Claude Batel, renewed in his term as President of the Federation of Master Bakers and Pastry Bakers of the Alpes-Maritimes for three years, reviewed the activity of the 400 bakeries and pastry shops in the department.
The department has 400 bakeries representing a turnover of 170 million euros for a workforce of 2,300 employees and 190 apprentices.
Turnover down in city centers, changing consumption habits, here is the summary!
“The conditions are no longer in place to maintain local businesses in city centers: access difficulties (lack of parking, ongoing construction), cost of land, changes in traffic patterns, competition from outlying shopping centers… while the bakery and pastry shop is the quintessential local business, with, in France, 13 million customers entering our shops daily,” said the president of Azur bakers.
In the third quarter of 2013, the industry recorded a 5 to 8% decrease in turnover in city centers and a 10% decrease for pastries, while the turnover for suburban shops showed an increase of 5 to 10%.
In general, the volume of customers has increased while the average basket has dropped by 4 to 6%.
On the product side, consumption habits are evolving in line with the decrease in purchasing power: there has been an increase in breads, specialty breads, and snacks (+20%), (probably at the expense of dining out), while pastries are on the decline.
Since September 2012, 80 cases of safeguard or judicial recovery procedures for bakeries have been recorded, of which 25 have resulted in business closures, while in the same period there have been 15 new openings, primarily consisting of national brands establishing themselves in the department.*
Claude Batel wishes to alert the mayors and elected officials of the department to the degradation of the environment and the ecosystem of city centers… “Bakers are the primary factor of social connection, and it is regrettable not to ensure they remain accessible to the city center population.”
