Angers, Des Lices street : English license

In order to give to the Des Lices street a foreign touch, the Angers city decided a  long time ago to give it a double name sounding Italian "Corsa Italia". If along years, that foreign touch has came, the results do not sound Italian but... English, from end to end of the way. Along the pavements, many shop signs are English what ever be their products : garments, accessories, shoes, pubs or restaurants active or opened soon : Xclusivity, Wolford, MellowYellow, or Fendisuperstar dedicated to women, or Events for young men while Opus One, Del Ice Cocktails or the future Chandler Sandwich Bar.


 The communication boards or the interior design is clearly anglicized. In one of them a huge totem is entirely written in English : "For its 30th anniversary since 1981, Noa Noa has created timeless garments for divine women" adding "welcome to our world of wonderful colours, delight authentic details". In a pub recently opened at the extremity of the street, Union Jacks lights are put up on the walls but it's not sure the tv screen is broadcasting English programs.
 
If the circumstances for retail trade are not easy presently, the English vocabulary is fashionable. One a front side of a boutique, a huge poster has been stuck. If it isn't written "to rent" (only for regulation reasons), the agency in charge of the dealing is... Century 21. Only lacks English accent in the shops. Would the English speaking students looking for a job on weekends be interested?

A special issue of Charlie Hebdo made a hit in Angers

Charia Hebdo was a hit in Angers. After the Paris headquater of the satirical newspaper was destroyed by firebombs during the night between the 2nd and the 3rd November, the issue of Charlie Hebdo dedicated to the Islam topic with the prophet Mahomet laughing on the front page was impossible to find in Angers kiosks and in news distributors on Thursday.


Answered during the Thursday evening if issues of the weekly newspaper were still available, most of these told the copies of Charia Hebdo were already sold as soon as the opening hour on that day. According to these professionnals, the destruction of the offices of Charlie Hebdo appears only to have excited the curiosity of Angers readers. "It will be a collector's edition", commented several news dealers in downtown, well aware the phenomena wasn't specific to their stores. "Some issues could be for sale in Angers surroundings", they believed. Nevertheless, to the pitch of the reaction of some news dealers, it's not sure all of them put Charia Hebdo in sale in order to avoid possible troubles.


The local press didn't report on that week hostile or even negative reactions coming from Angers Muslim circles to Charia Hebdo, what could mean that in Angers persons having religious convictions are willing to distinguish the stakeholders to a debate from the ideas of that debate, was it religious. On Saturday, supplementary copies of the special issue were again delivered.

African comers : Angers townhall tempers its ambitions in admissions

The French Home minister has decided to alleviate the pressure Angers city felt since months from "asylum seekers" arriving from the Horn of Africa. The minister ordered to the prefect of the Pays de la Loire to dispatch towards different places in the region the persons arriving till now in Angers from Eritrea, Somalia or Sudan. If that answer does not fit to the wish of Angers representatives - to get from French State more important resources to deal with the number and the needs of these African families -, it will nevertheless reduce the material difficulties and individual uneasiness managers Angers charity communities complained.

So if these communities didn't get the financial help they were looking for, it means they will have to adjust their qualitative and quantitative objectives to their resources instead of, maybe, doing beyond their resources. And their members will have to bear their scruples.

Rose-Marie Veron

During weeks before the meeting between Angers representatives and the French Home minister, the stance of city hall has changed. "We, representatives and associations, ask to the State to lock off the necessary resources in order to implement a help to asylum seekers everywhere and fairly. This is necessary in order, in Angers, to fulfil our goals" said Rose-Marie Veron, deputy-mayor on october 28. A few days later, on november 3rd, Mrs Veron told "We have to be realistic, we shall not be able to welcome all the Somalians in Angers". It could be wiser, for Angers to aim efficiency instead of fame.

Industry : massive losses of jobs in Angers metallurgical industry on 10 years

Crédit : Angers Loire Développement

After previous takeovers of Anjou companies like Cesar or France Champignons, the French investment fund Butler Capital Partners had recently bought the Anovo group including its factory of Angers. Anovo is dedicated, among other things, to the repairing, extension of guarantee, or regeneration of electronical products, like mobile phones, computers, internet boxes, for distributors (CDiscount), operators (Orange or Bouygues) and manufacturers (Alcatel). The problem is the repairing of these products in Europe became more expensive than the purchase of new one produced in low cost countries.

