The fight of artisan baker Valentin Garcia for an ambitious project in Sérignan

Valentin Garcia intends to fight to fight his fight. Midi Libre – Mélissa Alcoléa

the essential The baker is facing an appeal filed with the Departmental Commercial Development Commission (CDAC) by the manager of the Carrefour Sérignan hypermarket.

"It’s the earthen pot against the iron pot", blurts out Valentin Garcia, in anger and weariness. "But I'm fighting, I don't want to lose what I've done for 30 years…"< /p>

An artisan baker in the heart of Sérignan, the guy has his throat tight with worry. He is carrying out a large-scale project, Zac de Bellegarde in Sérignan, with the aim of pooling part of his production and ensuring better profitability of his businesses in a difficult period. But he faces a major obstacle. In this case an appeal to the Departmental Commercial Development Commission (CDAC) from its potential future neighbor, the manager of the Carrefour brand, Mr. ;Dejean.

Associated with his brother, Valentin Garcia works as a family with his two sons, his daughters-in-law and his nephew. In three decades, Maison Garcia has developed by opening other sites, in Valras, avenue de la Mer in Sérignan, Sérignan Plage (in season) and Lespignan. "But the balance sheets have been negative for 3 years", explains the craftsman. "The cost of electricity, raw materials, all of this is very hard", he says. "To save the bakeries which have been in difficulty for 2 years due to this increase in costs, I worked on a project."

"I don't want to close here (in the center of Sérignan Editor's note), j&rsquo I started working there with my mother, it is important to me to keep the identity of the city center. I am retiring next year. And to leave something lasting, I must concentrate all my production in a single point."

A large laboratory and a producers' store

The baker therefore signed a compromise for the purchase of one of the last plots of land located on the Bellegarde ZAC, owned by the developer Viaterra. Its ambition: to build a large laboratory of 450 m2 where it can produce pastries, pastries, chocolates and catering dishes; a 300 m2 producers’ store and a 150 m2 snack restaurant. "To amortize the lab, you need a store. We try to make quality with regional products. There is potential and we do not compete with large retailers because we are not at the same prices!"

The project, whose surface area remains less than 1 000 m2, was validated in CDAC. At the same time,"we advanced 70 000 € for soil, pollution, thermal studies,  etc." Except that the appeal filed by Mr. Dejean puts a big brake on the program. Valentin Garcia will have to defend his arguments before the National Commercial Development Commission (CNAC), in Paris, next fall. The next step, that of the building permit, will also be subject to an appeal.

Contacted Mr. Dejean did not respond to our requests. "I discussed with him, he does not want competition& quot;, continues the craftsman, disappointed. "It's not the money that interests me but to leave something to my children and to keep the village alive!&quot ; With 45 employees in total, the baker also defends a certain vision of craftsmanship. He is supported in his approach by the City of Sérignan.

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