Sales period or not, shops are only kept going “thanks to regulars” in the city center of Bagnols-sur-Cèze

Marie Sanna s’inquiète pour l’avenir de sa boutique de lingerie à Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Baptiste Brodbeck

In the shops of Bagnols, morale is not at its best for everyone. In rue Paul-Langevin, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, several shopkeepers are wondering about their future.

At the lingerie shop Zingarella, rue Paul-Langevin in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Marie Sanna, manager for 20 years, had a difficult December: “Every year it's worse, this time we didn't even have a jump start for Christmas.” And it's not the start of the sales that will bring a smile back to her face. Since Covid, this period is no longer enough to compensate for the drop in attendance. The manager is only holding on “thanks to the regulars“, because many of them have a first instinct to look elsewhere. A customer confirms: “Ie don't go downtown anymore, I only come here because I've been using it for a long time.”

Sales, an opportunity to clear out inventory

A stone's throw away, Karyn Pantel, manager of the clothing store Mode Chris'ka, sees sales as an opportunity “to sell off stocks”. But she also says she is worried, unable to keep up with the pace of promotions imposed by the Internet and supermarkets. Moving her business would be a solution, but the cost of rent prevents her from doing so. “In the center, we pay 800 euros for two for 100 m2. In a shopping center, it can go up to 4,000 euros for an equivalent surface area“, sighs the shopkeeper.

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