The problems of the bouquinistes are not isolated. In many shopping streets, the roller shutters are permanently down. Shops are for rent or for sale. Or owners are on the brink of collapse.
“My sales have fallen by 90 percent in two years,” said David Pariente, who owns a souvenir shop opposite the Louvre. The museum is one of the main attractions in the city, but there are fewer tourists. “I’m making it thanks to state aid and the fact that I have a low rent because the store is so small.”
unbelievably worried
The problems in Paris are not only caused by corona and lockdowns. The situation has been difficult for years. There were terror attacks in the city in 2015, in January and in November. At that time, also in 2016, foreign tourists mainly stayed away. In 2018 and 2019, the Yellow Vests took to the streets. Many shops in Paris always had to close their doors on Saturdays. The public stayed away for fear of the violence. And since 2020 there is corona.
“Entrepreneurs in the city are incredibly worried because of the years of misery,” says Thierry Veron of the Facap shopkeepers’ association. The organization had an investigation into the loss of turnover. “In 2019 and 2020 you saw that turnover remained stable throughout France. But in the city of Paris, turnover fell by 21 percent during that period.”
No extra support
It was even mapped per street what changed. On the Champs-Élysées, the showpiece of Paris, turnover fell by 39 percent in those two years. On and around the Boulevard Haussmann, with large department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, the decrease was 33 percent. And on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, with the famous literary Café De Flore, there was 28 percent less turnover.
“Fortunately, with corona many support measures have been taken for entrepreneurs, so the number of closures has remained limited,” says Facap chairman Veron. But an extra helping hand during the holidays: that was not possible.
“We asked the city council if they could at least help small shops by making Christmas decorations and lights available. That way you support entrepreneurs and you brighten up the city a bit. But we didn’t even get an answer.”
–
