European sales calendar 2026–2027: when to buy in Spain, France, Italy and Germany

Short answer: the next big dates are Singles Day on Wednesday 11 November, Black Friday on Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November 2026; then the winter sales — Italy from 5 January and France from 6 January 2027. Spain and Germany have no legal sale dates: each shop decides. Below, the rule behind every date, so you know which ones are fixed and which are tradition.

The calendar at a glance

Spain: free dates, strong traditions

Spanish law lets every retailer decide when its sales start and how long they last: "the length of each sales period will be decided freely by each retailer" (Law 7/1996, art. 25, as amended in 2012; BOE, read 3 November 2026). In practice the big chains still open winter sales around 7 January and summer sales around 1 July, and many start earlier online.

France: the most predictable calendar

France fixes its national sales by law: winter sales start on the second Wednesday of January at 8:00 — or the first Wednesday if the second falls after the 12th — and summer sales on the last Wednesday of June, or the one before if the last falls after the 28th; each period lasts four weeks (order of 27 May 2019, Légifrance). That puts winter 2027 at 6 January to 2 February. The government usually confirms the dates in December, and a few eastern departments (Moselle, Meuse, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Vosges) have started earlier in past years. Summer 2026 started on 24 June and was extended to 28 July because of the heatwave (service-public.gouv.fr).

Italy: set by the regions

Italian regions agreed that winter sales start on the working day before Epiphany and summer sales on the first Saturday of July. Summer 2026 started on Saturday 4 July (Regione Piemonte). Length varies by region — most run 60 days, but Liguria runs 45 and Lazio six weeks — so the same discount can end on different days in Milan and Rome.

Germany: no sale seasons since 2004

Germany abolished its legal end-of-season sales (Winter- and Sommerschlussverkauf) in the 2004 reform of its unfair-competition law; since then shops choose when and how much to discount (IHK, bpb). Expect discounts after Christmas and in late summer, plus Black Friday and Amazon's events.

Amazon's own events

Prime Day 2026 ran from 23 to 26 June in Spain and Germany, among other countries (About Amazon EU). The autumn Prime event took place in early October. Both are past for this year; Black Friday is the next one.

How to use the calendar from outside Europe

• Order early in the sale. Popular sizes go first, and the parcel still needs to reach the warehouse before it can be forwarded.
• Group your purchases. Sales mean several orders from several shops; consolidating them into one shipment cuts the international freight you pay.
• Remember VAT and duties. European prices include VAT, and import duties and taxes are paid at destination by the recipient.

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