-
GR, GRP, PR: What do the French hiking signs mean?
What are the coloured symbols on French hiking routes? Who paints them there and why?
-
Miss France: glam - but not sexy
Miss France organiser Geneviève de Fontenay fears she is fighting a losing battle to protect her 'Cinderella dream' from vulgarity
-
Normandy Landings visit for Queen
Queen Elizabeth has confirmed a state visit to France, ending rumours she is handing over duties to Charles
Amazon targeted as MPs back bookshops
Websites banned from combining free delivery plus cut-price books in move to protect small traders
FRANCE’S 3,000 independent booksellers have won a battle against online traders such as Amazon and Fnac.com after MPs voted unanimously to stop the web giants combining the legal 5% price discount with free delivery.
Book prices are fixed by law and sellers cannot cut prices by more than 5% but traditional High Street shops said that they could not compete with the discounts available through the web giants.
Amazon, Fnac.com and other major websites offer free delivery on quantities as low as a single book and booksellers said they could not offer match that on their own websites as it would mean selling at a loss as they had to include the costs of running their shops.
Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti has already attacked Amazon for its pricing, saying it “slashes prices to get a foothold in markets only to raise them once they have established a virtual monopoly".
MPs backed a motion from the leader of the UMP group in parliament, Christian Jacob, aimed at protecting booksellers from what they see as unfair online competition. The bill will now go to the Senate.
Amazon hit back, saying: “Any measure raising the price of books on the Internet will hurt the purchasing power of French people first and foremost, and discriminate against those who make purchases online.”
However, Ms Filippetti said during the debate: “Free shipping, let’s face it, is a dumping strategy. This law, far from preventing competition or blocking technological evolution, makes sure competition is fair between players in a fragile ecosystem.”