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Editorial Alençon
Published on
Jan 11, 2025 at 1:55 p.m.
When sending his wishes to residents of Champfleur (Sarthe), near Alençon (Orne), Saturday January 4, 2025, mayor Brigitte Zéniter expressed her regret at seeing the baker leave the town on June 1, 2025.
She notably recalled that the professional had benefited from aid from the municipality during his installation, in 2022, then during the six months of work in the town center from December 2023.
After these remarks, Jérôme Toublanc wanted to provide explanations.
Restoration of the business
The baker first wants to clarify that he is not starting out of joy, but that his decision is motivated by economic reasonsthe revenue from trade no longer being sufficient to continue the adventure.
Concerning the aid received “Madam the mayor mentions three months of free rent during my installation, in June 2022,” he recalls. “I would like to point out that I took a unhealthy place who was in a pitiful state. My family and a local resident helped restore the store to good condition, with cleaning and painting work that lasted a month. »
Certainly, two cans of paint were paid for by the town hall, but this renovation work would have cost the municipality nearly €10,000 if it had been carried out by a company. However, I took everything into my own hands.
The baker also regrets that at the time, the town hall did not come to take stock of the situation once the works completed. “What’s going to happen when I leave? Are we going to make an inventory with reservations? », he worries.
Works: a loss of €100,000
During the redevelopment and security work in the town, during which the baker had already publicly complained about the consequences on his activity, the craftsman was granted a reduction of just over 30% of the rent amount.
On this point, Jérôme Toublanc especially regrets that this compensation is not quoted in euros and redoes the accounts: “I pay rent of €644 per month. I was therefore exempt from €215 per month for six months. I don’t think I was helped enough, knowing that, during this period, I lost between €450 and €500 in revenue per day! »
He estimates his total loss of almost 100,000 euros.
Not to mention that, during the work, residents adopted habits elsewhere, which continued afterwards.
Recipes halved
Consequence: the recipes of the bakery are no longer what they used to be.
Still according to the trader, they were around €500 per day (three times more on weekends) before the work, compared to €250 to €300 per day now. “We can no longer continue with such a turnover, knowing that the cost of electricity has tripled and raw materials have increased significantly. »
The professional, who opened a second bakery in Villeneuve-en-Perseigne in July 2023, assures that he remains “attached to Champfleur” and that he “regrets this situation”.
He specifies that he made a proposal to the town hall to sell him his equipment, which could be used for a possible buyer. “I’m waiting for the answer. If not, I will remove everything and that means the room will be empty. With the current situation, I don’t see who could invest to build a new laboratory. »
From this summer, Jérôme Toublanc will devote himself solely to his bakery in Villeneuve-en-Perseigne.
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