The deputy mayor of Paris in charge of commerce said Thursday "
extremely concerned about the situation of Parisian commerce
", after a study showing a "
slight decrease
" in the number of stores in the capital between 2017 and 2020.
Read also: Covid-19: do small businesses really represent a health risk?
"
Because of the crisis, certain sectors of activity are very affected: night, hotels, cafes, bars, restaurants, clothing, press sales, etc.
", listed Olivia Polski, quoted in a
press
release.
She said during a videoconference that the creation of a "
real estate business
" was being studied and asked "
a large territorialized economic recovery plan
" from the State.
For his part, Dominique Restino, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Paris, recalled that the brands of the capital had had to face headwinds for several years ("
yellow vests
", strikes in transport ...), which "
ruin entire neighborhoods
".
And, before dealing with the absence of international tourists and teleworking which penalizes the office districts.
The study, carried out by the Apur (Parisian urban planning workshop) in partnership with the city of Paris and the Paris Chamber of
Commerce and Industry
, identified in 2020 “
61,541 shops and commercial services in Paris
”,
i.e.
a thousand fewer than 'in 2017. However, Paris continues to enjoy a "
very high commercial density
" compared to other large French cities and François Mohrt, from Apur, qualified the finding by explaining that, "
if the number of shops is decreasing, the retail space remains the same
”.
In detail, “
all types of businesses are not affected in the same way
”, and the number of organic businesses has exploded since 2017 (+ 67%), an increase of 200 in three years.
Paris also has 660 more cafes and restaurants in 2020 than in 2017, "
thus extending a trend that began more than 10 years ago,
" notes the Apur which has counted more than 15,000.
Read also: Reconfinement: the government at the bedside of small closed shops
However, she deems "
possible
", a "
trend reversal
" following the long months of closure that have hit these establishments since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, personal equipment stores (clothing, footwear, jewelry) are down by 13%, with 7,325 establishments listed in the capital.
In particular, they are victims of competition from e-commerce, as are video clubs or service businesses such as bank or travel agencies.