In order to put the company back on its feet, Butler Capital Partner has taken tough measures that consist in lay-off : in Angers, 72 employers of 107 will loose their job. The Butler company paid 22 millions € and aims for a return to financial balance within 18 months. 

 

 That new loss of jobs reflects the trend in the Angevine metallurgical industry since the last 10 years. From more than 27 000 jobs, the companies of that field don't employ today more than 21 500 persons. One of five jobs has been lost since a decade. The world economic circumstances, but also national measures and among them the work time reduction, endangered the competitiveness of Anjou industry. And 2012 should not be good.

Pierre Cointreau : death of a "Gentlemanager"

Credit : Maine-et-Loire Chamber of commerce and industry

It was said by local medias of Pierre Cointreau he looked like an English man. The church of Montreuil-sur-Loir where his funerals took place on Thursday had that touch too. The monument is erected on a little hill where the parishioners arrive by a path lined with lime trees and, with the difference of French churches, is simply circled by a lawn "brightened up" by a war monument. The weather under which all the relatives of the former chairman of Cointreau came to say goodbye had an English touch too : a drizzle under a grey and low sky.

Of course the church was too small to gather the public arrived from numerous places outside the Maine-et-Loire who share the same reverence in the defunct memory. The ceremony was, in keeping with Pierre Cointreau wishes : "sober and short", warned the priest who even respected the will of the deceased in a brief homily, preceded and followed by simple prayers and choir songs.

With Pierre Cointreau disappears for a while a entrepreneur who reached to keep his company strong links where the territory where it was created and to push it among the world spirits brands. Besides to his business, Pierre Cointreau had dedicated a part of his life to local responsabilities at the head of the Montreuil-sur-Loir city hall, Angers Chamber of commerce and industry, Angers Exhibitions Park and in social housing. He was 91 years old.

Preparatives to Angers municipal elections have already started for the left candidates

The preparatives for the Angers municipal elections due to take place in 2014 could be already under way. On the left political side, important persons in the majority of the town council will withdraw, some at the end of their mandate, others, and among these, may be the mayor, before the term of the office. 

Angers city hall

So, the left side is trying from today to look for new figures to join a team for the next campaign. The left side of Angers municipal council fears a new battle with the leader of the right wing in Maine-et-Loire, Christophe Béchu who, in 2008, only just missed the office of mayor but has been recently elected senator, and has now a more important stature. 

In order to compensate a possible imbalance in terms of notoriety, the candidates to lead the left list of town councillors to the city hall in 2014, have just contacted a local manager, but famous in the world computer industry, who never played a part in Angers policy. Until now involved in local business circles through conferences or in sport community, this person hasn't yet given his answer and could not do so, publicly, in the months to come.

The deterioration of economic circumstances, global and local, on households and companies doesn't spare the municipal authority like Angers city. So, the involvement of a successful manager would bring some economic credibility, fame and openness to the left list which hopes to succeed to the present mayor and his companions. "Angers licks large".

In a day dedicated to defuncts, Angers consumers look alive

On Thursday, the weather was nice and the temperature was mild, 18° in Angers. It was really a beautiful weather for spending time en famille... to go for shopping in the local superstores opened on a day dedicated to memory of defuncts. The wish of the mayors of Angers Loire Métropole, the protests of Angers section of Europe Ecology Les Verts and of Jean-Luc Rotureau, deputy-mayor of Angers, on behalf the left group of the Conseil général de Maine et Loire, apparently didn't dissuade the families to do what they wanted.

If they were not full, the parking lots of the Carrefour superstores of Grand Maine and Saint-Serge were nevertheless well filled up by cars. Apparently, the Angers consumers didn't come there only for vital purchases. Near Carrefour Saint-Serge, the parking lot of the Conforama store was itself crowded, and that brand is not famous for its food products... 

These facts seem to contradict the opinions of these political representatives opposed to the opening of superstores on Sundays. Families could not be sensitive to their arguments : the attachment of Angers inhabitants to a day for family leisure or the doubt about their purchasing power if the stores are opened all week long (could it increase if they were closed two days a week?). Of course, November 1st wasn't a Sunday but it is nevertheless a no working day. So where is the difference? 

