Reuters reports
Sophie Fornairon’s independent bookshop has survived the rise of Amazon thanks to a French law that prohibits price discounting on new books, but she says the e-commerce giant’s ability to undercut on shipping still skews the market against stores like hers.
Fornairon, who owns the Canal Bookstore in central Paris, now hopes that new legislation that would set a minimum price for book deliveries will even the contest further in the battle of neighbourhood stores against Amazon (AMZN.O).
“It’s a just return towards a level playing field,” Fornairon, who employs four workers, said. “We’re not at risk of closing down any time soon, but Amazon is a constant battle”.
Amazon said the legislation, adopted by parliament but not yet enacted, would punish those in rural areas who cannot easily visit a bookstore and rely on delivery.
“Imposing a minimum shipping cost for books would weigh on the purchasing power of consumers,” Amazon told Reuters in a statement.
That is an undesirable consequence government officials are wary of at a time President Emmanuel Macron administration is scrambling to head off growing discontent over rising energy prices six months from an election.
In the country of Victor Hugo and Simone de Beauvoir, where local bookshops are held with special affection — they were deemed ‘essential businesses’ during latter COVID lockdowns — the move is the latest by the state to shield national culture against big tech firms.
More than 20% of the 435 million books sold in France in 2019 were bought online and the market share of France’s 3,300 independent bookstores has been slowly declining because of competition from online retailers like Amazon, Fnac (FNAC.PA) and Leclerc.
Support from Macron helped push the legislation, which does not target Amazon by name, over the line. The minimum fee still has to be negotiated with the regulator.
