residents fear “the death sentence of this neighborhood”

The announcement of the upcoming closure of the Auchan hypermarket in Clermont-Ferrand Nord, this Tuesday, November 5, plunges the residents and traders of this popular district into deep concern. Between dismay and anger, this decision marks, according to some, the beginning of the end of an already very fragile neighborhood.

The announcement came like a bolt from the blue this Tuesday, November 5, in the Croix-de-Neyrat district of Clermont-Ferrand: the Auchan hypermarket, an emblematic shopping center in this popular district, will close its doors within a few months . A brutal decision, and for many, it comes as a shock.

Maria, 62, is a regular at the store. Slowly, she arrives at the shopping center, supported by her husband who struggles to walk. When she was told of the closure, she exclaimed, stunned: “Really ?!” Before turning to her husband, she worries: “How am I going to do my shopping?” Her arms fall from her, and she forgets for a moment to support her husband, who is staggering at her side. “My husband is sick and I don’t have a car, this is terrible news that you’re telling me.”she blurted out, overwhelmed.

André, a loyal customer of the store who came to have his hair done in the shopping mall, shares his emotion. “It's terrible. We are abandoning the residents. The neighborhood really didn't need this! For many of us, this store is a meeting place, a living space. He’s part of the neighborhood.” But for him, this closure was unfortunately predictable: “Life is expensive, there are fewer and fewer businesses in the gallery. Before, there was a Flunch, a restaurant, bars… Now, half of the stores are closed.”

Delphine, who has been doing hair for 30 years in the same gallery salon, keeps the same tone. “I don’t believe it”she said in a faint voice.“They dropped a bomb on us, like that, without warning.” Her disappointment has nothing to do with the closure itself, but with the way she was informed. She specifies: “I learned in the local newspaper that the store was going to close. It's violent, isn't it? Not a word from Auchan, nothing. They could have at least warned us, by email, or come to see us. ” Yet, despite the anger, she maintains a glimmer of optimism: “We survived when Mammouth became Auchan, we will survive again. But it doesn't make it any less difficult. It's the work, the stability of an entire neighborhood that is at stake.”

Like Delphine, most traders feel increasingly weakened. Noureddine*, manager of a café-restaurant in the shopping mall, is on the verge of collapse. “I pay 11,000 euros in charges every year. And they line their pockets while we are left on the side of the road”he is indignant. When he arrived that morning, he could only see the distress of the Auchan employees:

I saw them crying, their eyes red. Immediately I understood

Nourredine*

Manager of a café-restaurant in the shopping arcade of an Auchan hypermarket.

Like him, other traders expect a drop in traffic which could lead them into turmoil. “It’s the end, that’s for sure. We’re going to find ourselves without customers. We’re all going to go down with them.”he laments, anguished.

The fate of the store's employees also weighs heavily on people's consciences. Malik chats in the cafe. He does not hide his concern for these young people who grew up in this neighborhood and who, suddenly, “find themselves thrown into the street”. He confides: “The majority of employees live here. They are young people who have their lives here, and they are being kicked out. It really saddens me.” He goes further by imagining the future of the neighborhood: “If Auchan closes, it will be like Castellane in Marseille. This district will become a deserted area, and a new deal point will appear. You will see. We are signing the death warrant for this district.”

Hamid, a barber in a neighboring salon, shares the same concern. His business, launched only two years ago, finds it hard to believe. “We've only just paid off our loan to open the salon. We were just starting to make a profit. And now it's all going to collapse.” If the closure of the hypermarket leads to the disappearance of the daily influx of customers, he fears being one of the “first collateral victims”.

For others, the news seems less overwhelming. Leila, a regular customer, reacts almost with fatalism. “Too bad, I’ll go somewhere else”she says casually, pushing her shopping cart. “The prices are too expensive anyway. Whether I shop here or elsewhere, it’s the same for me.” Leila will undoubtedly go to another store, located in the far north of Clermont-Ferrand, but most local residents will not be so lucky: for many, the closure of Auchan means much more than a simple change of location. supermarket. It calls into question the life of the entire neighborhood.

*The first name has been changed.