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| Nathalie Soulier has a fruit and vegetable stall
in Paris's Aligre Market and an Eftpos terminal for CB card payments. |
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Street markets are part of a city's soul and are as
much a cultural heritage as a contemporary economic driver. There
are around 7,000 in France (almost 100 in Paris alone) over 75% of
which are "open air" markets. In 2000, they generated total
pre-tax sales of 4.6 billion euros nationally.
While cash is the main method of payment, bankcards are gaining favour
among stallholders. Today, it is estimated that almost 40% of mobile
food retailers (fish mongers, poultry sellers, butchers and other
foodstuffs etc.) have an Eftpos terminal. Philippe Soulier, a greengrocer
in Paris and the surrounding region, is one such example. In a climat
that he considers more difficult than in the past for his profession,
he recently decided to acquire a terminal, as he says, "to offer
an additional service to my customers. I took this step in response
to a demand expressed by some customers." He certainly has no
regrets. "I have noted that my customers tend to buy more on
the days they use their card. The average purchase paid for by bankcard
is around 28 euros".
Having noted this trend, his colleagues have followed his example
and acquired a payment terminal, to the great satisfaction of their
customers. With the development of bankcard payments, the mobile retail
trade is adapting to new consumer needs. |
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