Is franchising the future of supermarkets? It’s no for Myriam Delmée of Setca. “JI read in the press that 600 supermarkets, including franchisees, are on the verge of bankruptcy and that one in three independents is in financial difficulty“, she argues. “So I don’t know if this is the future“, she adds.
“You will not make me say that the future is the habits of the consumer without ever being put any limit“, continues Myriam Delmée, referring to the different opening hours and days for franchisees than for integrated supermarkets, in particular the opening of these stores on Sundays.
But, she said, “if tomorrow we have the same conditions in commerce, that we have collective representation everywhere, that everything is fine in the best of worlds, whether it’s called Delhaize or whether it’s the local franchisee, for me, that’s is equal“.
Opposite, Pierre-Frédéric Nyst defends the way franchisees treat their employees. “I also meet workers who have worked in company stores, who now work in franchises and who say that there are a lot of advantages“, he explains.
And to quote, according to him, the advantages of franchise stores. “You have a boss who is an entrepreneur you can meet. There is a closeness that is much more important“, argues Pierre-Frédéric Nyst. “This helps to defuse a lot of problems, a lot of conflicts when working in small teams“, he adds.
For the boss of the UCM, workers in franchise stores do not have a precarious status. “There are testimonies that say we also have a thirteenth, even a fourteenth month“, he explains. “We must stop saying that it is a regression. These are lawsuits“, adds Pierre-Frédéric Nyst.
“That there are independents who pay a thirteenth month, that there are independents who lead their boat properly, who are real entrepreneurs, you will not hear me say the opposite“, defends Myriam Delmée. But for her, in relation to the problem of Delhaize, it is necessary “align arguments that are objective and legal“. And for her, objectifying things means remembering that at Delhaize, there is “a tradition of social consultation, where advantages have been negotiated and which can disappear with six months’ notice“.
