Setting up a business in another country, where you feel you may have found a gap in the market, can be an intoxicating notion. Starting up a business in France, which has an established and lucrative market culture, could satisfy your wanderlust and at the same time earn you a healthy income while doing so!
To be legally allowed to trade on a market stall in France does not require any special training however, a few important steps and essential paperwork need to be in place before you even approach the market stall manager (placier) for a pitch. As long as you are legally allowed to work in France, and have the necessary paperwork (SIRET or SIREN number), you can apply for your Carte de Commercant Ambulant or market trader’s licence. You will also need to be insured and show that you have registered your business with either Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie (CCI) or Chambre de Metiers et de l’Artisanat (CMA) . After obtaining the correct paperwork, some say that the real challenge comes when trying to secure a pitch on your chosen market.
Having traded at a cross-borders market in Besançon in France, organised by the UK National Market Traders’ Federation, we were lucky enough that we avoided any bureaucracy as we were insured through them anyway. Without notice, we became aware that everyone stopped trading at noon, tables appeared, gingham cloths were spread out and each stallholder brought some delicious food for fellow traders to share in. Saussisons, bread, cheese, wine and fruit were strewn across the tables and the business of luncheon began!
However, getting the paperwork right is the meat and potatoes if you want to trade in France.
Market Traders Licence – Carte de Commercant Ambulant
When a commercial activity takes place at markets, fairs or on the public highway, it is considered a travelling trade activity (i.e. non-sedentary) and is covered by certain rules. To obtain your licence to trade, known as a Carte de Commercant Ambulant, you must first have your business registered with either the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) or the Chamber for Trades and Artisan Crafts (CMA). The only way you are not required to hold a market traders licence is if you only trade in the municipality in which you reside, but this is not very realistic if you are looking to build your business.
Once you receive your card, it is valid for 4 years and renewable thereafter. However, having the card does not mean you can set up your stall on a public highway – for trading anywhere other than at an organised market stall, or event, you will need to approach the Town Hall (Mairie) for permission to trade. You can also use this licence to trade regularly at any Vide Grenier (Car Boot Sale) but you don’t need this if you are just trading at these a couple of times a year.
Market Stall Manager – Le Placier
On French markets, similar to any other market the world over, the market manager is KING! As a casual trader, where your pitch changes from market to market, your fate is in the hands of the market manager.
In France, it is not an uncommon sight to have Le Placier walking around the market, with stallholders following and being allocated spaces according to the whims of said placier. Some are luckier than others and when it is a popular market in the height of the tourist season, some traders are just not chosen and must leave empty-handed. This is not very common in England, so it is a sight to behold when you do see it in action. Be sure to get there early (7-8 am). You will need your licence to trade and insurance documentation with you to show the market manager. Some markets are just too small to employ a placier, so you may have to apply directly to the town hall.
Costs
The cost of a pitch varies but it is incredibly cheap. A couple of Euros per metre in the more provincial venues rising obviously in venues that are more in demand and lucrative. Seasonal venues and cities with more footfall are more pricey but you’ll recoup your minimal expenses with the larger footfall. Market managers usually come around and collect your fee at the end of the trading day.
Market Spaces
Be aware that some markets just don’t have space for everyone, so you may have to wait a few months or years to get onto your chosen market. In larger towns and cities the allocation of market stall spaces are organised by the Town Hall itself and you will need to apply directly to them. There are usually long waiting lists for these, but if you are patient and can fill your time with smaller markets until you get lucky, it is a good option to have your application on the waiting list.
Like on any market, once you have successfully secured a pitch, even if it is only temporary, you will learn more about other opportunities from your fellow stallholders. That is one thing about stallholders, we all want to tell everyone else about other events, just so we know someone else there!
Conclusion
In the land of the bureaucrat, paperwork rules! Employ someone else like a French accountant to explain and sort this out for you if administrative work is not your forte. Speaking the language is not essential, especially if you trade in a tourist area and as long as you are good with sign language and can learn on the job!
It is probably worth the initial trials and tribulations of getting the paperwork trail in motion and completed when the results will allow you to choose your ideal work venue. Will it be a town with a sea view or snow-capped mountains? With warm sunshine or the delicate scent of lavender fields? All topped off with lunch tables of French bread, artisan goats cheese or fresh apricot jam. Oh, yes, please!
Happy Trading!