autonomous mini-markets are set up in rural areas

Open 24 h/24without staff, with products available at low prices, this is the promise of the autonomous grocery stores that are flourishing in French municipalities. To Marsac (Charente)there has been no grocery store for 15 years. “People would prefer to pick up their groceries in supermarkets, it was cheaper”, says the mayor, Jean-Luc Fouchier. A self-contained convenience store will be installed. Here, customers enter, scan and pay for their groceries using their smartphones.

“As we have supermarket prices, the goal is to go beyond troubleshooting, it is that people get into the habit of going for their daily shopping”, explains Julian Nauco-founder of the start-up API. A dozen municipalities could install this type of convenience store by the end of the year. Journalist Valerie Hurtel indicates that, in the countryside, producers have already installed vending machines, for cheeses or charcuterie, for example.