Sunday openings : the Angers Cci wishes the debate be open

After the mayors of Angers Loire Métropole, the Angers section of Europe Ecologie Les Verts, then the left part of the Conseil général de Maine et Loire, the issue of the sunday openings of stores has just involved the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Maine et Loire. In the october issue of its newsletter EssenCCIel, the deputy-chairman of the consular authority says that in spite of work regulations, the position of the sunday rest and the organization of French society in which numerous leisure communities display activities on sunday, "the debate must begin" because "the world is changing [and] the new generations have not the same expectations" compared with those of previous.

The main difference of the Cci of Maine et Loire with the stances of Angers political movements and representatives is the refusal to oppose "economy and way of life" as well as "retail trades and superstores" or "work against leisure", writes Eric Grelier. The deputy-chairman, who notices that even superstores haven't a strategy in this area, points out that the decision to open on sundays must follow "real standards of earnings for the consumer".

A good way to objectivize the opinion of Angers inhabitants would be to poll them. In another point of view regarding the new commercial center Atoll, due to open in spring 2012, the Cci brings the final object of the debate regarding the interest of commercial openings on sundays : "It's useless to confront one another. Instead, we must have a look  to the assets [the sunday openings] bring because we must all work to improve the attractiveness and the economic development of our territory".

AutoCité + : an additionnal car for less starts up on november 2

A new mode of transport appears on november 2nd in Angers : the car sharing. Called Autocité+, it makes accessible to subscribers 15 cars, private and commercial vehicles, available in six stations of Angers downtown : Poissonerie, Imbach, Saint-Serge, Sainte-Croix squares but also in Chevreul and May 8 streets. To beneficit of Autocité +, the subscriber must pay 15 € per month, during three months at least. To book a car, the subscriber may use internet, phone or a smartphone app. If a car is available in the nearest station, the Autocité+ 's user gets the car within a few minutes. The service is accessible to private persons as well as professionnals.

The showing to AutoCité+, at Imbach square (Credit : Angers city)

According to the manager of the company implementing the service on behalf Angers, the Société d'aménagement de la région angevine (Sara), Laurent Fouillet, "it costs 2,60 € per hour plus 0,36 € per km covered". And "till 10 000 kms per year, to use Autocité+ is cheaper than using his own car". All is included in the price, the gasoline, the maintenance, the washing and an assistance 24 hours a day. Moreover, a card is in the car if the user has to gas up.

The promotor of Autocité+ points out that, according to the Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie (Ademe) the property of a car in town is very costly : 4 500 € per year for a small urban model. Autocité+ is part of the development of "soft transport modes" along with buses, tramway, bicycle and walking. It could be fitted to a new consumption trend whichwould consist in the use of a product or a service without its possession what is true in the co-renting of flats or the carpool. But it also be suited to the economic circumstances weighting on the budget of Angers households.

The left wing of Angers continues criticizing the opening of superstores on sunday mornings

The future Atoll commercial center due to open in 2012

After the mayors of cities and villages members of Angers Loire Métropole and the political movement Europe Ecologie Les Verts, it was to the left group's turn at the Conseil général of Maine et Loire to criticize the opening of food superstores on Sunday mornings. These responsibles did so through to Jean-Luc Rotureau's voice, deputy-mayor of Angers, who upheld that "the opening of superstores on sundays endangers the food retail stores and makes compulsory to employees to work during that specific day of the week, dedicated to rest and family life". Mr Rotureau added that the accessibility to the superstores on sundays "didn't match any vital need of the population".

Crédit pictures : Angers city

Many of these food retailers have, unfortunately, already disappeared from the different districts of Angers and those who were able to resist must, most of the time, be opened practically days and nights all year long. These kinds of stores were already the target of a fierce competition from superstores. Many of the retailers of Angers center are complaining of the difficult access for cars downtown and those of Avrillé are afraid of the escape of their customers to Angers thanks the tramway. And, within a few months, a giant center (Atoll) will open in Beaucouzé.

Regarding the weekly rest of employees, which is a "vital need", the opening of stores on Sunday mornings, even in Angers down town, could interest students eager to earn money freeing time for the "family life" of traditionnal employees. Unfortunately, the "family life" in France (as in many countries) has been weakened along the last decades. And nothing, in the economic circumstances France will face next year, allows to foresee that the families' finances will be reinforced. In a consumption society, what is able to fuel economic growth and jobs must be considered. The social parameters are important but not the only ones. But, what do the representatives of the right think?

