Round 4,400 Parisians descended on the French capital’s Champs-Élysées on Sunday for a large picnic on a 216 meter red-and-white checkered blanket, within the shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.
For sure, it wasn’t spontaneous. Le Grand Pique-Nique de Champs was organized by a committee of companies aiming to get locals again to the world, which has develop into primarily a vacation spot for vacationers over the previous few a long time.
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Friends, drawn at random from over 240,000 candidates, had been handled to free culinary delights—each on the picnic blanket and on lengthy benches that had been particularly arrange—that had been offered by close by eating places, together with the famend Fouquet’s.
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Whereas Champs-Élysées will get no scarcity of tourists, its composition has modified considerably as actual property values have elevated, pricing out retailers and cinemas that catered to locals. LVMH for instance reportedly paid over €1 billion ($1.08 billion) for the Louis Vuitton flagship retailer, on the nook of Champs-Élysées and the celebrated Avenue George V.
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Alongside luxurious boutiques, lower-price however nonetheless tourist-friendly chains like McDonald’s and Disney retailer have additionally arrange store.
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Locals have moreover complained about rising crime and delinquent conduct on the avenue, which is on the intersection of a number of Paris Metro traces. As an iconic, central location, Champs-Élysées was additionally the positioning of enormous scale gilets jaunes protests, which started in 2018.
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The Grand Pique-Nique was not the primary try by the organizing committee, Comité Champs-Élysées, to get locals again to the world: in earlier years, it has hosted a large spelling contest and open-air cinema. It additionally comes as rival European capital London has been attempting to expunge its well-known Oxford Avenue of its seemingly ubiquitous American sweet and Harry Potter merchandise shops.
The problem is that there’s solely a lot that may be achieved within the face of excessive property prices, that are squeezing out retailers and foods and drinks companies that aren’t extremely worthwhile, or no less than giant sufficient to justify a location like Champs Élysées as a loss-leading store window for his or her on-line providing.
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Vacationers have cash, so it shouldn’t be stunning that the costliest areas adapt to cater to them. Certainly, the one method authorities and companies could possibly get native clients again is by internet hosting extra picnics. It’s unlikely Parisians would complain.
