How convenient
Chez Jean is a café, sassy superette and international newsstand rolled into one.
France, a country often asleep at the wheel when it comes to retail innovation, is burning rubber with Chez Jean, a food’n’news concept that launched early this year. A joint venture between two French mega-chains, Casino (supermarkets) and Relay (news kiosks), Chez Jean is nonetheless a café, sassy superette and international newsstand rolled into one.
“The idea was to create a convenience store Française, not an American-style 7/11,” explains Frédérick Renault at Relay France. That means fresh food, quality reads, sundries and booze in a well-designed space.
Open 07.00-23.00, 365 days a year, night owls stock up on fresh flowers and champagne while early birds fly in for deals such as a coffee and daily newspaper for €2. It’s got free amenities such as wi-fi, mobile phone recharging, loos, a fountain to wash fruit, battery recycling and indoor cash withdrawal.
Six new Chez Jeans are planned for Paris by the end of 2009 before the concept goes nationwide. Can’t wait? They have massive franchise plans.
Chez Jean
13 Avenue de la République, Paris
Best-selling titles:
Newspapers: Le Parisien, Le Monde, Libération, Le Journal du Dimanche, Le Figaro
Magazines: Elle, Public, Voici, Glamour
Paperbacks: La crise, et après? by Jacques Attali; Confessions d’une religieuse by Soeur Emmanuelle
