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Fresh produce, canned goods, a few fruits and vegetables as well as hygiene products... the stalls of the "Les 1000 fleurs du Colibri" grocery store located in the heart of the Bottière Pin-Sec district, north-east of Nantes understand what is needed.
Apart from its modest size, what distinguishes it from similar businesses is the pricing policy that is practiced there.
The prices here are minimal.
The idea is not to make a profit but rather to help a public in need.
It is also about creating social ties and encouraging encounters in a neighborhood where one inhabitant in two lives alone.
The system, supported by the City of Nantes via the Communal Center for Social Action (CCAS), has been open since February 15.
It is a novelty because of its operation: the place is also presented as the first social grocery store in Nantes by the municipality.
“When we launched this project, there was not yet the inflation that exists today, but needs had already been identified at the time of the Covid crisis.
There was a demand from the inhabitants for access to quality food
, ”underlines Bassem Asseh, the first PS deputy of the City of Nantes.
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Social assessment
How does it work?
The grocery store, which gets its supplies from a food bank, is open every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.
It is accessible subject to means testing and after a social assessment knowing that, in this priority district, 49% of the inhabitants live below the poverty line.
“For example, if someone has a big electricity bill to pay, or if a family wants to go on vacation for the first time, they can come to the grocery store and it allows them to save money.
“
, explains Cécile Clément, the coordinator of the social grocery store.
Access conditions
To access the neighborhood grocery store, residents must have a family quotient CAF less than or equal to 650 euros.
They must also be able to pay a monthly financial contribution of 10% of the aid granted and be willing to be accompanied in the management of their budget.
Beneficiaries can come and help themselves freely in the stalls during the time slot allocated to them.
“We ask them to come every week to learn how to manage their budget.
It is also easier for logistics, so that we are not robbed
, ”she adds.
For the moment, 13 households - or 29 people - are registered with the system.
There is still room:
"Our capacity can go up to 30 households, or a hundred people."
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Cooking workshops
Among the first beneficiaries, there is Philippe.
Accustomed to
“skipping meals”
to meet his meager budget, he finds the new system
“advantageous”
.
Ensuring that he can no longer
“buy much with 20 euros at Lidl”
, the new grocery store
“allows him to save and eat anyway”
.
Therefore, he plans to buy a new sofa this summer.
His broad smile also testifies to the human warmth he finds in this place.
Martine, who has lived in Bottière Pin-Sec for fifteen years, comes for her part to find the
"presence"
that comforts her.
“People who don’t necessarily know each other come here to have a coffee together.
It is also an opportunity for them to chat with Juliette, the operator of the grocery store
,” says Cécile Clément.
With the idea of encouraging encounters, but also of promoting a balanced diet, cooking workshops are also offered every week.
The opportunity to learn new recipes:
"The beneficiaries often have health problems related to their diet, so we help them with their shopping so that the basket is balanced."
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Experimentation
The social grocery store "Les 1000 fleurs du Colibri" is not intended to become a permanent device for the beneficiaries.
They can only access it for a maximum of five months.
The desire is to rotate the support and direct people to other devices.
“This place is meant to be a gateway.
Through the issue of food, it is also a way to address other needs
,” says Simon Citeau, the neighborhood deputy.
The device is intended as a life-size test.
It could be deployed in the future in other districts of Nantes.
“It will depend on what it gives here.
We are experimenting with something that can be useful for the inhabitants.
Depending on the results that we observe, we can act elsewhere
, ”says Bassem Asseh.
