Fermetures Alinea, Casa, Minelli: attention aux arnaques

With several high-profile retailers closing their doors for good, online ads touting rock-bottom prices are popping up everywhere. But shoppers hunting for bargains are often not getting the deals they expect.

The year 2026 has seen a notable wave of store closures across France. Falling purchasing power, persistent inflation and the pressure from online shopping have forced some well-liked retailers to shut locations. Names such as the furniture chain Alinea, the home-decor shops Casa and the footwear brand Minelli are among those whose shutdowns have reshaped the retail landscape in recent months. On October 21, Gifi also disclosed troubling financial news, and according to Libération, the home-goods retailer may face insolvency.

Vitrine de magasin fermée en France avec panneaux de fermeture — Plusieurs enseignes ont annoncé des fermetures en 2026, transformant le paysage commercial.

When a brand announces a permanent closure or enters liquidation, shoppers typically react in a predictable way: a rush to score last-minute bargains. Consumers flock to stores looking to take advantage of clearance pricing and deep markdowns intended to clear inventory. That cultural expectation — that a failing retailer means big discounts — makes buyers more ready to accept price cuts at face value, including for items sold online.

Fraudsters take advantage of that lowered guard. They set up sham e-commerce sites that copy a brand’s logo, fonts and product listings, sometimes using artificial intelligence to produce full catalogs and convincing layouts to dupe web users. Laetitia Lamari, an online retail expert speaking to TF1 Info, says scammers exploit the sense of urgency and the widespread idea that stores are closing and need to sell off stock. By advertising discounts of 80% to 90% on furniture or apparel, these fake sites collect payments for merchandise that will never be shipped.

Écran d'ordinateur montrant un faux site e-commerce proposant grandes réductions — Les sites frauduleux imitent logos et catalogues pour soutirer paiements et données.

Beyond losing money to a bogus order, the greater risk is the theft of personal information. Entering contact or payment details on such fraudulent platforms exposes buyers to card fraud, unauthorized withdrawals and the resale of their data on criminal networks. To protect yourself, carefully inspect a site’s URL, be skeptical of sponsored ads promising unrealistically large discounts (80%–90%), and avoid proceeding with purchases if something feels off. If you suspect a merchant is fraudulent, report it on the official government platform SignalConso and contact your bank immediately to stop any payments.