Shop Fronts in France

[RobertArthur]

For the girls, men and women and toys for the boys.

[RobertArthur]

[RobertArthur]

Somewhere in the Gard (Uzès?, Saint-Ambroix?) 23 years ago.

[RobertArthur]

Auxerre, a traditional shop, no self check-out.

[RobertArthur]

[RobertArthur]

Today, for the first time in years, we visited the city of Nevers again. As is the case with many French city centres, over the past thirty years they have gradually become less attractive shopping areas. They have fallen victim to the many large supermarkets that have sprung up around what was once the city centre. In Nevers, the municipal council is trying to turn the tide. To summarise their plans, here is a brief introduction:

' The public redevelopment of the town centre and its main thoroughfare, Rue François-Mitterrand, is one of the municipality's major challenges during this term of office. Here we take a look at the situation, the challenges and the phasing. The project to revitalise the town centre is one of the municipality's major challenges. Its ambition is to continue modernising and transforming the town to make it a more attractive, sustainable and pleasant place to live for everyone. '

Enough words, let's move on to pictures of the Rue François-Mitterrand for a quick impression. With a special mention for Monoprix: thirty years ago, it was a guarantee of reasonable quality at a reasonable price. Nowadays, when you walk in there, you immediately turn around and leave. The shops in the former Eastern Bloc countries were much more interesting back then.

[RobertArthur]

Just over twenty years ago, people would still occasionally pop in to have something repaired; a few years later, this shop already seemed to have closed down for good. Now the building itself is in need of a major restoration. Unfortunately, this is a sight you come across in many town centres and villages, not just in France. As for this shop: there is a great deal of talk and writing at a high level, including in Brussels, about the importance of a ‘repair economy’. Unfortunately, in practice, very little of this is evident yet. Of course, new shops are added every now and then. That, too, will mean a lot of maintenance work in the coming years. Atelier de réraration new style.