The upcoming closure of the Casino du Polygone in Béziers will penalize the residents of the area

The closure of the Polygone casino will particularly penalize seniors Midi Libre – Mathilde Jullien

With the closure announced for the fall of the Polygone Casino, the only supermarket in the neighborhood, will leave a void for residents, including seniors, for whom it is less easy to get around.

“It's a disaster”, laments Claudine, 69. This resident of Rue Pasteur, who has been a regular visitor to the Casino du Polygone for seven years, is worried as the closing approaches: “I don't know where I'm going to go. I won't be able to get to the Allées Casino on foot, the journey is three times longer. I don't have a car, I carry a cart and bags all the way home. Sometimes I make two trips back and forth because I can't carry everything in one go.”

“I'm going to miss the Polygone casino”

In this neighborhood where there is a nursing home and a retirement home, buildings have proliferated and two new buildings are under construction. A future clientele who, if the store is not taken over, will no longer be able to count on this supply point, precious to Claude, 51 years old: “The Polygone casino will be missed. On Sundays, it is very practical and for doing emergency shopping. Owe will be forced to move closer to small local shops, grocery stores, with higher prices and more restrictive opening hours".

"It's a privilege at my age to still be able to do my own shopping"

Simone, 78, can no longer drive and takes advantage of a bus ride from the Polygone to bring products to her home in the La Courondelle district: “My daughter wants me to have her delivered but as long as I have the physical strength I get moving and I take my cart. I walk up my 3 flights of stairs and it keeps me going. It's a privilege at my age to still be able to do my own shopping. The day I can't anymore, it will be a bad sign”.

A food outlet but also a haberdashery, small household appliances, textiles and dishware outlet, the Casino du Polygone has become a must. The disappearance of the magazine and press outlet is heartbreaking for Claudine, 69 years old : “It would be an intellectual impoverishment for me. I like to come and look at the headlines and leaf through them before making up my mind. And then there is the human contact, this store is part of my life. There are cashiers with whom I have become friends, I like them. If I don't go out to do the shopping, I am between my 4 walls… In a way, I will be deprived of a social connection.

Loss of social connection for seniors

Like Claudine, many seniors will lose their favorite store and share their anxiety with employees, such as the store manager, Philippe Adien: “They tell us about it every day, they have to find another organization, get their car out even though they have physical problems or find someone to accompany them. Many of them, since they have everything in the neighborhood, have not yet asked for help and remain independent. This closure will force them to become dependent on a third person. For some, going to the supermarket is the only time they go out during the day, it allows them to meet people from the neighborhood, neighbors, to chat a little".

The store waiting for a buyer

Asked by Midi Libre about the future of the supermarket, the Casino group announced that: "The store is included in the process of finding buyers under the Florange law; the opportunity to take over the store is therefore offered to all the companies approached. This process is still ongoing. The Job Protection Plan, which of course includes support measures, includes stores that have not yet found buyers, in accordance with our legal obligations. In the event that this store is closed, we are committed to supporting each employee in a personalized manner and to finding an internal or external solution for each of them. .

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