To learn more about shopping patterns in city centres and the role played by France’s neighbourhood stores, Carrefour has now, for the first time, created the Barometer of Urban Consumer Expectations, in partnership with its Carrefour Property division and the Centre-Ville en Mouvement association, a group of businesses and organizations active in the city centre. The survey was conducted by TNS Sofres among a representative sampling of 623 French adults aged 18 or over living in cities with a population of at least 5,000.

This initial phase yielded several findings:

1) The French like their city centres

 The French feel good in their city centres.

Seventy-four percent had a positive view of the city centre.
However, 20% expressed a wholly negative view.

The city centre is a positive environment for a majority of the French people. Two-thirds of those living in urban areas with a population of at least 5,000 feel comfortable there. The most common positive impressions are satisfaction, a feeling of enjoyment (41%) and the sense of being free and independent (40%).

Practical experience in the area plays a positive role: those who frequently travel to the city centre to do their grocery or other shopping feel particularly comfortable there (70-80%).

At the same time, 20% have a less positive view of the city centre: they feel stressed there or even lost. This includes a significant percentage of white-collar workers (29%), but also inhabitants of major metropolitan areas such as Paris, Lyon and Marseille (27%). The size of the urban area is especially decisive in shaping views of city centres (including the image people have of the area and the frequency with which they go there). But the use of a car to travel to the central city does not dissuade people from going: surprisingly, those who use mass transit have the most negative perception.

The city centre: an area full of possibilities, a vibrant place designed for interaction.

The city centre is synonymous with communication, interaction and social ties (62% of the spontaneous responses given by the French public): it is very strongly associated with the shops and businesses grouped there that offer a variety of goods and services: “You find everything there.”

The individuals surveyed were also sensitive to how the city centre is structured: 40% of the spontaneous responses received on the city centre involved the urban environment, with its liveliness, its green spaces... and above all its traffic.

2) Retail stores are the driving force behind the city centre

 Retailing is the nerve centre of the urban core

For 57% of the French public, retail stores help to make their city attractive, improve the quality of life for residents or create excitement.
Another advantage of city-centre businesses, according to 46% of the French public: “everything is close by”.
Note that for 13% of the French, city-centre stores offer advantages because they have longer or more extensive opening hours.

At the core of French expectations regarding their city centre: retail stores

In order to make the city centre more appealing, the French would like to see:

• More retail businesses (39% of the French and 53% of those who live in cities with 5,000 to 20,000 residents)
• Easy access by car or mass transit (30%)
• More green space (26%)
• More leisure facilities (cinemas, libraries, theatres, etc.) (37%)
• Longer opening hours for retail shops (11%)

And in practice, a combination of consumption modes and retail habits

The French frequent a complementary array of retail shops and use these stores for different purposes. To find attractive prices and a wider selection, they go primarily to shopping centres/retail areas on the outskirts of each city (price: 72%; selection: 70%).

Central-city retailers win support for their quality and the advice they offer (53%).

3) Sustainable management of city centres is a necessity

The ideal city centre for the French public: greater accessibility and enhanced quality of life

When the French are asked which criteria they consider most important for building the ideal city centre, 43% cite “ease of access, with car parks and pedestrian spaces”. Next, 37% want a city centre that is “pleasant and appealing, with a cultural life and places for going out”--and an area with parks and green space as well (36%). Liveliness (30%) and shops and businesses (29%) received the next highest number of responses.

4) In practice, two realities emerge about the city centre

On the whole, the French travel to the city centre to do their shopping and errands

The results suggest that travel to the city centre is fairly widespread among the French public The most frequent visitors are managers, young adults (ages 25-34) - still single or in the process of starting a family - and, logically, residents of major French cities (Paris, Lyon and Marseille).

Of those surveyed, 53% go to the city centre on a regular basis to do their grocery shopping. The number of respondents who shopped at national chains vs. those frequenting small, independent neighbourhood retailers was found to be equivalent (65% and 61% respectively go at least once a week).
In addition, 40% of those surveyed visit the city centre regularly for “fun” purchases at specialty stores, and 38% go to do other shopping and stroll the neighbourhoods.
The need to visit government offices also prompts a significant amount of travel to city centres, but on a less frequent basis (20% regularly and 39% occasionally).
Lastly, opportunities to go out (restaurants, films, museums) round out the list: 16% of the French go regularly, compared with 72% who go rarely or never.
These evenings out are widely popular among managers and those under the age of 35. The size of the urban area is a factor as well: municipalities with over 30,000 residents have a greater impact (Paris, Lyon and Marseille most of all). 

 

Two realities about the city centre in the data

A split on current perceptions of the city centre: 54% feel their city centre is very lively and animated, versus 40% who disagree 

There are enjoyable city centres on one hand...
 
Residents of the biggest French cities see a lively city centre, with an expanding retail scene
Among residents of Paris, Lyon and Marseille, 88% find their city centre to be especially lively and animated.
And 74% enjoy going there to run errands and wander the neighbourhoods.
Fifty-three percent report an increasing number of stores in their city centre that are part of national chains.

... and boring city centres on the other?

In every other city, a more mixed view: a retail dynamic that needs to be strengthened.
Fifty-eight percent of those who live in rural areas with an urban influence or in French cities other than Paris, Lyon and Marseille genuinely enjoy doing their shopping in the city centre.
But just 50% find their city centre very animated (versus 88% for Paris, Lyon and Marseille).

The Carrefour Group’s neighbourhood stores, in the heart of French cities

With its neighbourhood convenience stores, the Carrefour Group is meeting the needs of urban customers and injecting energy into small towns and villages. In France’s major cities, Carrefour offers stores that keep pace with urban lifestyles, offering an expanded line of ready-to-eat products. In rural areas, convenience stores provide a real service to local residents, with a selection of products for day-to-day life as well as repairs. 

Carrefour convenience stores: the number-one grocery franchisor
Six banners: Shopi, 8 à Huit, Marché Plus, Proxi, Carrefour City* and Carrefour Contact*
Sales of €3.5 billion in 2008
Nearly 700 employees providing services to franchisees
An exceptional network of over 3,200 convenience stores
Five million customers shop at the Carrefour Group’s convenience store banners
*Banners in the test phase

Carrefour City and Carrefour Contact: two new banners for day-to-day needs

Carrefour City
Carrefour City is specially designed to meet the needs of a highly mobile urban clientele. It's a fun, vibrant, user-friendly place to shop, with two main areas: "Pour tout de suite", which offers ready-to-eat products, and "Pour plus tard”, for daily shopping needs. Carrefour City is open long hours to keep pace with urban lifestyles. In Paris, its hours are from 7 am to 11 pm. Customers will find every Carrefour-brand product, including the Carrefour Discount line, and can enjoy the benefits of Carrefour’s loyalty program.

Carrefour Contact
Located at the entrance to or in the centre of small towns and villages, Carrefour Contact is a store for everyday needs. It sells a selection of products for meal preparation and carries an extended range of fresh foods and meat. The store also offers pleasure shopping and repair services. At Carrefour Contact, too, customers enjoy all the benefits of the Carrefour name: Carrefour-brand products, Carrefour’s loyalty program and more.