Monoprix, which sells clothes and household goods as well as food, announced the closure of six of its 600 stores in France, with three being sold to Lidl, according to its parent company, Groupe Casino, on Tuesday, February 10. Nearly 200 employees are affected by this restructuring. This closure plan illustrates the crisis facing the retail sector, which is particularly devastating the clothing market. In 2025, sales dropped by 1.6%, according to the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM, French Institute of Fashion).

“In the fashion sector, Monoprix used to be the model. At one time, its market share reached 2% in France,” explained Gildas Minvielle, director general of the IFM’s economic observatory. Known for its premium food offerings and cosmetics aisles, the chain established itself as a major fashion retailer in city centers, thanks to the good value for money it inherited from Prisunic, with which it merged in 1997. “But Monoprix’s entire environment has been shaken up,” Minvielle said. Superstores and then discount stores like Lidl and Action undermined its food and household goods departments. Young women now prefer to try makeup at Sephora, Temu and Shein. And their parents shop online, hunt for secondhand fashion and above all, limit their purchases.

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