Two merchant associations are worried about the increase in rents

The commercial rents index (ILC), on which the leases are indexed at their anniversary date or at the start of the year, in fact increased by 3,46% in the third quarter, compared to the same period on last year.

The index is calculated according to three parameters: the evolution of consumer prices, that of the prices of new construction and that of the turnover of the retail trade, which includes both sales in stores and on the internet. . In a context of inflation, the ILC therefore logically increases.

But at the same time, many shops, especially in certain sectors such as clothing, have been facing a drop in attendance and their turnover since the start of the health crisis. Over the period from January to November, the activity of specialized trade stores fell by 11% compared to 2019, estimates Procos.

"Under these conditions, the Alliance du Commerce and Procos are calling for an urgent solution to be found with landlords and landlords and the State so that traders do not have to bear high rent increases in 2022", state the two federations in a joint statement.

The method of calculating the ILC is criticized by many associations of traders as well as by the National Committee of Shopping Centers (CNCC) which represents traders and donors. They criticize it in particular for taking into account the turnover of certain players present only online, such as Amazon.

"The subject was raised during the Assises du Commerce, we do not know if it will be taken up" by the government, told AFP Gontran Thuring, general delegate of the CNCC.

In the meantime, Procos and the Alliance du Commerce are asking for a freeze on the ILC "or at least a significant reduction", underlines Emmanuel Le Roch, general delegate of Procos. Otherwise, the federations fear that the weight of rents will prevent traders from making the necessary investments and that it will have consequences on employment or even lead to store closings.

For its part, the CNCC does not support this proposal: "in a generalized inflationary situation, there is no reason for an index to be frozen and not the rest", maintains Gontran Thuring.