Extinguishing signs as soon as they close, reducing lighting, even lowering the temperature: the mass distribution sector, Leclerc, Picard via Carrefour or Casino, has agreed on an "energy sobriety" plan which will be deployed in the fall, according to a press release Monday, July 18.
"Faced with the risk of electricity supply shortages announced by the government for this winter", the Perifem federation, which brings together all the distribution players to act on energy or environmental issues, has defined "common and concrete measures to reduce energy consumption in stores, starting October 15.
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It is planned to turn off the illuminated signs "as soon as the store closes" - as opposed to generally one hour after closing at present - and to "systematise the reduction in light intensity", by halving the lighting of the surface of sale before the public arrives and 30% during "critical periods of consumption".
"Other measures" are also planned, such as "cutting off air renewal at night, shifting ice production" for example, and emergency measures, in particular to lower the temperature of points of sale to 17 degrees, if requested by a regulatory authority.
"Essential to reduce the energy bill"
Emmanuel Macron explained on July 14 that the state was preparing an energy “sobriety plan” to deal with the risk of shortages linked to the war in Ukraine, calling for “collectively returning to a logic of sobriety”.
These measures, which have been taken by E.Leclerc, Carrefour, Système U, Les Mousquetaires Intermarché, Auchan, Casino, Franprix, Monoprix, Lidl and even Picard, are also cost-saving measures for retailers who, like the French, are faced with to the rising cost of energy.
While "the electricity bill represented 30%" of the net income of the brands "before the recent surges in energy costs", it is "essential to reduce the energy bill and to mobilize together to avoid too significant an impact on the price for consumers”, recognizes the federation, while the Élan Law also provides for a reduction in energy consumption in stores by 40% by 2030.
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“The time has come for energy sobriety, this will profoundly change our consumption habits”, estimates in the press release from Perifem its president, Thierry Cotillard, for whom this protocol “must be long-term”.
The federation also wants to believe that this protocol can serve “as a basis for all trade and distribution federations for the generalization of these measures”, which will be presented to them “at a meeting on July 26”.