FRANCE: RETAILERS AND SUPPLIERS' RELATIONS

Article Abstract:

Lionel Jospin, the French Prime Minister, intends to strengthen the regulations concerning relations between retailers and suppliers. Concretely, Mr Jospin intends to put an end to abuses generated by commercial cooperation by forbidding them and sanctioning them severely. Although retailers say that these types of practices must indeed be ended and sanctions, they stress that a certain number of these practices are the result of the Galland law. Mr Jospin also urges transparency of commercial cooperation. He plans to strengthen the Fair Trade Council's role in control in order to provide a better contractual framework. He intends to make it possible for the government to go to court for suppliers in order to defend their interests by nullifying illegal contracts, redressing injustice, and obtaining civil fines. The solution to the inequality between retailers and suppliers appears to lie in discussions between the parties in litigation. The retailers have understood this. They say that they are open to dialogue and to consensus.

Government domestic functions, Food & Kindred Products, Food Manufacturing, Brief Article

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FRANCE: THE FRENCH RATE RETAIL CHAINS

Article Abstract:

According to the latest Cetelem data centre, the French give the various forms of commerce a low ranking - 5.92% on a scale of one to ten. They were rated according to the setting, which was given a rating of 6.74, and product offer which was given a rating of 6.17. However, the quality of relations with the sales staff gets a score of only 5.9 and the services offered were rated only 5.88. The hypermarkets received the best note, followed by big specialised stores with 7.08, and small shops with a mark of 7.03. While the hypermarkets were appreciated for their product selection with 7.32, as were big specialised stores with 7.48, small shops were appreciated with they quality of contact with sales people. On-line sales received a score of only 3.12 (the worst), and mail order sales received a low score of 5.26. Main order and on-line sales must make efforts concerning the product selection which was rated 3.56 for on-line sales and 5.57 for mail order sales; for the quality of contact with the sales people, on-line sales received a score of 3.29, compared with 5.24 for mail order; and for the quality of services offered on-line sales received a score of 3.5, while mail order was rated 5.48. The hypermarkets must continue to develop their capacity to listen and advise, and to communicate more on the practicality and price aspects.

Marketing procedures, Mail Order Houses, Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses, Catalog and mail-order houses, Mail order business

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FRANCE: EMPLOYMENT IN RETAILERS IN 1999

Article Abstract:

According to a report by the Federation of Commerce and Distribution Companies (FCD), the French retail sector had 546,000 employees at the end of 1999, up 4%, and it created 21,900 jobs compared with 1998. Of the new people hired, 78% had temporary jobs, and 67% had part time jobs. Sixty percent of the workforce is women, 62% have a full time contract, and 87% have a permanent contract. Hypermarkets employ half of the total work force, but the greatest rise was in discount store staff, which rose 17%. Most of the staff work in stores. At the end of the first half of 2000, 379,500 employees were working a 35-hour work week, which breaks down to 91% of the employees in hypermarkets, 82% of those in discount stores, and 52% in supermarkets. This reduction in working time involves a change in schedule in 66% of the cases, and an annualisation in 52%. Finally the new recruits to retailing are more and more unlikely to have diplomas, and training does not make up for this lack of qualifications. In hypermarkets, 58% of the personnel had training in 1999, compared with 61% in 1998, and the length of training is decreasing.

Food Stores, Food and Beverage Stores, Labor force information, FCD Corp.

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