Bourges (AFP) – Shops closing, streets emptying: in Bourges, as in many medium-sized towns, lowered curtains are multiplying under the pressure of online commerce. As municipal elections approach, communities seem helpless.

Published on: 02/09/2026 - 10:23

“For rent”, “lease to transfer”, “available”. On three of the commercial arteries of Bourges, vacant premises follow one another. The number of clothing stores has been halved since 2013, according to a count carried out by AFP.

The situation is not about to be reversed: in mid-February, a down jacket store is also preparing to close permanently.

“Today, we, traders, we have no solution,” laments Valérie Cosenza, manager of the Jott boutique and president of the city’s traders’ office. “Customers come to try, take photos, ask for advice… and then buy on the internet.”

Pressure from "fast-fashion" with platforms like Shein, business failures, competition from peripheral shopping areas... The reasons for the decline are multiple.

Ready-to-wear, above all, is going through a deep crisis, with 50,000 jobs lost in ten years, and an ever-increasing number of brands in difficulty, from IKKS to Jennyfer via Camaïeu.

The number of stores of major fashion brands has fallen in France by almost 20% since 2019, according to the Commerce Alliance, which recently warned of the “decommercialization” of cities.

No sector is spared.

“No bags”

Vincent Rouballay, at the head of an independent household linen business, opened in 1978 in Bourges, now only achieves "25% of the turnover of fifteen years ago". “People walk around but they don’t buy. We don’t see any bags,” he regrets.

In 2026, it in turn plans to close. “I am between the RSA and the minimum wage. Working 60 hours to not earn a living, that no longer makes sense.”

On a national scale, commercial vacancy (rate of unused premises) “is generally on the rise again”, going “from 9.73% to 10.64% between 2023 and 2024 in city centers, according to a report submitted to the government in November.

In three years, it could reach, or even exceed, 30%, or one in three businesses closed, according to Yann Rivoallan, president of the French Ready-to-Wear Federation.

Bourges, where commercial vacancy is close to 15% according to the municipality, nevertheless has certain advantages: designated European Capital of Culture in 2028, it is once again driven by the activity of its defense industries in the context of geopolitical tensions.

“Twenty years ago, the French spent 8 billion euros on the internet, last year, it was 175 billion,” defends Yann Galut, the various left-wing mayor of this city of 64,000 inhabitants. “Everything that is consumed on the internet is no longer consumed in city centers.”

For the councilor, "the change in consumption patterns is the primary cause of desertification", a situation which affects "Bourges, but also Châteauroux, Roubaix, Nevers or Montluçon..."

“Unfair competition”

Mr. Galut believes that “the vitality” of city centers must be an “issue” in the municipal elections in March. He calls on the State to legislate and halt this decline.

First measures have certainly been unveiled to revitalize the sector by the Minister of SMEs and Trade Serge Papin. “There will be fewer businesses, but they must be more robust,” said the minister to AFP.

Training traders in artificial intelligence (AI), deploying “commerce managers”, or strengthening support for business creation are some of the avenues.

Another plans to toughen taxes on vacant premises to encourage owners to rent them, while the future tax of 2 euros on small parcels should make it possible to curb their influx from China.

However, these announcements struggle to reassure communities.

“If we do not regulate unfair competition from large international groups, in ten years, city centers will be in a lamentable state,” believes Yann Galut.

© 2026 AFP

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