FRANCE: France's famed cafe society is a victim of one of the wettest summers on record with emptier terraces hitting profits.

Record ID: 333264

  • Title: FRANCE: France's famed cafe society is a victim of one of the wettest summers on record with emptier terraces hitting profits.
  • Date: 14th July 2012
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 12, 2012) (REUTERS) RAIN IN FRONT OF PARISIAN BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Weather,Quirky,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVA7A6K7VY55VF13I3AMOWVIZDZV
  • Story Text: Paris' famously grumpy waiters have got an extra reason for being miserable this summer as some of the wettest weather on record has driven Parisians to take shelter in cinemas and galleries, leaving their wine untouched in the city's outdoor cafes -- which are feeling the pinch as busines suffers .
    One of the wettest months of June since the 1950s has meant that the streets are sodden in the City of Light and the weather has not improved in the first two weeks of July.
    On an average summer day, the cafes of Paris are teaming with punters drinking espresso but the weather this year has kept them indoors, which is hitting profits according to cafe union president Didier Chenet.
    "You wouldn't think it was the middle of July. It's grey, it's raining, we have appallingly unsettled weather. June was bad which means that activity in restaurants and cafes with outside seating, within Paris and elsewhere in France is of course affected," Chenet said.
    He added that profits made from outside seating areas make up 20 to 30 percent of business in cafes and that losses are hitting his members hard.
    But with its host of indoor activities -- cinemas, galleries and museums -- cafes in Paris are not as badly affected hit as they are elsewhere in the country.
    "As far as Paris is concerned, the decrease in relation to last year for the last month and a half is about 10 percent. 10 percent less. On the other hand if you go to Normandy, we're at 20 or 30 percent less. So these are big numbers and they are worrying," he said.
    The wider economic climate does not help the situation either as many people have less disposable income to spend on eating and drinking out, Chenet said.
    And Parisians who talked to Reuters Television on Friday appeared to agree.
    "The weather isn't good, we can't go out. We don't have anywhere to go. We can't take advantage of the weather," said Parisian Mme Ren.
    Many French holidaymakers have chosen to spend their weekends on indoor activities and Chenet said that cinemas and theatres were reporting an unexpected summer boom.
    In spite of the other activities Paris has to offer, some residents remain depressed.
    "It's all about sitting outside cafes normally at this time of year. Taking advantage of the cafes but at the moment we can't. When you reach the point where all you're talking about with your grandmother is the rain and the weather, it's terrible. It's awful," Parisian Julien Janson said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register