Since the beginning of the ‘yellow vests’ movement, many people are being penalized by the actions of the protesters. For more than two weeks, retailers have been experiencing a significant decline in sales. The situation is even alarming for some vendors.
Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy and Finance, reported a turnover decrease of 15 to 25% for supermarkets, 20 to 40% for the retail trade and 15% for wholesale and fresh produce markets.
With Christmas just around the corner, the employers’ organizations are alarmed by those figures. Without pointing the finger at the ‘yellow vest’ movement, they urge the government to open a dialogue. France’s National Association of Food Industries (ANIA) also raised the alarm, estimating the losses of the sector at 13.5 billion euros [15.3 billion USD]. The holiday season traditionally represents 20% of these companies’ sales revenue. ANIA points to a “disorganized production” bringing “technical unemployment” and to “generally disorganized” relations with large retailers.
Source: Sud Ouest