Welcome of immigrants : Angers at the crossroads between pride and realism

News analysis. - An Angers representative and several responsibles of associations complained yesterday about the difficulties they are facing for the welcome of immigrants coming from East Africa. Rose-Marie Véron, town councillor, reminded that "the welcoming of these refugies is a state competence". All the responsibles pointed out that African immigrants arrived a few months ago in Angers were still there because their situation had not been regularized. These statements raise several questions.

The local representatives and associations notice the problem comes from the fact the new immigrants add up to those who came in the past and are still in Angers because their situation would not have been yet regularized by the administration. It means these people had landed in Angers without fullfilling the legal procedures. One may ask if it was sensible to welcome these foreign families before the state authorities gave their authorization? Moreover, all these responsibles demand supplementary aid and a agreement to bear the costs from Europe, France, other cities and territories. If they were funded by public authorities, these associations should remind that their goal is to adjust their care to their material means and not to go beyond.

In mainy of the statements, the reference to France as " the country of human rights" appears. It sounds like if these authorities wanted to look more generous than others, ignoring if the necessary resources are sufficient to deal with the problem. While more and more Angevins are impoverished byt the crisis, would it be wiser to act according to the popular sentence "Charity begins at home"?

Angers city wants to tackle the night unrest in downtown

The Noxambules help students (Credit Angers City)

Enough is enough. Angers townhall has decided to act against the night bustle generated by some bars regarding the alcoholization of their customers and the fact these last stand during the evenings on the pavements and the streets. A letter to six of these bars wil be sent by the mayor of Angers urging them  to reconsider their part in the night nuisances. "This letter is part of the series of measures introduced to regulate the angevins evenings, above all those of the wednesdays, thursdays and fridays night", said Jean-Pierre Chauvelon, in charge of security issues at townhall.

Bressigny street at night

 But cityhall doesn't want to dedicate itself to a policy only repressive. So Rose-Marie Veron is in charge of a more preventive aspect of the municipal policy through the sensibilization of students to the dangers of alcoholization, drugs and risky sexuality. If some of these students are guilty of inappropriate behaviour, they could be sanctioned. This is of course useful but it will not be sufficient if drug dealers are not neutralized. The city mentions in a press release that "hundreds of youngs squatter pavements, block the traffic, make noise and commit damages". If an appeal has been expressed, the city is showing his muscles.

Angers wants to welcome the influx of inmigrants fittingly and demands solidarity

Several political representatives of Angers Loire Métropole and persons in charge of caritative communities in this region wrote a letter to the prefects of Maine et Loire and Pays de la Loire to raise the alarm regarding the arrival of asylum seekers in Angers and surroundings. "We wish to alert the authorities about the overcrowding of all the structures due to the uninterrupted arrival of men, women and children", they say. The phenomenon is not new. During the winter 2010-2011, many communities in charge of the welcome of inmigrants in Angers sounded the alarm because their staffs were yet overburdened and their material resources (including food) unsufficient. 


In their letter, these representatives do not demand the end of these arrivals but new resources allowing them to continue the welcome of these (most of the time) East African populations. "Because we want to welcome fittingly... we reassert the necessity to link housing and social attendant measures and to have the necessary resources". And the signatories to demand the "solidarity of the department, the region and the state" pointing out the risk of triggering in Angers "an explosive situation" due to the presence of an increasing number of individuals victims of the economic crisis "homeless and roaming people".

Even if the political representatives and staffs of associations warn about the fact "the limits of [their] work has been reached because of the concentration of the answers on our territory", such a letter will have no effect on immigrants and even less on the rings which drive them to Angers. The "solidarity" they should demand is the monitoring of these people before their entrance in France instead of resources to help them once they are arrived because the influx will be endless. A few weeks ago, the Council for the citizenship of Angevins foreigners claimed that "diversity is a wealth", maybe on the long run, but in short-run it's new costs Angers doesn't know how to pay.

Crisis : the Angers Council for development focuses on its consequences instead of its origins

"The Council for development must reconsider everything". That's one of the conclusions 400 persons heard from the chairman of this authority gathered for its 10th anniversary on october 17th. That would be useful regarding the challenges Angers Loire Métropole's inhabitants face since the economic crisis erupted in 2008. The council, constituted by representatives of the "civil society", published last month a survey entitled "Economic crisis. Endure and anticipate on Angevin territory". So the document could faithfully reflect the worries of the Angers inhabitants in front of the crisis and the medecines to overcome it.

