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A study showing the impact of the growth in the region’s population and
the development of trade was published this week. It is the first study
of its kind conducted by the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
and shows some interesting economic trends. Firstly the study shows a
sharp expansion in the number of large surface supermarket retailers:
over 1.2 million square metres of retail space have been added to the
region since 2000. Unsurprisingly, new supermarkets have tended to be
installed in the more populated coastal and urban areas of the region
where population density is over 200 inhabitants per square kilometre,
compared to 40 inhabitants per square kilometre in the rural areas.
However, what the study does throw up into sharp relief is the
disparity in household earnings in the region. In 2006 whilst the
region as a whole had an average household income of €14,810 (less that
the national average of €17,265), the average income in rural areas
such as the Lozere and parts of the Aude can be as low as half that of
the national average. Thus, extrapolates the study, the large success
rate of discount supermarkets in the region: 34% of sales points in the
region are for discount supermarket brands compared to a 27% national
average. However, the discount supermarkets have yet to wrest control
of the market from the bigger brands. When looking at market share in
terms square metres of retail space the study shows the dominance of
two brands which dominate stores of over 300m2: Carrefour (25 %),
Intermarche (24 %), Casino (15 %), Systeme U (11 %), Leclerc (7 %),
Auchan (6 %), Lidl (5 %) and Aldi (2 %).
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