They have grown at the entrance to our cities, in these ultra-urbanized but very sparsely populated no-man’s lands between town and country, where roundabouts are kings and sidewalks almost non-existent. Most residents of large cities do not know the name of the brand, not to mention the concept, when residents of rural or semi-rural areas are able, barely the brand mentioned, to praise its merits. They are the Marie Blachère bakeries, but also the Ange or Louise establishments, depending on the region. Non-existent ten years ago, these industrial-sized but traditional-looking networks have taken over a motorized and pocket-conscious France. Highlighting in passing our contemporary contradictions and the fracture between two worlds. Between the desire to eat “true” and a tendency to consume standardized, between the dream of living city centers and the inability to give up the car, between the claimed defense of “small” commerce and the frequent attendance of “big” ones.
A decade ago, the name of Marie Blachère was known only to a few aficionados in the Rhone Valley, the group’s headquarters. The latter now has more than 700 points of sale for an estimated turnover of nearly 800 million euros. Openings in medium-sized towns or small towns are events announced in the local press. Even the outskirts of very large conurbations are no longer exempt. Often, in the same sector, the group has not one store, but two or three, sometimes four or five, depending on the catchment area.
In a shrinking bread market – we only eat 105 grams per day and per person, compared to 150 in 2003, according to a study by QualiQuanti for the Federation of Bakery Companies – a new distribution of market shares is at work, as spectacular as it is edifying. Whether they are called Marie Blachère, Ange or Louise, the networks only have around a thousand shops, that is to say around 2.5% of the 39,000 bakeries in France, but, with d Others capture 25% of total sales! They compete with all players, artisans, but also “snacking” brands such as Paul and the Brioche Dorée, or the points of sale of supermarkets and hypermarkets. “They have attacked very quickly for ten years, doing a lot of harm to traditional shops. And, for three to four years, they have attacked salty and lunch at noon by being close to employment areas”, confirms Bernard Boutboul , president of Gira conseil, a firm specializing in the analysis of food consumption.
The look of a shed but the smell of an old-fashioned bakery
Where yesterday we could not imagine going to get such a symbolic food as daily bread elsewhere than at the neighborhood artisan, where yesterday we railed against the cooking terminal of the corner supermarket which delivered an undercooked product, which did not could not be kept, we now allow ourselves to frequent places that look like hangars, wedged between a brake and wiper specialist, a service station and one or more supermarket signs. After all, aren’t these real bakeries, whose bread is made on site? After all, isn’t the smell the same as that emanating from an old-fashioned bakehouse?
The France of Marie Blachère is multiple. With the exception of wealthy residents of large urban centers who are seduced by exceptional breads, sourced flours and recipes signed by great chefs, the concept appeals to large segments of the population. The Parisian who has just acquired a second home and finds the local baker’s baguette “not terrible” finds a product with a constant taste. The motorist who rails against the impossibility of parking in the city center places his car in giant parking lots. The mother in a hurry takes the bread at the same time as her vegetables and her meat since a Grand Frais has been set up right next door – the two partner brands since 2008 often do joint shopping and promotions. The worker not very in funds comes there to lunch. He finds there formulas, based on pizza, kebab or ham sandwich or burger, nutritious and economical if not dietetic.
These signs constantly reflect the concerns of the time and those of a part of the population which is not afraid of swallowing up kilometers by car, but prefers to find what it needs on its way. In addition to the classic commercial zones at the entrance or exit of the city, they now mesh the territory more finely. “Recent establishments are along the ring roads and radials, in a somewhat diffuse way, around small nodules, with just three or four brands – a dry cleaner, a fast food offer, the bakery. The consumer does not lose any time, he does not deviate before returning home”, summarizes Arnaud Gasnier, professor of spatial planning and urban planning at the University of Le Mans.
