the government wants to open 1,000 businesses in rural areas within two years

The Minister of SMEs, Commerce and Crafts, Olivia Grégoire, has just selected 43 new projects, which will be able to benefit from subsidies ranging from 20,000 to 70,000 euros. The ambition is to open, in the next two years, 1,000 businesses in deserted rural communities. If we add up all the subsidies, that makes around 1.2 million euros of aid deployed.

State services have identified 28 eligible departments. Half of the selected retail projects will see the light of day in areas devoid of any local shops. Itinerant business projects can also compete. The services of Minister Olivia Grégoire estimate that, thanks to this program, at least 50,000 French people will see a business open in their municipality.

Response to the yellow vests?

This plan to deploy rural businesses is not the first of its kind. Today in France, a little more than 20,000 municipalities do not offer any commerce to their inhabitants, 62% of French municipalities compared to 25% at the beginning of the 1980s. The challenge is twofold: accessibility to essential everyday goods and the socialization of territories. By deploying this policy of revitalizing economically neglected areas, the government also intends to avoid a new crisis of the yellow vests, those who considered themselves to be left behind by the consumer society.

The prefects and sub-prefects will be the direct interlocutors of the project leaders. The government wanted a decentralized organization and management of files to best meet the needs of the territories. Olivia Grégoire aims to finance 500 short-term projects, leading to the opening of 1,000 businesses within two years. The means are on the table. If you feel like a trader, now is the time to get started.