Forecasts of independent convenience store visits by the French 2021

Independent stores are a form of trade in which the company, whether wholesale or retail, has no link with a coordinating or centralizing organization for its buying or selling activities. In 2021, this type of commerce was quite popular in France: 58 percent of the French planned to make at least as many purchases there as in 2020, and 13 percent even intended to make more.

Major crisis for independent local businesses
These independent local businesses have been strongly affected by the crisis. Classified by the French government as "non-essential" businesses (in other words, not selling goods and services deemed to be of primary importance), many have had to close, which has severely affected their turnover. As proven by the financial results of the giant Amazon, French consumers turned massively to e-commerce during the pandemic, to the detriment of local independent shops, and physical stores in general. Many retailers have therefore applied to benefit from the solidarity fund made available by the French government for companies with less than one million euros in sales. Some have also turned to other solutions, such as bookstores, some of which have taken the lead and developed/perfected their click and collect system.

A strong attachment to local businesses
The list of "non-essential" businesses in question has also given rise to a good number of controversies among the French, many of whom pointed to its lack of consistency. In fact, bookstores were the object of particular mobilization on the part of the French, many of whom wanted them to remain open during the containment, and who were fairly unanimous in approving the decision taken - although belatedly - by the government to reclassify them as essential businesses.
Indeed, the French are, in general, very attached to local shops (independent or not). They appreciate their conviviality, their reasonable size, and associate them for the most part with quality and know-how. Moreover, they have proved to be indispensable since the beginning of the crisis and contribute, for most of them, to maintaining social bonds. The popularity of these shops can also be explained by a growing interest in local and responsible consumption, whose already fast development has accelerated with the health crisis. Indeed, a large part of the population expressed a desire to pay more attention to the local origin of products when the containment measures would be lifted. In addition, the proportion of French people whose purchases are motivated by the French location of production has risen sharply in recent years, reaching 75 percent in 2020.