In France, the winter sales of 2027 should run for four weeks, from Wednesday 6 January 2027 at 8:00 am to Tuesday 2 February 2027 inclusive. This is a calculation based on the order of 27 May 2019, as no 2027 calendar had been published by 5 November 2026. The press reports that Luxembourg’s sales run from 2 to 30 January 2027.
Checked on : no 2027 calendar published by the French government; 2027 dates are calculated from the order of 27 May 2019 or reported by the press.
Every winter the same question comes up: when do the sales start, and are they worth the trip? For France, the calculated 2027 period runs from 6 January to 2 February 2027; for Luxembourg, the press reports 2 to 30 January. As for whether the sales really offer better value, the data we found can’t tell you: the CCI survey measures what shops take, not what the buyer saves. The benchmark that really protects you is the reference price, explained below. If you’re used to the January sales at home, the French version works differently: the dates are fixed by order, and each discount is measured against a reference price. This guide also covers tax refunds for visitors from outside the EU. If your Paris stay starts before Christmas, the Paris Christmas markets can fill out the plan.
1. Winter sales 2027 dates: what’s published and what’s calculated
As of 5 November 2026, no State text or page publishes the 2027 calendar: the official pages only give the 2026 dates. The French dates below are therefore calculated from the order of 27 May 2019, which sets the permanent rule: the sales start on the second Wednesday of January at 8:00 am, moved to the first Wednesday if the second falls after the 12th, and last four weeks. In 2027, the second Wednesday falls on 13 January, so the start moves to Wednesday 6 January.
For travellers, three points matter. The official publication is expected around mid-December, based on a practice we have observed but still need to reconfirm. Lorraine follows its own exception. And several neighbouring countries have calendars that can’t be worked out from the French rule.
| Territory | Period (announced or calculated) | Status | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland France | From Wednesday 6 January (8:00 am) to Tuesday 2 February 2027 inclusive | Calculated, not published | Official publication expected around mid-December |
| Lorraine (Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Vosges) | From Saturday 2 to Friday 29 January 2027 | Derived, to be confirmed | Exception for the first working day of January |
| Luxembourg | From Saturday 2 to Saturday 30 January 2027 | Announced by the press | Grand-ducal regulation not checked |
| Belgium | 3 to 31 January 2027, according to the press | Uncertain | 3 January is a Sunday: date to be confirmed |
| Germany | Last Monday of January by convention: 25 January 2027 (calculated, not announced) | Convention | No legal date |
| Italy (Lombardy) | No date published | Rough calculation only | Dates are set region by region |
| United Kingdom | No legal sales period | No text | Year-end promotions, with no official calendar |
| Spain | Free, set by each retailer | Liberalised | No official date to give |
Source: order of 27 May 2019 (Légifrance), the only legal basis for the French dates; France.fr, an unofficial information page (updated 26 October 2026); Paperjam, press, for Luxembourg; checked on 5 November 2026.
Lorraine needs a note. In 2026, the exception started on the first working day of January, which was 2 January. For 2027, the same logic gives Saturday 2 January. But reading it as « Monday to Friday » would give Monday 4 January. This needs confirming before you plan a departure from eastern France.
Watch out for tourist pages that copy the Luxembourg dates. Visit Paris Region announces winter sales for 2027 « from Saturday 2 to Saturday 30 January ». Those are the Luxembourg dates, not the French calendar, which runs from 6 January to 2 February 2027 (page checked on 5 November 2026, with no update date). For the French overseas territories, including Guadeloupe, no 2027 date is confirmed in the sources we checked.
2. Reduced prices: the reference price rule
During the sales, a discount is measured against a reference price. According to service-public.gouv.fr, that is the lowest price charged over at least the 30 days before the reduction. Two special cases matter when you buy travel items:
- for a product put on sale less than 30 days ago, the base is the price since it went on sale;
- for successive reductions, the base is the price before the first reduction.
The rule only protects you if you know how to read it. A -50% label on an item that sold at the same price the week before is not a discount. Check the reference price shown on the label or online, and compare it with the prices charged in the weeks before, where that history is available.
The checks back this up. A study by the consumer group UFC-Que Choisir, carried out from February to April 2025, looked at almost 1,000 sale-price listings on six sites, including Shein and Temu. According to the association, only 15% of those crossed-out prices matched a real reduction. According to the press, Shein was also fined €40 million in July 2025 for misleading commercial practices, including inflated reference prices; the brand disputes part of the decision.
