This is an advertisement that attracts attention in the restaurant sector. In an interview with Le Parisien, the Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs, Laurence Garnier, indicated on Wednesday that the Government wanted to extend the use of food vouchers in supermarkets until the end of 2025. On the other hand, this measure will not be perpetuated . not excluded. A choice that bothers the Union of Hotel Industries and Trades (Umih), the main business union in the hotel and restaurant sector, which is firmly opposed to this exemption.
This measure, which will come into force in 2022, was intended to protect employees’ purchasing power against rising inflation. A justification that is no longer relevant for Frank Delvau: “In 2023 they explained to us that we were extending this temporary measure for another year due to inflation, but today inflation is falling.” Still positive, in fact it fell to 1.1 in September % annual, according to INSEE data.
“The government will be responsible for bankruptcies”
According to figures from the National Commission of Restaurant Titles (CNTR), large and medium-sized stores represented 30.8% of this market, at the end of the second quarter of 2024.
“We must understand that in one year, 600 million euros will no longer end up in restaurateurs but in supermarket checkouts,” warns the president of Umih Paris Île-de-France. He criticizes the government for giving in to “a very strong lobby by large retailers.”
An easy solution that directly affects the financial health of restaurateurs according to Frank Delvau, alarmed by the increase in bankruptcies in his sector: “In one year, they have increased by 40%,” he laments.
“We offer a double roof”
At the insistence of the government, the hospitality union proposes a solution in the form of a compromise: “The creation of a double roof is a way of study,” declares Frank Delvau. A proposal that would allow employees to spend twenty euros in supermarkets and up to forty euros in restaurants and bakeries.
In addition, the French would continue to benefit from the help of food vouchers for shopping and “having fun at the restaurant.” A way to encourage employees to redirect part of the food vouchers to the coffers of restaurateurs.
According to Umih, this measure would also make it possible to fight against the waste of food vouchers: “50 million euros of food vouchers are not used each year,” says the president of Umih Paris Île-de-France.
Another idea proposed by the union: better oversight or even a reduction in fees for securities issuers. A measure strongly criticized by Edenred, one of the largest emitters. Contacted last September, the company stated that “Edenred’s rates have increased less than inflation in the last 5 years.”
And he added: “They have not increased in 2024 and our public rate is around 4.18%.”
Source: BFM TV