Fake shopfronts to boost local image

TWO villages in Brittany have started dressing up their empty shopfronts with fake displays creating the optical illusion that they are open for business.

The clever trompe-l'oeil images cover up the front of five boutiques that have long ceased trading in Faouët and Guéméné-sur-Scorff in the Morbihan.

Guémené-sur-Scorff mayor René Le Moullec said: "We were looking for a way to bring new life to our town. Some landlords were reluctant at first, as they thought it could harm their chances of finding a buyer."

Five of the 12 empty shops that were approached said yes to the idea, which was funded by the local authority and Odesca, a scheme that supports local commerce and artisan projects, to the tune of €12,500.

Domfront, in Normandy, has been using the virtual shopfronts since 2011, on request from the local shopkeepers' union who feared that empty stores were driving customers away.