3. VAT refunds: getting tax back when you live outside the EU
A resident outside the EU can get back VAT on some purchases, provided they meet the thresholds and deadlines. In France, the form must be stamped before the end of the third month after the purchase, and the threshold is counted per shop and per day.
Since Brexit, British residents are generally treated as non-EU visitors for these refunds, so the same rules apply to a UK shopper. Check the current conditions with French customs before you travel: most sources we found are from refund companies. You need to spend more than €100 incl. VAT, be 16 or over, have your main residence outside the EU, stay less than six months, and show your passport. The seller issues a PABLO form, which you have stamped at the customs kiosk at your last EU exit point. The refund itself comes from the shop or the refund operator, not from customs.
Since 2 June 2025, a form the kiosk doesn’t recognise can no longer be validated by French customs. You then have to go to the refund operator named on the form, according to customs. So ask for the form before you pay, then check the logo and the operator’s name.
| Country | Threshold | Deadline and procedure | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | More than €100 incl. VAT per shop and per day | Stamp at the last EU exit point, before the end of the 3rd month after purchase | PABLO form; if the form isn’t recognised, contact the operator |
| Italy | €70 incl. VAT per invoice | Goods leave the EU within 3 months; invoice returned within 6 months; digital stamp OTELLO 2.0 | Single validation of one traveller’s invoices announced from 1 July 2026 (secondary source, to be confirmed) |
| Spain | No minimum in most recent sources | About 3 months according to a 2026 source; kiosks or desks at the airport | Operator fees reduce the net saving |
| United Kingdom | No in-store refund found in our research, to be confirmed with HMRC | Not checked against a UK official source | No official UK source open |
Source: douane.gouv.fr (updated 4 June 2026, checked 5 November 2026); Partitaiva for Italy, a secondary source; Madrid Tourism for Spain, page not opened at the time of writing. For Spain, the sources disagree: most set no threshold, while one older source cites €90.16.
In Italy, the threshold has been €70 incl. VAT per invoice since 1 February 2024. According to secondary sources, invoices for the same traveller could be validated together from 1 July 2026, even when they come from different intermediaries who are members of the system. Invoices issued by sellers based in another EU member state stay excluded. Before you work out your saving, read the circular from the Italian customs agency: this rule has only been checked in secondary sources.
In Spain, most recent sources set no minimum threshold. One older source still cites €90.16, a figure that looks outdated but that we couldn’t rule out with the tax agency: the spain.info page we checked returns a 404 error. Operator fees cut into the net saving, and we have no verified figure for them.
Work out your net saving before you buy: threshold reached, operator fees, time spent at customs. For a purchase just above the threshold, that gain can almost disappear.
Paris: browsing department stores and independent boutiques
Paris has the department stores, the independent boutiques and the second-hand markets. The Marais is one of the neighbourhoods the guides we checked recommend for independent fashion, vintage and designers, with Sunday opening hours that vary from shop to shop. The guides also point to the department stores, where you can compare several brands under one roof. No winter 2027 opening hours have been published yet, so check each shop’s website.
Budget: no reliable data. The sources we checked give no comparable spending range for the sales, and we found no average spend figure. Best time to go: the end of the period, according to guide recommendations we have not measured; one guide suggests Tuesday or Thursday morning to avoid weekend crowds, which is also unmeasured. No percentage discount has been verified.
Highlights
- The Marais brings independent shops, vintage and designers together in one area.
- The department stores let you compare several brands without changing street.
Department stores: BHV Marais, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marché
The four department stores cited by the guides we checked are BHV Marais, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and Le Bon Marché. We found no winter 2027 opening hours in the sources we checked. Some guides mention a discount for tourists on showing a passport. We haven’t been able to verify this with the stores, so don’t count on it before you reach the till.
Highlights
- One place to compare several brands and price levels.
- A reference price shown on each item, which you should check every time.
- A tax-free form to ask for at the till, before you pay, if the threshold is reached.
4. Luxembourg, Belgium and the UK: where the rules differ
Luxembourg: dates set by regulation, and a restricted word
In Luxembourg, the dates are set each year by grand-ducal regulation, for a maximum of one month. According to Paperjam (5 November 2026), the government has published the dates: Saturday 2 to Saturday 30 January 2027 for winter, and 26 June to 24 July 2027 for summer. We haven’t read the regulation itself, so check it before you book. Outside the legal periods, the word « solde(s) » is banned, according to guichet.public.lu.
