With the announcement of a reconfinement this Wednesday evening, the tenuous hope of many businesses wishing to remain open as Christmas approaches collapsed.
"
Shops […], establishments open to the public, in particular bars and restaurants, will be closed,
" Emmanuel Macron said during his speech.
Read also: Reconfinement: should the French fear food shortages?
But which businesses are we talking about exactly?
The Head of State clarified this aspect by declaring that it was about “
businesses which were defined in the spring as non-essential
”.
Orders had been published, at the time of the first confinement, in order to separate the activities "
essential to the life of the Nation
" from others.
Shortly after the presidential address, Bercy specified that establishments open to the public will remain closed,
"with the exception of the list"
presented in an annex to the decree of March 23, "
with a few improvements
", in particular for services public.
In the decree in question, there were, for example, supermarkets and food stores, bakeries, laundries and dyers, funeral services, food shops, banks, shops promoting teleworking as well as computer equipment shops. , petrol pumps, pharmacies, hotels, campsites and similar accommodation or opticians.
Charitable associations should also continue their food distributions and newspaper and tobacco shops should also remain open.
Conversely, all other activities will have to close.
Examples include libraries, exhibition halls, museums, marquees, tents and structures, dance halls, games rooms, restaurants, drinking establishments, bars, shopping centers and retail outlets.
A "
very big effort
" asked of traders
The final list of businesses that can remain open during this second confinement will be published on Thursday.
But it will have to change every two weeks.
"
I know that many traders were hoping not to close, I know that for downtown businesses, I am asking for a very big effort: let's hold it with great rigor for 15 days and if within 15 days we have better control the situation, we can then reassess things and hope to open certain businesses, in particular in this so important period before the Christmas holidays
, ”explained Emmanuel Macron.
Because, for professionals, the holiday season is crucial, which can weigh up to a third of their annual turnover.
This is particularly the case with certain food stores, toy stores, not surprisingly, or even watchmakers and jewelers.
A moment all the more critical as it could save a particularly gloomy year 2020.
The risk: that businesses will be overtaken by digital giants, including the leader Amazon, and that consumers will turn away from small businesses to favor online purchases in the future.
A trend already visible in the long term and that the pandemic has accelerated.
Read also: The executive extends the partial activity mechanism
In addition, administratively closed businesses should benefit from new aid, bringing state support to a level higher than that reached in March.
The tenant of the Élysée notably advanced the "
support up to 10,000 euros per month of their loss of turnover
" and mentioned a "
special plan
" for the self-employed, traders, micro-businesses and SMEs.
The executive also wants to support professionals wishing to "
undertake digitization initiatives
" to help them rely on digital tools in the face of the crisis.
A way to limit losses, through online sales, for example.
Still, for small traders, the dark year continues.
The latter also warned relentlessly on the coup de grace that a mandatory closure would represent, explaining that they "would
not support further closures
".
The French Commerce Council (CDCF) warned against such restrictions, which would push “
consumers to go to the platforms of international pure players to postpone their end-of-year purchases online
”.
Their cries of alarm were not enough to change the executive's mind.