How to help merchants who, forced to close their shops, practice take-away sales for restaurants or e-commerce for others, particularly bookstores, without letting the benefits go to the GAFA?
To this delicate question, the city of Nice is trying to provide an answer to support small businesses that are most affected by the confinement measures in place.
The city is working on creating a delivery system at its own expense to promote home delivery processes, in collaboration with the four bicycle-taxi companies contracted with the city. This initiative will initially benefit restaurateurs and booksellers.
A large digitalization plan is going to be launched to maintain activity through e-commerce. The city will subsidize, under certain conditions, the creation of websites and digital tools.
Moreover, merchants practicing take-away sales will benefit from the free use of public space in front of their store.
Regarding rent, the municipality will approach landlords of closed businesses to encourage them to grant rent reductions and waivers to their professional tenants.
Additionally, Christian Estrosi requested that the government provide a tax credit exceeding 30% to landlords for the last quarter of 2020.
In the general framework, measures taken in spring 2020 such as the directory of open businesses practicing take-away sales (currently being updated), rent exemption for merchants renting city or Metropolis of Nice properties, exemption from terrace fees for the current quarter, exemption from sign taxes, or the availability of the site nice e-shopping.fr are being reactivated.
The mayor of Nice has also decided to reinstate the rent aid measure under the same criteria as during the first confinement, in addition to measures announced by the state.
Will all these aids be enough to face the predicted scarcity? Certainly not, but at least they can give merchants the feeling of not being abandoned in such a difficult time.
