- Containment will inevitably leave traces for independent traders. Even for those who have kept their doors open for the past few weeks.
- To limit losses in turnover and continue to serve customers, many shops have changed their practices, from drives to the creation of common delivery platforms.
- And even for stores that have had to keep their curtains down, there is not necessarily a need to wait for the end of confinement to help them.
From bookseller to deliveryman, there is only one step that we are sometimes forced to take overnight in these times of confinement. Sophie Fornairon has been experiencing it for three weeks now, making daily trips back and forth between the Librairie du Canal, which she manages in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, and her customers, who order books of all kinds to better tolerate containment. "Many youth books, comics, but also the latest Leïla Slimani or Lambeau, by Philippe Lançon, both of which are popular," she lists.
In the first days of confinement, the possibility of placing booksellers among essential shops authorized to open was raised. "The Syndicate of the French bookseller judged that the conditions were not met and we did not really speak about it any more," says Sophie Fornairon.
Deliveries that occupy the days
As a result, the vast majority of bookstores have kept their curtains down. An issue that Sophie Fornairon could not resolve. “I have the double advantage of being able to store a large number of references in my bookstore and to have a website on which people can consult the books I have left and order. This is how Sophie Fornairon now spends her days: between preparing orders and delivering on foot. “I make about twenty a day which I dispatte in three big tours, respecting all the barrier measures. At least the days are not completely white. "I save 20% of my turnover", she assesses.
The Librairie du Canal remains among the exceptions. Bookstores, florists, hairdressers, clothing sellers… “80 to 90% of non-food local shops are closed today, for lack of being able to do otherwise, evaluates Jonathan Chelet, co-founder of Small shops, a website which, in time normal, paint a portrait of independent traders. And the picture drawn up by Joël Mauvigney, president of the General Confederation of Retail Food (CGAD), is hardly better. “Of the 400,000 merchants we represent, there are already 200,000 hotels and restaurants, the vast majority of which are closed today. Of the remaining 200,000, about a third have paused their activities. Certain professions are very impacted. Those who worked in the markets, for example. "
"We had to react very quickly"
And when food shops often remain open, it is not without upsetting their practices. "No choice, we had to react very quickly," says Antonio Ballone, at the head of a delicatessen of Italian products, Gusti italiani, in Cannes. From the third day of confinement, the number of visitors to our shop dropped significantly. "
So the Cannes trader federates the neighboring shops and quickly builds up a common platform for free delivery of baskets. "The first objective was already to reduce contacts by allowing our customers to no longer have to leave their homes and to receive, in one go, all the products of our desired businesses", recalls Antonio Ballone. The platform begins with five traders and quickly becomes saturated. "People called us as much to order as to have information or to be reassured," he continues. Our luck is that very quickly, too, the city of Cannes set up “Allo Courses”, a delivery platform to which we were able to piggyback. These are now two employees of the town hall who answer the phone. As for deliveries, they are made by autoentrepreneurs who previously delivered ready-made meals. "
Deliveries that limit breakage
Little by little, therefore, the platform is becoming more professional and allows partner merchants to better weather the crisis. Just for Gusti italiani, Antonio Ballone says he has between 30 and 50 deliveries to prepare per day. "We have managed, thanks to this system, to recover a large part of the turnover lost during confinement," he comments. It is also the observation that draws up, at the other end of France, Mickaël Lemetayer, founder of L'Avenue, a hall which brings together food shops in Avranches (Manche). "We have launched an e-commerce platform common to our eight stores," explains Mickaël Lemetayer. And every day, since it works, we are expanding the number of references offered. "
Logistics side, it is Mickaël Lemetayer who takes care of it. “I am a caterer, specialized in events, I have no longer any activity since the start of confinement. So, I take care of the deliveries. »Or between twenty and forty orders to be delivered per day. "We will lose a lot with this confinement, in particular because the two restaurants on the Avenue remain closed, but these deliveries still make it possible to limit breakage," he slips.
Avranches and Cannes are just two examples. "These delivery platforms between traders have sprung up all over France, often with the help of municipalities," observes Joël Mauvigney.
Close shop and get into the drive
The other big parade established by traders to get out of it in these times of confinement is the drive. This is the option chosen by Carole Cabanis, manager of Scarole & Marcellin, a grocery store of local products based in Lyon. This time, it was not the drop in influence in the store that prompted the shopkeeper to implement this solution. But the reverse. "The closing of the markets in Lyon had the effect of causing a large crowd in my shop, to the point that we were no longer able to ensure our safety, or that of our customers," says Carole Cabanis. At the start of the week, she then decides to close the shop and only do the preparation of baskets to collect from the shop. "Since we did not have a website, we created a product file which we send by email to customers," explains the trader. They return their orders to us and we organize their visit to the store. "
A customer every quarter of an hour to avoid crossovers. The logistics are not easy to set up and the days remain dense for Carole Cabanis and her team. But it works. "We had to limit ourselves to 60 baskets a day," she says. We lose in turnover since in normal times, we receive around 250 visits per day. but it's better than nothing. "
Order a drink to take at the end of confinement
That's all the hope, then, of Joël Mauvigney. “90% of French people say they are attached to their artisans, traders and restaurateurs because they energize and enliven their territory (CSA survey for the CGAD). I hope that they will remember the efforts made during this confinement and that many of them will support their local businesses when we return to normal. Because this confinement will leave traces, including for the shops that have been able to stay open for the past few weeks. "
No need to wait for the deconfinement, says Jonathan Chelet. Small shops, with several partners, launched on March 23 the support-traders-artisans.fr platform on which it is possible to order vouchers to use in small shops registered as soon as confinement ends. "The money from these vouchers, it is immediately paid to the merchant to allow him to maintain a little cash," says Jonathan Chelet. A thousand traders are already registered, a thousand others are pending. "And we have already raised 200,000 euros in two weeks," he says. A similar initiative is being launched for restaurants and cafeterias. This is J'aimemonbistrot.fr. Pre-orders should be open in the coming days.
Society
Coronavirus: "It exploded", "We are clearly winning" ... Our readers dissect their food budget during confinement
Paris
Coronavirus: All masked with Seals… The decree of the mayor who questions
- Trade
- Containment
- Coronavirus
- Society
- Economy
- Solidarity
- Delivery