France in Focus

We have only just realised.
They went into administration in Jan 24.
Was it Brexit? Probably.
Pity because their link with Marks and Sparks was handy.

Yep, sad but true. A result of many factors I expect, but certainly brexshit played a part. Their items were "eyewateringly expensive" as one client said. Ah, the good ol' days of Sterling Shopping bringing stuff over from wherever are but a distant memory.

Expensive they may have been but anyone who can still source their goods elsewhere will find that the likes of Amazon are even more expensive. Of course you won't be able to get the M&S Xmas pud unless someone is travelling over.

And of course one thing many forget is that while most of the goods sold are VAT free in the UK, they attract sales taxes in Europe. That adds 20-ish % straight away.

@exile Absolutely - it's all the extra taxes that were bound to push the prices up - plus, the business still needs to make a profit.

Same old story, companies do this to make a profit, and any costs generated by the likes of Brexshit are passed down the line. It has been said many times before WTF were the British public thinking of when they voted for this split.

Surely you know the answer.
They wanted their sovereignty back and were keen to pick their own vegetables.

Hotrodder wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:06 am
They ..... were keen to pick their own vegetables.

And what a bunch they picked - Johnson, Gove, Farrage, Reece-Mogg et al.

The biggest loss for us has been the chilled food items unobtainable here. All now banned in France anyway.

I don't think anything is banned but the bureaucracy and costs makes the import uneconomic. A vets report is required for meat or dairy products to confirm that the animals were fit, healthy and not suffering any disease. I believe the vet has to be registered with the EU as well.
I gather the report stretches to many pages and is time consuming if nothing else. So certification costs several hundred pounds and would normally make the product uneconomic to import.

Obviously the market here in Spain is bigger but there are a number of 'English' shops which seem to have survived Brexshite and still stock a wide range of goods. Butchers are relatively plentiful too, I have one 5 minutes away from where I live and two more within about 15 minutes.

Had roast pork for lunch today, cooked in the air fryer.


An opportunity for someone to set up a Spain to France shopping service?