Convenience stores

As of 1 January 2008, 600,000 of France's total 830,000 retail outlets could be described as “convenience stores” serving their local neighbourhoods. Their number rose slightly since 2002. These outlets employed one-half of retail-trade workers and accounted for a large share of units in the specialized-food, apparel, and variety-store sectors. In urban areas, convenience stores are smaller than other types of outlets, employing an average of 2.6 people. In the category of enterprises with a single sales outlet, convenience stores outperform the rest. Their sales have risen an average 1.1% a year since 2001. In rural areas, the number of convenience stores has declined slightly but they are present in one-half of rural municipalities in metropolitan France (mainland + Corsica). In western France, nearly all municipalities have convenience stores. By contrast, such local shops are less accessible in the most mountainous regions.