Le Figaro Lyon
After 125 years of existence, the Benoît Guyot store, located in the golden square of the Lyon peninsula, north of Place Bellecour, will definitely close its doors on June 15.
The end of an era for this district of Lyon and a family history spanning four generations.
Bertrand Guyot, the current boss - with his wife Fabienne - chose to stop his activity at the beginning of 2023 when the new owner of the building decided on a "
leave without offer of renewal
" following informal discussions on a possible rent increase.
“We would then have had to engage in a long and risky legal battle with the aim of setting a new rent that could jeopardize our economic balance,”
explains Bertrand Guyot, aged 58.
There was also no question of moving for the fifty-year-old whose great-grandparents settled at 15 rue Émile Zola in 1899 before gradually taking over the leases of neighboring shops to create the current space of 900 m2 on three levels.
Read alsoAfter 243 years of existence, the oldest store in Lyon and last basket maker in the city closes its doors
A uniform city center?
Without children to take over the brand, this closure will once again mark the end of a certain type of independent business on the Lyon peninsula.
“Trade has become difficult in the heart of the city for certain activities, such as the sale of furniture, which suffer from policies restricting car travel
,” confides Bertrand Guyot to Le
Figaro
.
The latter, rather in favor of pedestrianization, nevertheless believes that the future limited traffic zone (ZTL) will lead to a
“specialization of activity”
in this part of the city.
“I am more in favor of closing the city center to cars, but the ZTL will keep surface parking. I think it would have been better to keep a parking lot close, for example under the right bank of the Rhône. These banks, whose number of roads will be reduced, have always been economic axes. From the towpath to today. Their reduction raises questions about the future of footfall in shops
,” continues the business manager.
A movement of standardization which does not date from today, he remembers:
“In the past, we had a café, a Chinese restaurant, an electrician, a graphic arts store, a delicatessen, pretty clothing boutiques .
Today, I'm afraid there will only be watch and clothing stores left.
But we must also put things into perspective: throughout time, businesses and very beautiful houses have disappeared and others have replaced them
.
Rents too expensive for the self-employed
Beyond access, Bertrand Guyot also points to the movement of rising rents in the heart of the city
“In 1959, rent represented 1.19% of our turnover excluding taxes;
in 1980, 2.47%;
in 2000, 3.52% and today in 2022, 8.93%.
So we could not respond favorably to the requested increase
,” he explains.
The arrival of major brands in exceptional locations, such as the Hôtel-Dieu or the rehabilitated Grôlée district, has also pushed prices up.
His building, owned by a family, was recently taken over by a real estate group without his knowledge.
“Unlike homes, the occupant of a commercial lease is not necessarily notified of a sale.
It's a real subject because I could have positioned myself.
The legislator should look into this question of the obligation to inform occupants
,” believes Bertrand Guyot.
It is today
“without regret”
that the Guyot family will end its few months of activity with only one wish,
“that the premises be occupied as quickly as possible”
.
“It would be sad if it remained empty for too long
,” he concludes.