January 23, 2019. It is 4 ° C in Nantes and this store has kept its doors open - J. Urbach / 20 Minutes

  • Many stores still leave their doors wide open.
  • In Nantes, the association of merchants in the city center tries to convince them to give up this bad habit.

You just have to walk around the city center to see it. Even in the middle of winter, there are many shops that leave their doors wide open, the heating pushed inside. A year after 20 Minutes became interested in this bad habit, not much has changed… But the Nantes-based merchant association Plein Center has just launched an awareness campaign.

"We started door to door rue d'Orléans and rue Crébillon this week," explains Jérôme Decoster, energy transition manager at Plein Center. The reactions are variable, because even if it moves more and more on the subject, it is sometimes difficult to question a very established commercial practice, especially among the big brands. By closing the door, the traders tell themselves that they will lose the flow of customers… ”

Comfort for employees and customers

In order to convince the most recalcitrant, the association Plein Center has listed a whole series of arguments as well as a testimony in a tract, in an educational tone. Comfort for employees and customers, fight against energy waste, savings, better image… And for those who argue that their door is too heavy or impractical, the association suggests helping customers open it, which would constitute "A real commercial gesture".

New @PleinCentre action underway as part of the Energy Transition and Shops mission for merchants in downtown Nantes. @TransitionCube promised we are on all fronts with our means! pic.twitter.com/Z6ZUmZC6wk

- Olivier Dardé (@PleinCentre) January 22, 2020

According to Plein Center, a dozen Nantes stores have already affixed the poster of the operation on their shop window, to demonstrate their commitment while signaling to passers-by that the store is indeed open. "The goal is to promote those who are part of the process but also to make neighboring traders want to get started," insists Jérôme Decoster. According to the association, closing your door would reduce your energy consumption by 50%.

Planet

But why do businesses leave their doors open, even in extreme cold?

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