“There are more traders than customers on the square”, the sellers of this Christmas market very disappointed

Angers offers three Christmas markets. The oldest is Place du Ralliement, the second is on the Jardin du Mail and the very recent one, opened for the first time this year, is located below the city center, Place Molière. Problem: the Angevins do not seem to be aware of it and no one goes there, to the great dismay of the traders.

This Thursday evening, the rain added a gloomy touch to this Christmas market on Place Molière, in Angers. Around ten traders, installed near the track on the banks, are desperately waiting for the barge. Jewelry, slippers, sausages, waffles, there is even a carousel, but no children on the swings.

“We are at least 70%”

Malvina Galland, from Vendée, has rented a chalet here where she presents some personal creations and jewelry purchased in bulk from a Parisian company. It's her second week here and she doesn't hide her disappointment.

“I did the big Christmas market in Nantes for two years. I wanted a change and I came to Angers: big drop in figures! We are at 70% less than in Nantes”, deplores the young woman.

Malvina confirms that, unlike the large traditional Christmas market at Place du Ralliement, this one does not attract crowds, far from it.

“Almost no attendance, she said. We're five days from Christmas and it's not taking off.”

Rental of the chalet, purchase of stock, accommodation costs in Angers, this trader expects to lose money and no salary at the end of the month.

However, Angers had been praised as being an interesting operation. “Angers, it’s starting to work!”he had been told.

Normally, over this period, Malvina can expect the equivalent of six months' salary, before the long summer period when she settles on the coast.

“Morally, it’s not easy,” admits the self-employed woman who still hopes that the last days before Christmas will at least allow her to cover her costs. But she's not sure.

However, Malvina's stand will make someone happy that evening. A young customer found some earrings there that she really liked. “It's so beautiful”she says, while the shopkeeper takes down the jewelry to wrap them.

The customer leaves, satisfied with her purchase. Malvina sits down. No other customers even to take a look. A good downpour is pounding on the roofs of the central kiosk where no one comes to enjoy a mulled wine.

“What would be good is for it to be indicated by signs, remarked a passerby. Because there are small chalets which are not bad at all compared to upstairs (Place du Ralliement). They’re different so it’s good to come too.”

“It's not at all what we expected. confirms Marco Guérin who came to sell honey and beeswax products. He is a producer-harvester. We have a big lack of flow throughout the day, except on the weekend where it is a little better, but the figure we make on the weekend is the one we should do during the week. We are all disappointed here at Place Molière.”

Marco explains that this place was “sold” to him as an extension of the large Christmas market at Place du Ralliement. But the reality is quite different.

“What was missing was communication beforehand. Now it’s too late,” believes this trader who criticizes the city for only having lit the large decorative tree and playing music after a week of presence.

For his part, Angers' deputy for commerce, Stéphane Pabritz, defends this project to extend the central Christmas market.

“We are on the biggest tram station in Angers, argument-t-il. We have large parking lots nearby, we have streets that feed people.”

But he recognizes that it is a new market which was imagined following the renovation of the square and the arrival of the tram. The chosen one speaks of “running-in” and said he understood the anger of the traders who had not been told enough, in fact, that this was a first for this location.

“But it's up to them to build their customers, to persevere, he insists. Because I think it's a very good site here.”

Stéphane Pabritz plans to take stock at the end of this operation, in particular with the chalet rental company to check that the agreed incentive prices have been respected. The chosen one promises to “fix it”. Without further detail.

2A Groupe, a major organizer of Christmas markets in France, explains that traders who rented a chalet on Place Molière benefited from floor prices, more than twice lower than the prices of the chalets offered at Place du Ralliement. Difficult to get the details. 2A talks about chalets for €3,000 at Place Molière while the equivalent would be rented for €7,000 at Place du Ralliement.

“We didn’t force anyone to come, we must give this space time to find its dynamic”declares Thibault Delourme, President of 2A Group.

“We were not told that, corrects Marco Guérin. We were not told that this was a long-term project. We have to sit on an income. We pay way too much compared to the flow of customers which is non-existent here. There are more traders than customers on the square. On one side, we have 2A who plays the violin for us, and, on the other, the town hall who plays the pipe for us. We met a beautiful orchestra here this winter.”

The traders in this place are bitter. They have the feeling of having suffered the effects of an operation destined to be profitable in several years.

The success at Place du Ralliement and at the Jardin du Mail

A few hundred meters further, at the top of rue de la Roë, it's actually not the same atmosphere. Even if the weather is not good, this Thursday evening, there are people around the 90 stands. We are in the shopping city center of Angers, and, naturally, the area is busy.

Same festive feeling in the Mail garden and its fifty chalets. A Ferris wheel lights up this other Christmas market opened four years ago.

Four years, according to the Angers trade assistant, is the deadline for Angevins to take ownership of this new Christmas market address, Place Molière.

All that remains is to find the traders to take the risk.

Olivier Quentin with Cathy Colin

► See the report by Cathy Colin, Olivier Quentin and Maxime Therville

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