End of season in the Médoc: what to do when your company's cash flow is insufficient?

Restaurants, hotels, campsites, shops, and tourism businesses in the Médoc: September is often the month for taking stock. After a 2026 season marked in particular by the fires in the Gironde, some businesses are entering autumn with depleted cash reserves. What can be done when the season hasn't allowed them to replenish their cash flow sufficiently?

In the Médoc region, many businesses depend directly or indirectly on the tourist season.

For them, the revenue generated in the spring and especially during the summer must cover the expenses of the season, but also allow them to approach the autumn and winter months with sufficient cash flow.

However, satisfactory attendance does not necessarily mean a good financial season.

As early as May 2026, 42.7% of tourism professionals in Gironde surveyed noted a decline in visitor numbers, according to Gironde Tourisme.

Added to this situation were the fires that affected the Gironde region during the summer of 2026, with economic consequences extending beyond the directly affected businesses: evacuations, traffic restrictions, cancellations of stays or a decrease in visitor numbers.

The State has also opened the partial activity scheme not only to companies located in the evacuated areas, but also to companies in the Gironde region whose activity had been affected by the fires.

For some companies in the Médoc region, the end-of-season assessment can therefore be delicate: no material damage, activity that continued, but insufficient turnover to absorb expenses and prepare for the coming months.

The essential question is then simple: does the company currently have enough cash to get through the autumn and winter?

1. Cash flow difficulties: don't wait for the first missed payment

When a company experiences cash flow difficulties, the first mistake is often to wait: for a future cash inflow, the All Saints' Day holiday, an additional bank overdraft, or even possible compensation.

However, difficulties are generally much easier to deal with when they are anticipated.

At the end of the season, the manager should therefore prepare a cash flow forecast for three to six months, identifying in particular:

• available cash and receivables to be collected;
• salaries and social security contributions;
• tax deadlines;
• rents;
• loans and leases;
• supplier debts;
• any potential repayments of PGE loans;
• reasonably foreseeable turnover during the low season.

Expected insurance compensation or aid should be treated with caution: a sum hoped for but not yet granted does not necessarily constitute an immediately available resource.

The main objective is to determine the date on which the company risks no longer being able to meet its deadlines.

Also read: "My vineyard is no longer breaking even: 5 levers to pull before filing for bankruptcy"

2. Does a bad season mean that the business is no longer viable?

Not necessarily.

This is particularly true after an exceptional event like the Gironde fires of summer 2026.

For a restaurant, campsite, hotel or business that makes a significant portion of its revenue between June and September, a few weeks of disrupted customer traffic can be enough to cause a cash flow deficit.

The difficulty may therefore be temporary, even though the activity remains profitable under normal conditions.

In this scenario, the objective will be to enable the company to get through this period: spreading out certain debts, maintaining bank financing, mobilizing insurance when applicable, or negotiating with the main creditors.

Conversely, if the difficulties already existed before the season and the activity no longer structurally allows the costs to be covered, other solutions will have to be considered.

The first diagnosis therefore consists of distinguishing a cash flow crisis from a structural difficulty.

3. Cash flow difficulties: what payment terms can a company request?

A cash flow problem does not necessarily mean that the company has to file for bankruptcy.

Depending on her situation, she can in particular request payment extensions from the Urssaf, negotiate her tax debts, request the maintenance or modification of her bank loans or agree on payment schedules with her landlord and her main suppliers.

When several tax and social debts accumulate, the Commission of Heads of Financial Services (CCSF) can also help to seek a coordinated settlement plan.

The key is to start these steps early enough.

Negotiation margins are generally greater before the first payment incidents than once reminders, formal notices or recovery procedures have been initiated.

4. Ad hoc mandate or conciliation: taking action before bankruptcy proceedings

When multiple creditors need to be negotiated simultaneously, individual discussions can quickly show their limitations.

Ad hoc mandates or conciliation can then be particularly useful tools.

These procedures allow for seeking, in a confidential setting and with the intervention of a professional appointed by the court, an agreement with the main creditors: payment deadlines, bank rescheduling or a more global restructuring of the debt.

Going to court does not necessarily mean "filing for bankruptcy".

On the contrary, it can allow intervention before the situation deteriorates.

For a seasonal business in the Médoc region that remains viable but has suffered a bad season or an exceptional event, these procedures deserve to be considered early enough.

5. How can you tell if your company is insolvent?

There is a limit that every leader absolutely must know.

A company is in default of payments when it can no longer meet its liabilities as they fall due with its available assets.

In other words: does the company have the immediately available resources to settle its debts that have come due?

If the answer is negative, the situation must be analyzed without delay.

The manager must in principle declare the cessation of payments within a maximum period of 45 days, except in particular when a conciliation procedure is underway.

Depending on the situation and prospects of the company, the opening of a judicial reorganization procedure may be considered.

6. Fires in Gironde: can a loss of turnover be compensated?

When a decline in activity is linked to fires, it is also advisable to check the insurance coverage taken out.

Business interruption insurance may be available, but its conditions vary depending on the contract.

Some guarantees require, in particular, the existence of prior material damage, while other contracts may include specific extensions.

It is also important to retain the elements that allow us to establish the impact of the event on the activity: cancellations, reservations, comparative sales figures, exchanges with customers or access restrictions.

Seasonal business in the Médoc: why act as soon as summer ends?

For a seasonal business in the Médoc region, September and October are crucial months.

When a cash flow problem arises, several solutions can still be used: cash flow forecast → negotiation with creditors → tax and social deadlines → bank negotiation → ad hoc mandate or conciliation → collective procedure if it becomes necessary.

But the longer the company waits, the fewer solutions there are.

A cancelled overdraft, a payment order from the landlord or several unpaid tax and social security installments can quickly transform a still negotiable difficulty into a real crisis.

The fires of summer 2026 illustrate this: an external event can suddenly weaken a company's cash flow without necessarily jeopardizing its medium-term viability.

The question is therefore not simply:

"How much longer can I hold out?"

But rather:

"How much time do I still have to act?"

Our business law department assists managers, traders, craftsmen, restaurateurs, hoteliers, farmers and companies in the Médoc and Gironde regions who are facing cash flow difficulties or tensions with their creditors.

We intervene in particular to analyze the company's situation, negotiate with its creditors, deal with difficulties related to the commercial lease and support the manager in the context of an ad hoc mandate, conciliation, safeguard or judicial reorganization.

Intervening early enough generally allows for more solutions to be available and preserves the chances of business continuity. Don't hesitate to contact.

Article written by Fanny Hurreau, partner at the law firm Arst Avocats in charge of the Gironde branch office