Our added value is advice and people. For Julien Paturaud, wine merchant at Intercaves in Joué-lès-Tours, for a little over four years, traders of local products have been responding to consistently strong demand. “When the supermarkets arrived in the 1960s, we thought that local shops would disappear, he recalls. But ultimately, if some closed, there are still some left today. »
But to continue to exist, you have to know how to differentiate yourself. “We don’t go to a wine merchant with the expectations of a supermarket and vice versaindicates Julien Paturaud. It’s another philosophy of consumption. Physical presence and advice are decisive for the survival of local businesses. »
“The local merchant is a social actor”
In his store on Place du Général-Leclerc, he knows the first names “of more than half of the customers. It is also the role of a local business, to exchange, to establish a relationship of trust, to have little touches. »
In total, around 80% of its clientele are Jocondienne. “For them, it’s practical because there’s no need to take the car. Then, I see people from Ballan-Miré, Monts, Esvres and some inhabitants of Deux-Lions, in Tours. he lists.
Julien Paturaud has also set up wine or spirits tasting evenings. “It’s not a new thing, but these are moments of exchange and discovery, where people who would never have encountered each other otherwise can discuss, he shares. There we find civil servants, business leaders, men of the Church… There are not many places where this is possible. »
Pascal Cambon, manager of the Joué-lès-Tours store, and Jean-Marie Boutet, founder of La Passion du fromage, October 11, 2024.
© (Photo NR, Bastien David)
Near La Passion du Fromage, place Victor-Hugo, Pascal Cambon, the store manager, and Jean-Marie Boutet, the founder of the franchise which has eleven sites in Indre-et-Loire, note that “customers come looking for quality, diversity and proximity”.
“In a cheese factory, all the products are localcontinues Jean-Marie Boutet. We have 200 cheeses, of all types of milk and all types of maturation, 70% of which are produced in France. »
“It’s a relationship of trust”
He also emphasizes the relationship of trust that is established with the local retailer: “The first time customers enter the store, they try classic products that they know, such as Emmental or Comté. Then, when they come back, we introduce them to new cheeses, we leave more room for the merchant. It’s a relationship of trust and after a while, people no longer come to La Passion du Fromage, they come to “see Pascal”. »
Because for Jean-Marie Boutet, “There is no generational divide in the clientele. We find people who are 20, 30, 40 years old as well as older people, who choose to consume less but better and, above all, quality products. The local retailer is a social actor in a municipality or neighborhood. »