Probably because the unemployment is legitimetaly the main worry of the population, the Council for development  only considers the crisis from the angle of the unemployment. This shows goodwill but only focuses on the consequences of the crisis instead of its origins : the slow of the economic growth. Where it would be necessary to explore the means to accelerate growth, the belief of the Council is the ability of the public sector to help the region to overcome its unemployment. "Only education, health and social activity still generates jobs", write the Council, forgetting these are financed by the private sector.

 Regarding the medecines the authority advises, all of them reflect a series of cliches and even naiveties like the establishment of a "Week of economic solidarity" and the signature of a "civic pact" (no defined). The Council is worried only about the future of the services sector but not pay attention to industry which feeds the tertiairy sector. One idea reflects the fact the inquiry of the Council only considered not the roots of the economic crisis but its secondary aspects : if "the access to nurseries during the working time" is an easiness (even if the authority doesn't look about the way the nurses are going to take care of their own children), it's nevertheless necessary to have a job. The fine sentiments of the Council could be the most worrying aspect of the ability of Angers Loire Métropole to solve its difficulties.

A recent survey on revenues in Angers demonstrates the homogeneity of the inhabitants

An unexpected observation of a survey realized by the Agence d'urbanisme de la région angevine is that "between 2001 and 2008, the [monthly median revenue] in Angers Loire Métropole [Alm] has increased by 3,1% per year" during seven years. More surprising, another belief widespread over the city (the Angers inhabitants earn less than the French), is contradicted : "The monthly median revenue declared by inhabitants of the Angers agglomeration (1 518 €) is comparable to the revenue of the whole French households (1 511 €)". 

 In comparison with datas of Loire Valley cities having a similar size, the increase in Angers is higher than Tours or Orléans but the amount ot the monthly median revenue is more important in these towns. The survey also lets the reader glimpse that if, in Angers, the gap between the lowest and the highest revenues is widening (as in France), the trend is neverthess reduced in comparison with Nantes, Orléans, Tours and above all Le Mans. Only Saint-Nazaire is more homogeneous over the 2001-2008 period. The study recalls that about 45% of the Angers inhabitants do not pay income tax.
 
If the survey doesn't bring something new about the distribution of poor and wealthy cities in Alm, it points out an important difference of revenue between owners and leaseholders. In Angers Loire Métropole, the monthly median revenue of owners of their homes is 1 865 € against 1 365 € for leaseholders and 978 € for leaseholders in social housing. This should stimulate some of these people not to stay leaseholders all their lifetime. In the long term, it is not inevitably the most effective way to save money.

The politicization of the superstores sunday openings couldn't help to objectivize the issue

News Analysis. - After the appeal to the prefet of Maine-et-Loire launched, a few days ago, by the mayors of towns constituting Angers Loire Métropole about the opening of food superstores on sunday mornings, the issue become politicized with the involment, on mayors' side, of Europe Ecologie Les Verts. According to Eelv, in a press release published by Angers Mag on october 22, "reassert its stance agains the work on sundays for the employees of major outlets".

In its statement, Eelv adds : "This domino effect may grow with the opening of other superstores that would lead at the end of the sunday rest for the whole economic chain linked to major outlets, i.e. road haulier and day nurseries". From that point of view, the employees of the University Center Hospital (Chu) support their argument. While they have just got a day nursery, they uphold the opening schedules are not sufficient and want it open on... sundays, reports Angers Angers Villactcu. 

40 hours 

The openings on sundays decided by superstores managers from Leclerc of more recently Super U and the demand of hospital employees to get a nursery opened on sunday could mean that work on sunday is anymore a taboo in active population while it is still a taboo in political circles. 

The intervention of these could not make the analysis of the issue more objective. In France, growth, whose prevision for 2012 will be lowered (from 1,75% to less than 1,50%),  is hampered by a too short weekly worktime, unique in the world. Rather than work on sunday to fuel growth and jobs, wouldn't it be more effective to come back to the weekly 40 hours of work? Like most of countries.

A new arrival at the Angers hospital considered as attacked "below" the belt

Yann Bubien

The new manager of the University Hospital Center (Chu), Yann Bubien, appointed on mid october by the Health ministry may not understand the inflamed debate that he is at the core. This young civil servant till now assistant of Roselyne Bachelot, ministry of Health, saw his appointment violently criticized last wednesday by Luc Belot, secretary of the Socialist Party for Angers, deputy mayor in charge of early childhood, education and computing.

