In the UK we have had far higher rates of pub failures, so in the context of cafés closing perhaps two per week isn't such a tragedy. The reasons for the closures include fewer customers and rising costs, but at the end of a recession these closures should come as little surprise. The other factor was a change in French lifestyles that are affecting demand for the coffee shops.
One of the French interviewees cited the rise of the popularity of Starbucks and explained that they had taken coffee and had marketed in a way only the Americans could. The conclusion, the listener was left to draw, was that the independent operator couldn't keep up with the demands for the Friends-esque lifestyle promised in the CostaNerroBucks identikit operations that are threatening localised cultures across Europe, if not across the globe.
For the French, coffee shops are often at the heart of the local community and no matter how small the village or hamlet every place had a least one place where the people could come together and talk about the day's work over a coffee, pastis or bière.
To the visitor to the country the coffee shops are an integral part of the experience of a country that offers a very different way of life, even it's only for two weeks a year. From my perspective the independent coffee shops offer several benefits over the chains of coffee bars. The staff serve you where you sit -- there's no queueing like you're back in the school canteen; there's no pressure on having to buy anything with your drink (most bars don't do food, that's left to the restaurants); you don't have to choose from umpteen options of coffee and you can buy an alcholic drink if you so desire. Each bar has such a different feel, which adds to the experience, and you are mostly served by the owner, who has a very keen interest in keeping their customers happy.
Compare that to the mayhem of the average high street coffee bar and I can't understand why they're even popular in our country. Having said that we don't have that coffee bar culture that the French and most other European countries seem to enjoy. For us Brits it's the pub or nothing; as for getting a decent coffee -- virtually impossible away from the high street, which perhaps explains why the chains have become so popular. Even many independent tea rooms, which I would prefer to use, don't even know how to spell "coffee" let alone serve a decent espresso.
[As a note to the owners of the coffee chains, could we at least have table service? If I am out on business and want a coffee whilst I check my e-mails I have to fight to get served, I have to wait for my drink, which I then have to carry to a table if I can find one that is available. If I want another coffee what do I do? Leave the laptop and risk a quick dash to the counter? No, I leave. A waiter or waitress would be able to serve me at my seat and in so doing getting me, the customer, to spend more money. Everyone would probably spend more by being served at a table; you have time to think about what you want and you certainly have the option of buying another drink if you are on your own. Even if putting on more staff didn't increase profits, it would add much to the experience, which I currently try to avoid at all costs.]
I hope the French don't wake up one morning and find a country over-run with the multiple operators offering demi-semi-frothy-choco-frappeccinos, when all the customer really ever wants is a decent coffee. The fact that you can't buy a muffin or some other fat-laden product must also be great for the diet.
As an optimist for the French way of life and given their Gallic stubbornness it is likely that their independent operators will remain at the heart of many communities. Most French towns and cities still have mainly independent retail operators, which is a far cry from most UK high streets; in this age of global brands it is a pleasant experience to go shopping in France and have some real choice.
As we plan for our summer holiday, which will be in France (no surprises there), we look forward to a country that still has a routine that, certainly the more rural areas, still abide by. Shops do close at 12 until 2, which can be irritating to the shopaholic Brits, but it is refreshing that there is the enforced down-time.
It also means that you can enjoy a leisurely lunch in a tranquil place sit back and savour la difference.
À bientôt.
