At 2 pm, Patrice Mattioni, the owner of the San Luigi pizzeria in central Grenoble, began clearing the remaining tables. "August and September, usually my best months, were a disaster," the restaurateur sighed. And so the announcement that the Chinese ultra-fast fashion brand Shein would open at Galeries Lafayette, just two streets from his restaurant, was not something he viewed negatively. "Maybe it could bring a new clientele… We could really use that in Grenoble, there's been a general decline in foot traffic downtown," he explained, pointing to two vacant shops at the end of his street.

Grenoble's city center is marked by a relatively high and rising commercial vacancy rate (12% in the Grenoble metropolitan area in 2024, according to Fnaim Isère, France's largest real estate association, compared to 9% in 2019). Retailers often criticize the pedestrianization and parking measures implemented by the city hall, and the announcement has not gone unnoticed among shop owners.

"I won't say it too loudly, but I think Shein's arrival is a good thing – it'll create more visitor flow," said the owner of several restaurants and cafés, including one next to Galeries Lafayette, who wished to remain anonymous. "It could bring more people into town, which is always welcome, and after all, there needs to be something for every budget," said Sabrina Nichilo, manager of the clothing store The Original Shop. Nichilo has seen stores close around her, but is tempering expectations of a possible "Shein effect" in the long term.

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