The dream turned into a nightmare. In April 2022, Valérie Cambe launched a concept with her son. A Corsican grocery store for tasting on avenue Cyrille Besset, in Cagnes-sur-Mer. “It worked very well, we started to have people”, she shares. After almost a year of activity, his son, owner of the business, announced that he wanted to stop. “He is a cabinetmaker by trade. I didn’t have the strength to continue on my own, it was very tiring.” She manages the sale. “I found buyers who wanted to do the same concept, but Italian.” Problem: she receives a letter from the trustee firm JC Dor. The missive states: “The former occupant had put up a sign indicating “sale of all businesses”. The co-ownership warns you that it is impossible for it to be all businesses. » The reason given? “The building is not equipped with a duct for the evacuation of fumes in the case of food businesses, such as restaurants, snack bars…”
Cold shower.
“We are on the verge of a nervous breakdown”
Valérie Cambe sighs: “Impossible for me to resell my right to the lease and impossible to exercise, since it is apparently contrary to the co-ownership regulations.”
She then turns to Pascal Bayard, owner of the premises, who also opened a food business in these places, just before her (read later). The two parties cannot agree on their disagreement. The trader files a complaint once morest him for fraud. “Because it is unusable and unsellable. The right to the lease that I was made to sign should never have been “all businesses”. Normally, nothing stopped me from doing catering. Now we are stuck, even though people are interested. A pizza maker wanted to take over but he would not legally have the right to practice, so it is not possible. We will find ourselves in debt. We are on the verge of a nervous breakdown. »
What if it would resell a different lease right? “It won’t be the same price for the turnover, that’s not possible. For example, I can’t resell to a hairdresser.”
A criminal complaint filed
Valérie Cambe addresses the trustee, who today prohibits her from catering activities. “However, everyone knew that I was cooking, making fries, etc. We never hid it, they can’t say they didn’t know! They allowed me to be exploited. Today, All I want to do is sell. But everyone is passing the buck.”she sighs. The situation is opaque. Asked, the trustee Jc Dor did not wish “position yourself in this matter.”
Valérie’s lawyer, Me Isabelle Gortina, share: “The trustee does not want to transmit certain papers, such as the co-ownership regulations. A criminal complaint has in fact been filed once morest Mr. Bayard for fraud, because he cannot operate the business.”
The owner: “Nothing prevents him from carrying out his activity today”
Pascal Bayard, owner of the walls of Epicorse, in Cagnes-sur-Mer, is the only one to have responded to our requests. The trustee Jc Dor did not wish to speak for this article (read previously). The man claimed not to be aware that a complaint had been filed once morest him by Valérie Cambe, operator of the Epicorsus with his son. “ It was supposed to be a grocery store, not catering », Reestablishes Pascal Bayard. “Occasional little things, not continuous catering or cooking. She had to make snacks. »
Is the hood in the garage causing the problem? He knew it. “ I was the one who installed it. Everyone knew it, it didn’t bother anyone. It’s not illegal. It is a professional hood for at least four cooks, it is extraordinary compared to the activity of the place. The smoke that comes out has no odor. I had asked that we put a conduit that goes through the roof, the union council refused, they knew that it was like that. They all came to eat here. »
According to him, the co-ownership regulations “do not prohibit” the catering activity: “ She wants to sell “all businesses”, but no one ever told her that it was a “all businesses” lease. She can do small meals. I sold him a grocery store with snacks, not a restaurant. It’s defamation what she’s doing, calling it a scam. And what’s more, she hasn’t paid the rent for months. If she doesn’t keep her business going, she can’t resell it. »
He ensures that the co-ownership regulations were provided to Valérie Cambe. “I gave it to her, she had it in her hands. » And sigh: “ If she feels wronged, I feel sorry for her. I didn’t cheat him, I didn’t do anything on purpose. Believe me, if I get this business back, I’ll turn it around. I worked like that for a year, how do you explain that I might and she mightn’t? I even made roast chicken. Today, she might carry out her grocery business, nothing is stopping her. That was 90% of his business. »