It does not matter that the decor lacks a bit of charm, consumers have the impression of finding there the fundamentals of traditional brands. To be able to use the bakery label, the Marie Blachères and others must comply with a 1998 law requiring them to knead, bake and sell bread on site. They do not hesitate, overplaying the menu of fresh bread always available and “homemade”. Too bad if the rest – and in particular the pastry – is not subject to the same constraints, the seller’s sympathy and the possibility of eating on site make the difference. “By offering tables and chairs, they become places of fixity where you can spend a moment around a pastry. This meets the expectations of the consumer, who is attentive to quality, but also to sociability”, continues Arnaud Gasnier.
The 3 + 1 promo is the strong point of the network
Attracted by the outward signs of tradition, people come here to find the same product every day. You want to be able to choose your cooking – there are always three available (white, golden, well done). And above all, we want to do business. The strong point of these networks, and of Marie Blachère in particular, is there. At a time when the majority of French people – and not just the poorest – are watching their spending, the flagship “3 + 1” promotion, which allows you to buy four products for the price of three, is extremely effective. Admittedly, it does not yet bring the price of the baguette to the level of that of the local discounter, which can go down to 39 cents, but it offers a comfortable advance compared to artisan bakers who cannot afford to offer 25% discount to their customers. Another success: the half-price promotion in the last half hour before closing that all shops must apply, products which will still be available the next day in plastic bins at the entrance to the shops. “In town or in mainland France, there are many working people capable of buying more expensive artisanal products. In rural areas, populations are more economically fragile. This corresponds to consumption fractures, to what Philippe Moati calls the ‘ de-meaning’ of society”, adds Arnaud Gasnier.
This is how one morning, in a Marie Blachère in the Parisian suburbs, we come across an elderly lady who grabs a “grain” bread from the day before, slipping “my retirement” in an embarrassed sigh before joining, in s leaning on a cane, her car which she left in the place closest to the entrance. A young man who comes to order plates of dessert for a family celebration the following weekend – 35 euros for the fruit tart version, 29 for the brownie. One woman, then two, then three who take baguettes in multiples of three and leave with multiples of four, they’ll freeze them and won’t need to come back by the end of the week. At each of them, the seller offers the “Children’s Day” promotion – four Nutella milk rolls for 4 euros. Many decline, he wonders about this objective he has heard about: 250 milk rolls to sell during the day, really?
With their forced march establishments, the networks ended up redrawing the commercial geography of our cities. By weakening the traditional bakers first, since on average a Marie Blachère makes 1 to 1.5 million euros in turnover, against 500,000 euros for an independent. It is estimated that the opening of a roundabout store leads to a 10 to 15% drop in the income of craftsmen in the sector, in a context where they already have to deal with a sharp increase in their energy expenditure and are experiencing a failure rate over the first four months of the year unprecedented since the beginning of 2015, according to Altares.
The upheaval goes well beyond that, also jeopardizing the city center revitalization operations initiated by mayors of small and medium-sized towns aware of having gone too far in the development of commercial areas on the outskirts. However, much more than opticians or mutuals, bakeries, like butchers, are the beating hearts of these operations. Recently, in Villers-Cotterêts in the Aisne, a Marie Blachère tried to settle, the RN town hall having issued a building permit to a promoter. The five local independents alerted. Christophe Coulon, vice-president of the Hauts-de-France region, threatened to deprive the city of 800,000 euros in subsidies under the “city center, town center” program for lack of consistency. The quarrel took a political turn, but it is indicative of the contradictions of the moment.
In Meurthe-et-Moselle, the mayors of Blainville-sur-l’Eau and Damelevières carried out an awareness campaign with their population after a Marie Blachère opened nearby, threatening the activity of artisan bakers , but also all the efforts (craft market, etc.) made to support their communities. Their key argument? “Go see if there’s pâté lorraine or quiche lorraine at Marie Blachère, and we’ll talk about their traditional artisanal side!” They also posted photos of garbage bags full of bread, in contradiction to the brand’s “anti-waste” communication. This battle seems won. But until when ?