Opening of stores on Sundays : the Angers mayor thinks a "balance" must be found out

The Angers inhabitants granted, in their last chat on December 5 with Angers mayor, Frédéric Béatse, a large place to ideas involving new expenses for the city. A modern and larger skating rink, the construction of a new bridge, the planning of a musical event in order to promote Angers, the implementation of the new banks of Maine project, the future local tv channnel were some of the issues of that evening. 

The dramatic closure of Technicolor which gave jobs to thousands of inhabitants during dozens of year belongs already to the past... Apart from a question regarding the fiscal burden linked to the property tax, the only economic issue was... the closing of stores on Sundays! But in that field, the mayor's answer was a little bit more subtle than the question. In order to appear open-minded, the chatter (as well as many people speaking about that issue) talks about the "opening of stores on Sundays" while he points out that he is in favour of the "closing" of those stores those days... 

After the inhabitant developed arguments justifying the closing of stores (the weakness of the purchase power, the wish of the people - the ones who have a job - to rest), Mr Béatse said that "it [was] necessary to find out a balance between economical activity and family time". If he "understand[s]" the employees' choice not to work on Sundays, the mayor ads "I have also respect for store owners' stance who consider that opportunity a way to make their business more dynamic". "That balance, if it had to be reconsidered some day, would stem from an agreement between unions and management", he said. The president of Angers Loire Métropole, Jean-Claude Antonini, looks more definite that his heir at Angers city.