Tax equity between physical businesses and online businesses, the impact of low-emission zones on store activity or difficulties in the clothing sector: these are not the topics of discussion that are lacking between merchants and the government.
In this very fragmented sector, where companies are very varied in size, sector of activity and therefore areas of concern - those of Amazon differ from those of a small downtown clothing store - the government spoke until now with a multitude of actors separately, who themselves did not speak to each other, or very little.
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To facilitate this dialogue, the Minister of Commerce, Olivia Grégoire, announced in October the creation of a National Council of Commerce (CNC) on the model of the National Council of Industry.
This is today done.
The first meeting of this body will take place on April 25 in Bercy.
Sessions every quarter
The CNC will bring together around twenty federations, representing large brands as well as small traders, 30 companies, as well as associations of local elected officials.
Among the companies chosen are Decathlon, Fnac Darty, Boulanger, Ikea, Intermarché, Selency, Cdiscount or Galeries Lafayette.
The CNC will be chaired by Olivia Grégoire, but depending on the subject studied, a guest minister may be present in the plenary session.
On April 25, the Minister of Ecology, Christophe Béchu, will thus discuss the ecological transition of businesses.
It's not an easy task: the law on renewable energies obliges large businesses to equip their car parks and roofs with solar panels and the tertiary decree requires them to reduce their energy consumption by 40% by 2030. Businesses are asking for financial compensation.
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Such sessions will take place quarterly.
Businesses and federations will contribute to setting the agenda.
The subject of rents, which traders believe needs to be settled urgently, should be addressed in the second half of the year.
