Baker in debt over electricity bills saved by Swiss casino

A baker from the town of Blotzheim (Haut-Rhin), located right next to the border with the city of Basel (Switzerland), was saved by a Swiss casino which wiped out nearly 90,000 euros in electricity bills, reports France Bleu Alsace.

The manager of seven bakeries, David Pichot, had to close his shops in mid-June because of the high electricity bills that he could no longer pay, leaving 25 employees unemployed. His subscription had increased from 25,000 to 90,000 euros. EDF had cut off his electricity, demanding at least 30,000 euros of the 90,000 owed. The baker then made an appeal for donations by launching a Leetchi kitty and alerting the local press.

It was then that the Grand Casino Basel offered to pay off the bakeries’ debts. “It’s a gift from heaven. I was contacted by the casino following the articles in the press. The director came to see me directly in Blotzheim to tell me that he wanted to pay the entire bill. We didn’t expect it at all. We are very happy to settle this bill so easily. It gives us courage, it remotivates the whole team.”explains David Pichot.

“We haven’t realized it yet, we’ve been around for 20 years, we’re here from 4am. We’ve received a lot of messages of support from customers who are delighted to have the stores open again.”. A partnership was concluded in exchange for casino plaques in David Pichot’s seven bakeries. The baker was therefore able to reopen his seven establishments which had closed their doors in mid-June. The 25 employees were able to return to work.