Empty shop windows in Presqu'Île de Lyon: construction, Amazon, environmentalists... Whose fault is it?

“Doucet killed me.” Last spring, posters referring to the Omar Raddad affair appeared on the windows of empty commercial premises in the streets of Lyon. Widely publicized but never acknowledged, the poster campaign denounced the policies of Lyon's Green mayor, who is “the gravedigger of small businesses.”

A few weeks earlier, it was Grégory Doucet himself who made public the poor commercial vacancy figures in Lyon. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of empty commercial premises in the Presqu'île region jumped from 4.2% to 6.2%, an increase of nearly 50% over three years. A year later, the increase has continued, and "commercial vacancy now stands at 7.5%," acknowledges Grégory Doucet's deputy for commerce, Camille Augey.

“However, this is lower than the city average, and well below the national average,” she points out. A national average that is indeed hovering around 11%, or even 14% according to figures from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI). “A historically high vacancy rate,” notes Cédric Ducarrouge, regional retail agency director at JLL, a major player in commercial real estate. He adds: “In Lyon, we are not yet at the alert threshold.”

The figures provide some insight. All major French cities, without exception, are experiencing an increase in commercial vacancy. In Bordeaux, it has increased by around 75% in just a few years, reaching 10.5% in 2024. Comparable to Lyon in its resilience, Nantes city center has a vacancy rate of 6.3% in June 2025, compared to just over 3% in 2021. A symbol of a rapidly changing retail sector, believes Johanna Benedetti, president of the My Presqu'île retailers' association.

In Lyon, as in France, part of this increase is linked to a natural catch-up phenomenon, as the vacancy rate had reached a historically low threshold at the end of the Covid-19 crisis. Too low, some Lyon players even consider it, preventing a healthy rotation allowing the city center to renew itself according to consumer trends. “The aid, the state-guaranteed loan, and the lack of capacity to liquidate companies… We knew it could only go up,” explains Mathieu Paredes, director of the retail department at Omnium.

Among the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is also a profound transformation in consumer consumption and travel habits. “The clothing sector is collapsing, not just in Lyon, because people dress differently today. Urban consumers want second-hand clothes, for example,” analyzes Arnaud Gasnier, professor of spatial planning and urban planning at the University of Le Mans. But for a second-hand shop to open, a space still needs to become available. However, with a vacancy rate of around 4% at the end of the pandemic, the Presqu'île has fallen behind consumer trends and desires. “There wasn't enough turnover for the city center to remain attractive,” considers Cédric Ducarrouge.

This is in fact promoting e-commerce, considered the most significant new consumer habit among the French, “of all ages and sociologies,” notes Régis Poly, vice-president of commerce at the CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne. According to his figures, “96% of French people use e-commerce at some point during the year,” he says. For established businesses, particularly independent ones with limited investment capacity, adapting to new trends requires a profound rethink.

“You have to be able to sit down and ask yourself: 'What's not working anymore? How can I transform my business? How can I attract a younger clientele? How can I revive my point of sale?'” explains Johanna Benedetti. Especially since inflation has, for its part, weighed on the purchasing power of French people with ever-increasing savings accounts, and national political instability and the international geopolitical context have made them even more cautious. Discount brands have thus benefited from a favorable context for their development, which has resulted in particular in the installation of a Normal store in the heart of Rue de la République, but also in the announced move of an Action on Rue Grenette and an Aldi in Cordeliers.

A more local factor but observed in other major French cities, the rise in rents has put several of the city's iconic retailers on the street in recent months, from Guyot to Café Perl, "whose rent has tripled," says Thierry Fontaine, president of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries. "The commercial rent index has risen 13% since the inflationary crisis, even though we have seen a drop in turnover on average," notes Cédric Ducarrouge, who emphasizes the devastating scissors effect for retailers.

Mathematically, rising rents encourage commercial vacancies because they effectively increase the length of time a property can be marketed by restricting the number of potential buyers. Lyon Mayor Grégory Doucet recently announced that he would continue his advocacy for the new Prime Minister and his future Minister Delegate for Trade to experiment with regulating commercial leases.

