PARIS — Clémentine Sebert buzzed through an Ikea furniture store during her lunch break, filling her cart with decorative cushions, a new nightstand, lamps and a small rug. “I’m not so worried about the future,” said Ms. Sebert, who returned to her office last month after France’s lockdown was lifted, and was settling into a new rental apartment. Because of a government program to support businesses during the crisis, Ms. Sebert kept her job and most of her pay while on furlough — a big help in paying for the new purchases. “If I had been unemployed, I wouldn’t be spending as much,” she said. Consumers in Europe are going on a shopping spree as their economies reopen, offering hope that a fragile recovery from a deep pandemic-induced recession may be taking hold.

Source: New York Times July 14, 2020 07:00 UTC