Vendée: Street vendors banned from the beach

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With their cart, they crisscross the beaches of Vendée to sell little sweet treats . In the middle of the afternoon, the presence of this street vendor on the beach is appreciated by vacationers. "It's very practical, that's it, and the children are delighted," rejoices one vacationer. " It happens, you come out of the water, off the beach, hop, you come across it, it's very good," continues a second.

But these vendors are not welcome on the Vendée beaches. The mayors of the coastal towns have banned their presence this summer. This represents unfair competition for the traders who set up shop on this beach and spend several thousand euros each year to operate there.

"On the days when vendors were present on the beach, we hardly ever do takeaway sales anymore," grumbles François Moinardeau, manager of the restaurant Le Moaï. "They target people, they go right through the towels, so obviously, it's convenient for people."

The company risks a 38-euro fine, and the penalty could even include seizure of the goods. In his warehouse, Jefferson Fertel, the manager of the company "Oh Pirate!", had stocked up for the summer. Now, he has no choice but to head to the beach to survive.

"The nature of the municipal decrees totally and absolutely prohibiting my activity, so it is a general ban, goes against my fundamental freedoms, which for me are the freedoms of commerce and industry," the manager castigates.

Faced with this controversy, the town hall of Les Sables d'Olonne says it wants to regulate this type of activity. "We have nothing against street vendors because we ourselves have dedicated a plot that could be taken by street vendors, but it has not been filled," explains Nicolas Chénéchau, the town's first deputy mayor from the various right-wing parties. "So, once we have a decree with precise rules, it must apply to everyone."

The company has taken legal action to challenge the restrictions. These street vending bans are not an isolated case. Last year, on the Atlantic coast, the town halls of Ausgors, Biarritz, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz took the same decision.