“ Many professionals see landlords putting them under a lot of pressure and wanting to increase rents,” assures Grégory Doucet, supported in this fight by the president of Umih. “ We are fighting against the property companies that are playing our businesses on Excel spreadsheets ,” assures Thierry Fontaine. These comments are nuanced by Mathieu Paredes, who considers that “ our rents are not the most aggressive in France.” According to the director of the retail department of Omnium, “ cities like Annecy are much more expensive .”

New consumer mobility habits have also hit city-center retail hard. Consumers are seeking greater proximity and working remotely, " mobility has thus been considerably reduced at the national level ," notes Johanna Benedetti of My Presqu'île. " We've seen a rise in the population centers around Lyon since the pandemic ," notes Régis Poly.

Added to these global trends is a specific local context whose impact has been particularly publicized in recent years. The profound transformation of Lyon initiated by Green elected officials at the City and Metropolis has indeed had sometimes serious consequences for already weakened businesses, with reduced cash flow. This is what Régis Poly calls “ aggravating local factors .” “ These urban development works disrupt accessibility, especially since they are carried out over a very short timeframe with an unstructured plan,” judges the vice-president of the CCI.

They are also particularly significant because they change the daily lives of every resident and every shopkeeper, as they sometimes damage the city. As recently as mid-September, a demonstration organized by the Defenders of Lyon collective brought together more than a hundred people in front of the Bonnard delicatessen, which blames its difficulties on the Limited Traffic Zone and the closure of Rue Grenette to cars. The collective has therefore filed an appeal and estimates the losses of the shopkeepers involved at more than three million euros. These bad figures are “ directly linked to public works or a loss of accessibility decided by the local authorities ,” it estimates.

Factually, the numerous construction sites and roadworks carried out by the Green elected officials have a difficult to quantify impact on the difficulties of the traders. On the other hand, it is indisputable that they constitute an additional destabilizing factor, and Camille Augey recognizes this: “ The works have consequences, it is a period which disrupts habits and deters some customers. ”

Political opponents have understood this, as have some of the shopkeepers who support them, and are constantly repeating that “Lyon is closing”. “ The majority of shopkeepers no longer want to hear this type of talk. The economic reality is that today, we can no longer afford to say that Lyon is inaccessible, especially since it is not true,” considers Johanna Benedetti, whose association recently launched a communication campaign diverting the works or the limited traffic zone into a Lyon talent zone.

And to remind: “ We have been warning about the commercial situation for a while, well before the first ground was broken. ” The Presqu'île remains dynamic, resisting and the figures tend to show it. “ In 2025, we had 164 new installations on the Presqu'île, and 111 new ones are currently under construction, ” congratulates the mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet. “ We do feel that commercial vacancies continue to increase slightly, but we also see that there is real dynamism in the installations ,” confirms Mathieu Paredes.

Temporary by nature, the work has necessarily precipitated the decline of businesses already weakened by a difficult context. “Ultimately, having a more pedestrian-friendly city will be good. However, the way to achieve this is not the right one. Some businesses are suffering the consequences, and making way for others who will benefit from the comfort provided by the developments, ” says Mathieu Paredes. It now remains to be seen what the impact of the urban projects will be once completed, as well as that of the limited traffic zone.

“ If we're doing it, it's because we're convinced it will have a positive impact ,” assures Camille Augey. It's too early to assess the ZTL's influence on Presqu'île traffic, as July and August are not representative. Grégory Doucet, for his part, welcomes an increase in public transport use to the Presqu'île. At JLL, however, they're talking about a “ slight decline ” in traffic north of Rue de la République, with a 13% drop over the last three months, and an 8% drop compared to 2020.

“ There is a balance to be found. It is, in my opinion, a mistake to believe that we can completely eliminate the automobile. That said, all consumer surveys show that they do not expect parking spaces, but comfortable, renatured, green public spaces, with play areas for children ,” believes Arnaud Gasnier. “ The big question will be the trend in traffic with the ZTL ,” believes Cédric Ducarrouge. He adds: “ When we transform a city center into a pedestrian zone, we increase the performance of businesses in the medium term, but on the condition that the means of access have not been obliterated… ”