Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy - Michel Euler / AP / SIPA

The government has asked property owners not to collect rents due from very small businesses forced to stop their activity for three months to stem the Covid-19 epidemic, Economy Minister Bruno announced on Thursday The mayor. "For very small businesses that have been forced to close, those with fewer than 10 employees, I am not asking them to defer rent: I am asking to cancel three months of rent," he explained on BFMTV. .

Many businesses deemed non-essential have been forced to close by the government since mid-March to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic. While they claim the abandonment of their rents by their owners, in particular the shopping centers, the National Council of the shopping centers (CNCC) refused any generalized measure. On the other hand, it recommended to its members a spread of rents over two years for small shops, a normal payment for large brands and a case-by-case study for medium-sized companies.

A spread or even a cancellation

This policy has already been criticized by Bruno Le Maire who asked the property companies at the beginning of the week to "make efforts". In addition to this cancellation proposal for very small businesses, the minister asked the property companies "to enter into negotiations with the big chains (…) to see how we can have a spread that is more bearable," he said. Thursday evening.

If there is one sector in which the deferral of social and tax charges must be transformed into cancellation, it is that of catering. pic.twitter.com/USa7IvqsmP

- Bruno Le Maire (@BrunoLeMaire) April 16, 2020

For independent businesses, "if (the rent) is a charge on which they are totally linked and they cannot be relieved by a large group or a holding company to which they belong, then there, an over-the-counter cancellation , with the donors, must be able to be envisaged ”, he added.

The real estate branch of the Auchan group, Ceetrus, already announced on Thursday morning that it would give up collecting two months' rent from French brands forced to close by confinement. SNCF and a smaller real estate group, Compagnie de Phalsbourg, made similar decisions.

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  • Containment
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19
  • Cancellation
  • Economy
  • Bruno Le Maire
  • Business
  • Rent