Luc Belot

According to Mr Belot, "Friends of Nicolas Sarkozy are imported in Angers... The Angers right party intends a takeover bid on the Chu before the next ballots. Rather than to take a new look at itself, [the right party] choose to bolt all the key positions by appointing its close friends". But, Mr. Belot doesn't explain how Mr Bubien could, from the head of the hospital, stop the "profound urge of change among voters"... Paul Jeanneteau, right member of Parliament, former deputy of Roselyne Bachelot, got angry, considering such a "diatribe" "is relevant to systematic denigration of persons". 

Paul Jeanneteau

 Mr Belot, till now quite low profile, is, since a few months, considered among the possible candidates of Jean-Claude Antonini, mayor of Angers,who could resign before the end of his office (2014) with Frédéric Beatse and Jean-Luc Rotureau, themselves deputies-mayor. So it is not impossible that, with this attack against the new arrival, Mr Belot aims, in fact, to get a licence of left "right-thinking".  


Pictures Credit : Angers Chu, Angers city, National Assembly

In Angers, the "gold old days" are coming back

Indication of gold as a safe value, new stores dedicated to the purchases of that precious metal are now operating in Angers. One is located on Alsace street and the other in Toussaint street. The Comptoir national de l'or and the Comptoir d'achat d'or et d'argent are companies dedicated to the trade of gold and other precious metals with private individuals or professionnals. During times of economic difficulties, gold has always been more searched out.

When some families experience difficulties, there is no other choice to sell their own goods and gold is presently the most valuable of them. The quantities bought out are often melted for others uses than jewellery or dentures because the world production of gold is fifty less important than the quantities private individuals own. But, apart the economic question, the selling of family gold may lead to the disappearance of ancient jewelleries, and so, the disapperance of artistic signs of the past.

The front sides of these two stores are far from sparkling maybe because, what is differentiating them from jewellery shops is people are coming in to sell and not to buy. 

Angers city promotes (unintentionally?) the voter-consumer

Angers city started a campaign urging young inhabitants to get themselves put on the electoral roll. In order to increase Angers youth to the awareness of that issue, the townhall began a poster campaign all over the city. The next elections on France agenda will take place on april 22nd of 2012 and they will be the most important political event in France : the presidential elections.

But the pictures of these posters are ambiguous, so the message delivered is ambiguous too. The posters show a young woman hesitating between a pair of shoes and a young man choosing in a lot of ties. Both of them are pouting in front of the objects they are comparing. It seems the products do not  satisfy none of them. Probably unintentionaly, Angers townhall makes understand that a elector is just a consumer and the political plans are nothing more than a product.There is no difference between voting or buying something and an political plan is nothing more than ads. 

The Angers city website is much more classical and even conventional : "To vote is a right, it's also a civic duty", it says, making the people who don't vote feel guilty.  But in France, as in many other countries, if to vote is a right, it's possible, as for every right, not to exercise it. Moreover, if the vote were a duty, the refusal to vote could be fined but it's not the case so... And finally, to force people to vote may lead to destabilizing consequences (blank votes, spoiled votes...). So may the posters are only a Freudian slip : are the politicians ties sellers?

Sunday mournings in Angers

 The call of the mayors of Angers Loire Métropole regarding the respect of sunday as a no working day has not been heard. The chaiman of System U, Serge Papin, announced on october 18th in Saint-Barthélémy d'Anjou, near Angers, that the stores of his brand will, from now on, open on sunday morning. "According to the law, every food store may open on sunday morning. In Angers, an agreement about the no-opening of stores was broken off", said Mr Papin adding "We are not going to let somedy to suck up the market. We had to react", after the E. Leclerc store of Saint-Jean-de-Linières had decided to open on sunday morning.


This is may be a turning point in local trade uses because, in spite of protests coming from officials or associations, Angers customers already came in superstores even on public day (Armistice Day on november 11th). So the point of view the mayor expressed (the opening of stores on sunday morning is not a expectation of the inhabitants) could not be agreed.


But this situation points out a change in the habits of inhabitants with time. Some of them complains the city is deserted on sunday because stores are closed. The change is tangible as soon as Christmas animations are set up in the streets. People are enjoying and store owners too. For others, sunday morning will be mourned.