After a burglary, the only bar in this town in Eure suddenly closes: “it was violent”

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By resuming the Café du Centerin November 2022, José Chivot wanted to manage “a quieter business” for the end of his career. He had left the tobacco bar La Rotonde, in Évreux, of which he had been the boss for six years, to settle in La Saussaye (Eure), and revive the Café du Centre, then closed for months.

Bringing life back to the community

The merchant then discovered, with pleasure, the rural commune and its inhabitants. “This type of business is based a lot on friendliness and I enjoy finding it among the customers, from the smokers who come early in the morning to buy a pack of cigarettes to the passers-by who come to warm up with a good coffee or buy game tickets,” he told us in December 2022, shortly after its opening.

More José Chivot quickly became disillusioned. In November 2023, he allows himself for the first time since the opening of the café to take 10 days of vacation. On his return, a bad surprise: he discovers a electricity bill of €7,000the catch-up of the year. The merchant is then penalized by work in rue Abbé Belleminwhich limit the passage.

And, in September 2024, it’s the final blow. “On September 13, I suffered a burglary. I was robbed of €10,000 worth of tobacco, not counting the lots of damage », Regrets José Chivot. Just to repair the door, he had to find €7,000, of which only €2,000 was reimbursed by his insurance. “ I was missing €20,000 in cashthe bank did not follow…”

€10,000 worth of tobacco was stolen from me, not counting the extensive damage.

Everything then goes very quickly. In October, he found himself forced to fire your employee for economic reasons. And on December 18, 2024, the commercial court placed the Café du Center in judicial liquidation. “It was violent. Suddenly it's all over », the merchant is moved.

The blow is all the more difficult to absorb as José Chivot enjoyed working at La Saussaye, and ensures that the clientele was there. “The people were super nice and loyal, I sincerely thank them. »

“It was violent. Suddenly it's all over.”

Today, he finds himself “with nothing”, forced to leave La Saussaye and be accommodated by his relatives.

For the municipality too, it is a great loss. “It’s unfortunate,” comments the mayor, Didier Guérinot. We were surprised by the speed which it went to. It's a business that is over 100 years old, the people of La Saussaye are loyal to their businesses, but the Café du Center has not found the same attendance as before... »

The town hall nevertheless hopes that a buyer will continue to keep the tobacco bar, the only one in the town, alive.

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