Pages

'Sorry Amazon': French supermarket steps up for local booksellers

Leading French supermarket chain China announced on Thursday that it would share its online retail network with shuttered bookstores and other local businesses, and expressed displeasure at Amazon's lead in the new Covid Lockdown. 

 

'Sorry Amazon': French supermarket steps up for local booksellers

The Aftermarket Group said "sorry Amazon" with full-page newspaper ads, saying local businesses - first-hand bookstores - would be allowed to sell their products on its online "click and deposit" marketplace.

 

The decision to declare bookstores "unnecessary" in the wake of the downturn has caused a stir. The government countered by banning the sale of books in supermarkets to allay unfair competition concerns.

 

Other retailers have also complained about the re-closing of the lockdown, effectively turning Amazon and other e-commerce sites into the only shopping option for millions.

 

Exploitation of EU tax laws has long fueled resentment against Amazon, which critics say allows the United States to avoid paying taxes in France despite rising profits.

 

Intermarche's ridiculous advertising campaign even shouts at Amazon chief Jeff Bezos: "And alas, Jeff, but we're already working on other struggling businesses."

 

"We've especially heard about the plight of small businesses and bookstores," Antarctica President Thierry Cotillard told AFP.

 

"Businesses are being pressured to go digital, to compress and accumulate, but not everyone is ready for it," he added.

 

The French government has pledged billions of euros in aid to businesses that have been shut down’ in the second lockdown since the Corona virus crisis began in March.

 

On Thursday, it said mail costs for free bookstores would be waived’ so they could send directly to their clients - a legal minimum mail rate of only one percent would apply during lockouts.

 

But retailers' associations have warned that help may not be enough to keep many small stores out of business, especially if the closure increases during the crucial holiday season.


READ MORE 

Missing messages come from Facebook-owned WhatsApp

Post a Comment

0 Comments