Ranking of France's most dynamic town centres

Procos federation, representing 260 specialist retail businesses, launched in 2016 its ranking of France’s most active town centres (Paris and the Paris region not included). The results released in January 2017 highlighted that the majority of French town centres are emptying out.

Why this decline in dynamism in town centres?

According to the Procos study, this decline in dynamism (commercial premises for sale, closed shops, quiet and empty shopping streets) is likely due to the rapid growth of shopping centres and also the development of online shopping.

Which town centres are the winners in the ranking?

Procos carried out the study according to 4 specific categories:

The large metropolises; Large and small medium-sized towns; Tourist towns.

• The large metropolises:

Strasbourg, Nantes, Toulouse, Grenoble and Rennes are, in order of merit, the five most dynamic town centres in France in the large conurbations category. According to the study, it is not random that these cities have been able to retain their dynamism. Indeed, it was highlighted that these town centres met at least three of the following criteria: the presence of many cultural activities, multimodal accessibility, the organisation of regular cultural and tourism events, the sharing of public space (cars and pedestrians, a pedestrian-only zone and less development on the outskirts.

• Large medium-sized towns:

Here, Colmar leads, closely followed by Annecy, Chartres, La Rochelle and Caen. The common denominators in these medium-sized towns are the shopping profile of the towns, their tourist appeal, the presence of a population with a good income who have lived there for a long time.

• Small medium-sized towns:

In this category, town centres such as Saint-Lô, Lons-Le-Saunier, Bastia, Gap and Bayeux show a high level of dynamism. This is probably due to the fact that they are prefectures far from urban centres and therefore local trade is well developed. Additionally, the presence of industrial activities in these small towns makes it possible to create and maintain local workforce and jobs.

• Tourist towns:

So according to the Procos federation ranking, the most dynamic town centres among French tourist towns are:

• Saint-Malo
• Menton
• Deauville
• Beaune
• La Baule

Tourist activity there is more or less regular even outside the summer period, which makes it possible to maintain a good level of income for the local population. Visitors who come to play tourists in these towns also have a fairly significant income. Furthermore, very effective territorial marketing is in place to promote these towns. Food and catering shops thrive there.

Even though the ranking shows that some towns are more dynamic than others, the fate of the other towns is not sealed. Procos recommends best practices and the implementation of a proactive and comprehensive policy by the local authority to achieve success.