The situation until recently was causing much difficulty to traders in Evian, Nicolas Triomphe, the president of Evian Commerces, an association composed of traders from the town, said. These conditions are however about to change. Indeed, a municipality council was held on the 16th of December last, during it was decided that no less than ten coaching and support measures would be implemented in order to resolve these problems.
The measures in some words
Concrete measures have been listed during the meeting, namely:
1. Improving the environment in which the traders work
2. Maintaining the respective positions that their businesses have earned in the town
3. Attracting more customers by offering parking free of charge during weekends
4. Redesigning shops’ terraces such hat they are uniform
5. Allowing the local hotels to grow
6. Helping craftsmanship be recognised and promoting it
7. Financially support the traders whose businesses are negatively affected by works being carried out in town
8. Helping traders renovate their storefronts
9. Establishing a commercial hub in order to encourage new projects for the business sector
10. Choosing a negotiator for the traders of the town
Younger traders to be probably seen in the business sector of Evian
The municipality is planning to establish a “commercial hub”. This will encourage entrepreneurship by providing, in addition to a space for commercial use to those who are taking their first steps into the industry, services related to the business as well as adapted coaching.
This plan will give rise to new projects in the town of Evian. Business is such a popular venture in the town that there is hardly any space left to establish a shop in the region. This project therefore gives complete support to the youngsters who are aspiring to set up their own business.
The measures in practice
The municipality has decided to grasp the nettle by signing a rental contract for a commercial location at the Rue Nationale. Another agreement will be also signed with the Chambre des Métiers et de l’Artisanat (the Crafts and Artisans Chamber) as well as the Chambre de Commerce et de l’Industrie (the Chamber of Industry and Commerce). Besides, an amount of 50,000 euros will be allocated from the municipal budget in order to carry out these measures.
One year of constructive discussion
The measures which have been announced are the result of a year-long discussion between stakeholders. These meetings began in 2018 and brought together hotels, traders and the municipality of Evian. The exchanges have allowed the two first ones to mention the difficulties they faced and the changes that they deemed to be important. The aim was to find solutions to the majority of their problems, which is now done. This initiative and the attention that the municipality gave to the traders were congratulated by Nicolas Triomphe, the president of Evian Commerces. He seems to be happy of the results of the discussions.
The town of Evian always has something to offer, whether to a resident, a trader or a tourist in search for a beautiful destination with all required amenities. This action once more shows the humane side of the town of Evian, through the municipality’s politics.