Belgium: one date still to confirm
The Belgian press reports sales from 3 to 31 January 2027. But 3 January 2027 is a Sunday, and a rule cited by a consumer source could move the start to 2 January. So the date isn’t certain. A ruling of the Belgian Council of State on 20 May 2026 also annulled fines for using the word « soldes » outside the legal periods. According to a legal commentary from July 2026, the periods themselves are not expressly cancelled, but the rule is now largely unenforceable. We haven’t read the ruling itself. For travellers, the word « soldes » no longer guarantees the dates: check the start date and the reference price instead.
Eurostar: a promotion with fixed dates
Eurostar offers 25% off each trip for adults on Standard and Plus fares (not Premier), subject to availability and with some dates excluded. Booking opens at 10:00 on 4 November 2026 and closes at 23:59 on 9 November 2026, for journeys between 23 November 2026 and 17 March 2027. The promotion doesn’t apply to hotels. The official page shows only the percentage, with no euro amount. So should you book? If you book between 4 and 9 November 2026 for a journey in the 23 November 2026 to 17 March 2027 window, the promotion applies, subject to availability. Outside that window, the sources we checked announce no discount.
5. Winter sales 2026: what the figures say
The reports published on the winter 2026 sales paint a mixed picture. In Paris, CCI Paris Île-de-France phoned 300 shopkeepers between 19 and 23 January 2026: 76% said their turnover rose during the sales, and 54% said they were satisfied. Nationally, the IFM panel, relayed by FashionUnited, reports a turnover in value of -0.4%, with more than half of retailers seeing footfall fall. These surveys were published by their authors, haven’t been checked by Pixidia, and can’t be compared with each other.
| Indicator | Value | Source | Publication date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris shopkeepers whose turnover rose | 76% | CCI Paris Île-de-France (CROCIS) | January 2026 |
| Paris shopkeepers satisfied | 54% (42% of independents) | CCI Paris Île-de-France | January 2026 |
| National turnover in value | -0.4% | IFM panel, relayed by FashionUnited | February 2026 |
Source: FashionUnited (IFM panel) and CCI Paris Île-de-France; checked on 5 November 2026.
What other guides don’t tell you
- Alsace, Corsica and the Alpes-Maritimes: national calendar according to TPE Actu, to be confirmed. TPE Actu places these three areas in the French national calendar: a secondary source, so check it on service-public.gouv.fr before you fix a departure date. The January exception covers the four Lorraine departments, not Alsace. Source: TPE Actu, winter sales dates in France and Luxembourg (article dated 12 August 2026), checked on 5 November 2026.
- No sales-specific footfall figure in the sources we checked. No Procos report specific to the winter 2026 sales appears in the sources we checked. The figures relayed cover 2025: according to E-Commerce Nation, footfall across all shops fell by 1.6% over 2025 and by 0.7% in December 2025. That decline doesn’t measure the real gain for a buyer. Source: E-Commerce Nation, relayed Procos barometer (article of 16 January 2026), checked on 5 November 2026.
- Unsold goods: destruction banned in the EU since 19 July 2026. Large companies can no longer destroy unsold clothing and footwear (ESPR eco-design regulation, according to FashionUnited). The rule sets neither a sales date nor a price. Source: FashionUnited, ban on destroying unsold goods, checked on 5 November 2026.
Before you go: three checks
The French 2027 calendar is expected around mid-December. Until then, the dates in this guide are calculated: check the State’s page before you fix a plan, especially if your trip depends on the first weekend.
The winter 2027 opening hours of the outlets haven’t been checked. Troyes: the offers mentioned have expired. Roermond: the exceptional hours from 19 October to 1 November 2026 don’t apply to winter 2027. Bicester and La Vallée Village: not checked. Look at each centre’s website on the day you visit, and don’t rely on summer hours or an old page.
Keep receipts and invoices until you’ve passed through customs on the way out, and check that the tax-free form shows the operator’s logo and name before you leave the shop.
Frequently asked questions about the winter sales 2027
When are the winter sales 2027 in France?
The 2027 winter sales should start on Wednesday 6 January 2027 at 8:00 am and run for four weeks, until Tuesday 2 February inclusive. The date follows from the order of 27 May 2019: the second Wednesday of January 2027 falls on the 13th, after the 12th, so the start moves to the first Wednesday. The official calendar had not been published by 5 November 2026.
Who sets the dates of the winter sales 2027?
