Hi Val
The latest info that i have is that Carrefour will continue with both shops in Saint Antonin. 'Shopi' and 'Simply'. Carrefour will take over Simply but will keep both shops open. The protests in the village are that the butcher in 'Shopi' will be moving down to the new site 'Simply' and although he will be packaging and sending meat up on a daily basis to 'Shopi' there will be no 'butcher' left in Shopi and therefore no butcher in the 'village'.
The latest info that i have is that Carrefour will continue with both shops in Saint Antonin. 'Shopi' and 'Simply'. Carrefour will take over Simply but will keep both shops open. The protests in the village are that the butcher in 'Shopi' will be moving down to the new site 'Simply' and although he will be packaging and sending meat up on a daily basis to 'Shopi' there will be no 'butcher' left in Shopi and therefore no butcher in the 'village'.
This is problematic partly for those of us who tried to stop the opening/buying of Simply a few years ago, we didn't want an out of village supermarket, and yes although there was need for a cheaper petrol pump out of town supermarkets are very controversial and are often seen as, and i believe often are, the death to local village commerce. For this reason myself and a lot of French people who campaigned against it, boycott it, and will carry on boycotting it even if it is run by the very nice people who presently run 'Shopi' and the very nice butcher who will move down to 'Simply'.
It is also potentially a problem for the small shops in Saint Antonin who may/will be less visited because people start to do all their shopping in an out of town supermarket. I would like to point out that even if Simply has/had a wider choice and lower prices if we look at the bigger picture not only do out of town supermarkets usually have a bad effect on village businesses, they (supermarkets ) also are known as paying producers very badly and have very little, at best, respect for the environment and alter their demand so regularly that they also use and rely on 'slave/bonded 'labour that has become increasingly common in Europe as well as in poorer countries.
I have read that some banana producers earn 7 times less than 10 years ago because supermarkets have decided that low banana prices brings in the clients. these produces are caught in a trap and live in terrible conditions. Cheap food doesn't come 'free'. The winners are of course multinationals and those very 'hard working' shareholders. By supporting supermarkets we support this system which is why some of us try to minimise our use of supermarkets.
The only way to really support a village if you hope it will continue to attract businesses and have a lasting 'life' which includes school etc ( less businesses means less families, and less children to justify a school that is not particularly econmically efficient because it is already small) is to buy local, buy pollution free food and products. I have to add that buying food imported from Spain at the Sunday market is not 'local' food.
So I'm sorry i can not agree that Simply, even if it becomes Carrefour, is the logical place to do our shopping even if it does have a big parking area and cheap petrol. I am glad that 'Shopi ' will continue as a second Carrefour because it is near the village and encourages other shopping in the village. But we are able to choose where we buy things and if we want a 'bright ' future with the things we appreciate and love in a village we need to see the overall impact of our choices and not just what is convinient or cheap. I do also appreciate that we live in a life full of contridictions and i would never judge anyone for not making the same choices as me and i realise i make a lot of unethical/non enviromental choices but i hope what i have written as least gives you food for thought as well as the latest news on Carrefour in Saint Antonin
Val says good news that the supermarket will stay open albeit without the butchers counter. Having a supermarket in the town itself is vital, yes it is, but for many who live out of St. Antonin trying to park to go to Shopi was impossible.
I am amazed that you would boycott one supermarket that so many of us find so useful, and support the the second biggest supermarket in the world who cares more about profit than many others. Surely on your argument you should be boycotting all supermarkets or would that make life just too uncomfortable?
I agree about products from Spain on the market and do try to buy French. Sadly French farmers locally are polluting lands, rivers and vineyards with pesticides by the ton, so not everything produced to eat by the French is worth buying.
I am amazed that you would boycott one supermarket that so many of us find so useful, and support the the second biggest supermarket in the world who cares more about profit than many others. Surely on your argument you should be boycotting all supermarkets or would that make life just too uncomfortable?
I agree about products from Spain on the market and do try to buy French. Sadly French farmers locally are polluting lands, rivers and vineyards with pesticides by the ton, so not everything produced to eat by the French is worth buying.
Val says we must get other emails on both sides of this discussion surely.
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