Why are participatory businesses increasing? Answers from a geographer

Why have these participatory businesses become more and more numerous over the past twenty years?

Participatory grocery stores follow in the wake of experiments launched in the field of commerce and food. There was the development of Amap (Association for the Maintenance of Peasant Agriculture), structures like The Hive that says yesand, now, others like My Little Truck, Living villages Or Move your cock who develop innovative forms of commerce in rural areas. The idea is to take over from the private sector, to find solutions in places where traditional commerce cannot be maintained. Rural elected officials have always shown perseverance to maintain the last shop in the village.

What are the conditions necessary for their success?

Today, we are seeing a renewed interest in small-format retail. Municipalities often support these associative grocery stores because, rather than relying on a single merchant, the risk rests on a collective. Conviviality is also essential, as is volunteering, which reduces the difference in sales prices between buyers and producers to zero.

Conversely, what are the weaknesses of these businesses?

Volunteering is both a strength and a weakness because the main risk weighing on these grocery stores is the exhaustion of volunteers. In an associative form, collectives can also evade certain standards, particularly in terms of security or accessibility.