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In the town of Épinay-sous-Sénart, in Essonne, residents struggle to do their shopping for lack of shops nearby. The town hall is trying to revitalize the city with the construction of a shopping center.
Shopping in Épinay-sous-Sénart, a small town of 12,000 inhabitants in Essonne, is a real headache. No bakery, supermarket or mini-market. The only solution for the inhabitants: take the car. “A few years ago we had a butcher, a bakery, several businesses. But they all closed, one after the other“, says a local resident. In the main districts of the city, where 80% of the population lives, there is only one food store. But the prices are considered too high in this city or nearly a quarter. of the population live below the poverty line.
To fill their fridges, residents must move to the neighboring town. Some even carpool. In Épinay-sous-Sénart, the desertification of the city center dates back to the 1990s. The mayor, Damien Allouch, is trying to renovate the district and is betting on a new shopping center to attract businesses. To encourage a baker to settle in the city, the town hall had to pay for all the machines. The arrival of this new business is a relief for the inhabitants who now hope to see a supermarket set up.