Independent newsagents affected by the health crisis and the difficulties of the former press distribution group Presstalis will receive " exceptional aid " of at least 1,500 euros, according to a decree published on Saturday in the Official Journal.
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The objective is to " guarantee " the continuity of press distribution by instituting aid " for press distributors who are facing an emergency situation " because of the consequences of the health crisis and the suspension of payments. of the main numbered press distribution company, Presstalis, which became France Messagerie in July, specifies the decree.
A payment of 1,500 to 3,000 euros
This aid will take the form of a single payment of 1,500 euros, particularly for kiosks, an amount which may be higher in certain cities: 2,000 euros for example in Ajaccio, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes, Toulouse, and 3,000 euros in Lyon. and Marseille.
On July 1, the Paris Commercial Court approved the daily newspapers' offer for the takeover of Presstalis, which became France Messagerie. The ex-giant of press distribution in France had avoided the closure in mid-May thanks to its placement in receivership, but had seen its subsidiaries in regions liquidated.
This situation had caused great distribution difficulties in several French regions, while newsagents had already been struck by the containment linked to Covid-19. Lyon and Marseille had been particularly affected: in Lyon, the national press was not distributed for six weeks in May / June after the judicial liquidation; in Marseille, no agreement was found to resume distribution of national newspapers that had not been on newsstands for three months (except for Le Figaro).
In early July, the Ministers of the Economy and Culture announced aid of 19 million euros for independent newsagents, a promise then welcomed by Culture Presse, federation of independent distributors of newspapers and magazines.
