She was absent for two years, mowed down by the Covid-19 epidemic. And when she wanted to return to the slot that was traditionally reserved for her, she was told no, sorry. Disliked ? Let’s say it is not unanimous. This Wednesday, the big sale will however sign a resounding comeback in the city center of Rennes. Accustomed to launching the summer sales, the event had to be postponed for a week to give priority to the Fête de la Musique. “The city could not be ready at 5 a.m. after a night of partying,” summarizes Alix Lequime.
Arrived in 2019, the new director of the Carré Rennais never organized the big sale. But she knew her well as a client. “Our employer gave us several hours at noon to go there. At that time, the clearance sale in Rennes was crazy”. The young director recognizes that the biggest commercial event in the Breton capital “is no longer what it was ten years ago”. And even admits that the Carré Rennais teams have thought about relaunching it after two years of silence. “We asked ourselves the question because the organization is very substantial and the cost is high. But we quickly realized that it must not disappear. Because it remains eagerly awaited and because it contributes to highlighting the shops in the city centre, ”explains the director.
Accustomed to selling off for fifty years every time summer comes around, Rennes merchants seem very enthusiastic. Stocks full after two rotten years, they finally appreciate the choice of a differentiated date for the launch of the sales, which offers them two highlights. This Wednesday, there will be more than 170 to unpack, for around 150 itinerant traders. A significant increase in the presence of locals which will delight those who criticized the omnipresence of street vendors. With what attendance? “Impossible to say”, recognizes the director. In the past, the event attracted up to 400,000 people in one day.
“I’ve been going there since I was little, I love it”
And what do the people of Rennes think of it? The opinions left by our readers are divided. First there are lovers. “For me, the big sale is unavoidable. I don’t feel the same excitement with sales. The big sale, it’s apart, ”says Stéphane. Nathalie pulls in the same direction. “I’ve been going there since I was little, I love it. It’s a festive moment, the atmosphere is great.
Like many of our readers, she regrets the disappearance of the big concert that has long come to punctuate this day on the Esplanade de Gaulle. Laëtitia regrets that it “does not coincide with the start of the sales”. In Rennes, some enthusiasts are used to taking a day off to come and hunt. More complicated when you have to take two. Denis even thinks that it should be “organized on Saturday until late at night so that everyone can enjoy it”.
If some are in love with the event, others easily recognize that they will not go. “It’s a sale of poor quality Chinese clothes,” says Nataly. François even describes it as “cheesy” with “poor quality or even counterfeit products”. Those who have known it in the past sometimes struggle to find their way around. “I did it every year because my high school was right next door. There is no more room for the original stands where I bought my metal t-shirts or accessories. Today, it’s still the same products: clothes and perfumes every ten meters”.
These criticisms, the organizers of Carré Rennais are used to them. “Whether you like the sale or don’t, it remains a party, a day of smiles, of pleasure”, assures the director. After two years of abstinence, Rennes can reconnect with its saying. Wednesday is a clearance sale.