In France, the dates are set by order (arrêté), under article L. 310-3 of the Commercial Code. The State’s pages, such as service-public.gouv.fr and entreprises.gouv.fr, show the calendar for the current year. By established practice, the calendar for the following winter is published around mid-December, a point we still need to reconfirm. In Luxembourg, a grand-ducal regulation sets the dates each year.
When do the Belgian sales start in 2027?
According to the Belgian press, the sales would run from 3 to 31 January 2027. As 3 January is a Sunday, a rule cited by a consumer source could bring the start forward to 2 January, so the date isn’t certain. A Belgian Council of State ruling of 20 May 2026 annulled fines for « soldes » advertising outside the legal periods; according to a legal commentary from July 2026, we haven’t read the ruling itself. Check the calendar with the Belgian federal economy service (SPF Économie) before you book.
Are there winter sales in London or the UK in 2027?
The UK has no legal sales period. Year-end promotions often start on Boxing Day, 26 December, and run into January. As of 5 November 2026, no 2027 date had been announced by a UK retailer or an official UK source, so follow each retailer’s announcements rather than a national calendar.
When are the 2027 sales in Barcelona and Spain?
In Spain, the rebajas are not set by the State: each retailer chooses its periods and how long they last. So there is no official date to give for winter 2027, in Barcelona or anywhere else. For tax refunds, most recent sources set no minimum threshold, but one older source still cites €90.16: check the threshold with the operator before you buy.
When are the Italian sales (saldi) in 2027?
The saldi are set by each region. No 2027 calendar has been published for Lombardy or the other regions in the sources we checked. For Rome or Florence, check the text of the region concerned. An Italian itinerary should wait for the regional publication before the dates are fixed.
Is Black Friday a sales period?
Not in the legal sense. Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November 2026, a calculated date: it is the fourth Thursday of November, the 26th, and the Friday after it. It doesn’t follow the sales calendar. The word « soldes » (sales) used for the event has no verified legal status in the sources we checked, so that needs confirming. The reference price remains your best guide.
Can you get a VAT refund in France if you live outside the EU?
Yes, if you are a non-EU resident aged 16 or over, staying less than six months, and your purchases exceed €100 incl. VAT per shop and per day. Show your goods, the PABLO form and your passport at your last EU exit point, before the end of the third month after the purchase. The refund is then paid by the shop or the operator. Since Brexit, UK residents are generally treated as non-EU residents for this purpose, but check the current rules with French customs.
What should you do if the PABLO kiosk doesn’t recognise the form?
Since 2 June 2025, French customs can no longer validate a form the kiosk doesn’t recognise. You then have to contact the refund operator named on the form. To avoid this case, ask for the form before you pay, and check the logo and the operator’s name.
Is a crossed-out price during the sales always a good deal?
No. The reference price is the lowest price charged for at least 30 days before the reduction. A study by UFC-Que Choisir, published in 2025, found a real reduction on only about 15% of the crossed-out prices it examined, across six sites including Shein and Temu. Compare the crossed-out price with the prices charged in the weeks before.
Sources
- Order of 27 May 2019 on sales periods (Légifrance): start date and length of the sales
- Service-public, reference price (F24037): definition of the 30-day reference price
- Service-public, winter sales 2026 (A15407): 2026 dates and regional exceptions
- Ministry of the Economy, regulated sales: sales: official framework
- Customs, tax-free shopping in France for travellers (PABLO): threshold, deadline and stamp
- Customs, tax-free sales form not recognised: notice of 8 July 2025
- Guichet.lu, sales in Luxembourg: restricted word and maximum length
- Paperjam, sales dates 2026-2027: press report of 5 November 2026
- France.fr, winter sales: unofficial information page, updated 26 October 2026, calculated dates
- Calendriergratuit, sales dates: updated 5 November 2026, unofficial source
- Partitaiva, tax-free in Italy: €70 threshold per invoice
- Madrid Tourism, tax-free shopping: no threshold in most sources
- LexGo, Belgian Council of State ruling: legal commentary from July 2026
- FashionUnited, UFC-Que Choisir and misleading promotions: 2025 study
- FashionUnited, winter sales 2026 report (IFM panel): February 2026
- Brut, €40 million fine for Shein: press report, July 2025
- TPE Actu, winter sales in France and Luxembourg: national calendar for Alsace, Corsica and the Alpes-Maritimes, secondary source (article of 12 August 2026)
- FashionUnited, ban on destroying unsold goods: ESPR regulation, in force since 19 July 2026
Research carried out on 5 November 2026
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