance was not sustained.
The figures for sales per passenger in the third quarter were again disappointing (if, again stable) for liquor, tobacco and perfumery, showing a decrease of -11.75% in July, -11.58% in August and -15.15% in September.
Other categories again performed well in July, rising +5.01% over the same period the previous year. Sales for August and September declined slightly year-on-year, by -4.78% and -5.84%, respectively.
However, those figures are a marked improvement from April – the lowest point of the year to date – when sales were down -29.56% over 2003.
AFCOV concluded that sales and sales per passenger had followed similar trends throughout the year, implying that passenger mix, as opposed to overall passenger numbers, was having a bigger effect.
MORE STORIES ON AFCOV
AFCOV Index reveals mixed second-quarter results – 30/07/04
AFCOV Index reveals poor first quarter results for French travel retail – 14/05/04
French market falls -14% in 2003, says new AFCOV study – 10/02/04
