ENERGY – How many people will have to go bankrupt? The rise in electricity and gas prices concerns everyone, but the period is particularly difficult for bakers. Depending on their stoves, their gigantic kneaders and other energy-intensive equipment, these artisans today get staggering bills from their energy supplier.
A bit all over France, bakeries are claiming to be threatened with closure. These small or medium-sized enterprises adapt as best they can by increasing the price of products (and sometimes baguette) or by turning off the heaters earlier in the day. On Facebook, a “National mourning day for artisan bakers” scheduled for October 25th invites us to lower the curtain for a day, to sound the alarm and remind us that “nearby shops are vital”.
As you can see in the video at the top of the articlesaw Axel Houri, owner of a bakery in Neuilly-sur-Marne (Seine-Saint-Denis), more than double his bills this summer to 2,162 euros electricity for the month of June, as opposed to 937 euros a year earlier (for the same amount kilowatt-hours).
At the microphone of HuffPost, the baker says he is worried about the coming months. ” We are completely in the dark. We don’t know where we’re going “, he is concerned. Angry with suppliers, the craftsman considers them “war profiteers”, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that affects energy prices. The entrepreneur also explains that he has to juggle an inflation of his commodities (flour, egg, milk, etc.).
A charter signed by suppliers
Glassworks, hairdressers, butchers… Besides bakeries and confectioners, the many sectors with high electricity consumption are waiting to be boosted in the face of this galloping inflation.
On 5 October, the Minister of Economic Affairs therefore received the suppliers at Bercy for the signature of a Charter for the Protection of Businesses. These undertake to make a commercial proposal at the request of the entrepreneur. For his part, Minister Bruno Le Maire also announced a ceiling on the electricity price for producers, which should make it possible to provide support to companies and communities.
Specifically, in the charter, energy suppliers have committed to warn customers who are not eligible for the regulated electricity tariff “at least two months in advance” before the renewal or the end of their contract.
The minister warned that if “Abusive Behavior” stayed, they would be “sanctioned”based on investigations by the Fraud Repression and the Energy Regulation Commission (CRE).
In order to help companies better decipher the offers, the CRE, the energy police officer, will also publish on its website in the coming days. “reference price” electricity, updated weekly. This information, aimed at companies with fewer than 250 employees, is broken down according to different professional consumer profiles. “We won’t let you down”promised the Minister of Economic Affairs to “all companies”which recalled the existence of a 3 billion euro aid envelope.
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