Insee Première · June 2022 · n° 1909

Trade in 2021 In 2021, activity improved in the trade sector and salaried employment rebounded

In France, in 2021, sales in the commercial sectors improved with the rebound in economic activity. The easing of measures to combat the Covid-19 epidemic allowed non-food retail activity to resume. However, not all retailers returned to their 2019 level of activity, particularly department stores and clothing and footwear retailers. Sales also rebounded in wholesale trade and motor vehicle trade and repair. The motor vehicle trade, which was heavily penalised in 2020, has not caught up with its pre-crisis level. In the retail trade, sales in the food trade in shops stabilised, after a year of strong growth in 2020. Activity continued to accelerate in the non-store trade, with still a significant share of online sales.

In 2021, wage employment in the retail sector increased by 3,0%, less strongly than in the market services sector excluding temporary work (+4,3%). Nevertheless, salaried employment exceeded its end-2019 level in each of the three major trade sectors.

In the first quarter of 2022, the volume of sales remained above its level of the first quarter of 2019 despite a clear deterioration in the business climate.