Retail stores expand sales area in sparsely populated areas – Insee Première

In 2020, there were 272,000 retail and commercial craft shops in France (excluding Mayotte), compared to 283,000 in 2015. The number of retail shops per capita has fallen in every department. The decline has been more pronounced in urban areas and rural market towns than in rural areas, where settlement is dispersed.

At the same time, the average selling area of ​​retail stores increased across France, with the largest increases in sparsely populated rural areas, especially in leisure, cultural, information and communication technology stores and personal and household goods stores.

From 2015 to 2020, per capita sales of food specialty stores and commercial handicraft stores increased in towns and rural towns, while per capita sales of non-food specialty stores increased in rural areas with dispersed populations.