Since August 29, an Api grocery store has been set up in Saint-Pierre-en-Val (Seine-Maritime). This autonomous mini-market, open 24/7, is welcomed with open arms by the inhabitants, while the last grocery store closed 30 years earlier.
The place is warmly welcomed in the town. In Saint-Pierre-en-Val, an autonomous mini-market opened its doors on August 29. The inhabitants do their shopping there in complete autonomy.
“It’s an independent grocery store where customers can do things on their own. It’s under constant surveillance. It’s a real store: there’s fresh food, frozen food, dry groceries, fruit, vegetables,” Catherine Vittecoq, deputy mayor of Saint-Pierre-en-Val, told BFMTV.
In total, more than 700 references at the same price as in a supermarket are installed in this small supermarket. A godsend for the 1,100 inhabitants of the village, while the last grocery store closed 30 years ago. “I am very happy that it opened, because it was really lacking in the village and I see that there is a bit of everything”, confides Julie, a resident of Eu.
“It could be a good stopgap and it’s in the town, it could also provide a bit of activity, allow people to meet… I think it’s a good initiative,” adds Chantale, a resident of Saint-Pierre-en-Val.
A booming model
Creating links in the community is one of the objectives of the store, which is accessible 24/7.
“It’s the customers who are autonomous. The customer creates an account and obtains a QR code which allows them to enter the supermarket and then they can do their shopping completely independently,” explains Marie-Laure Basset, general manager of Api grocery stores.
All that remains is to go to the checkout and pay by credit card, before leaving. Already present in more than 75 municipalities, these mini-markets are going to gain even more ground in France. Around twenty openings are planned by the end of the year and around a hundred by 2025.
Robin Le Cornec, Tristan Gorgeret with Mélanie Hennebique
