Self-service mini supermarkets from start-up firm API are increasing in number in rural areas of western France.
The first ‘supérette’ opened in November 2022 in Claix (Charente) – since then the autonomous stores, designed to bring essential food retail back to villages that have lost traditional shops, have seen their number rise to over 150 in total.
They operate from small wooden cabins installed in rural areas that may otherwise not have easy access to everyday essential supermarket items, and are accessible via a smartphone app to unlock the door, with no on-site staff. Payments are made automatically via bank card through the app or a payment terminal, for items including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products, and dry goods and household essentials. They are typically accessible seven days a week with long opening hours.
API was founded by two friends from Charente, Alex Grammatico and Julien Nau.
The latest cabin opened in the village of Louans (Indre-et-Loire) on February 25 with another eight stores scheduled to open over the next two months.
A map showing locations of API’s autonomous mini supermarkets across western FranceApi-masuperette.fr / Screenshot
Smartphone controlled
The shops are controlled by smartphone, with shoppers creating a free account, and unlocking the door via QR code.
Clients can then choose from a selection of around 700 products, and pay at the automatic till. There are products across six categories, including fruit and vegetables, drinks, local products, frozen food, and basic household and hygiene items.
Many of the products are locally sourced, with the company stating that it aims to support local producers where possible.
Once a day, an employee visits the store to check stock and answer any client questions.
‘Countryside purchasing power’
The company states that its intention is to “defend purchasing power and the vitality of the countryside”.
It aims to bring goods to local people at supermarket prices, and estimates that 60% of communes in France do not have a food shop. Without the stores, locals would need to drive somewhere else to access the closest supermarket or shop.
Each store requires an investment of €10,000 from the local mairie, mainly to connect it to electricity and fibre internet. Joël Besnard, mayor of Nouzilly (Indre-et-Loire) told FranceInfo: “It is a small expense compared to the benefit). I believe it is a useful service to provide to the public.”
People can create an account, or request or suggest that a new store open near them, via the website.
Closure concerns
However, the stores must still make money, and if they do not, they are at risk of closure.
For example, the shop in Château-Larcher, near Poitiers, closed on February 3 after just a year. Mayor Francis Gargouil said that the commune had believed in the project, but realised that it was not making the minimum €16,000 per month turnover required.
“You cannot just buy little things for 20 cents,” he said. “We got the amount up to €11,000, but then we had to stop.” He also said that there were often “communication problems” with the owners, and that there had frequently been empty shelves.
He rejected the idea that API is aiming to support local areas, instead saying that they are just trying to “make money”.
One local, a hair salon owner, said that the store failed because older people were unsure about the technology. “I had customers who said they did not go there for fear of getting stuck inside,” she said, expressing regret that the shop closed.
Sustainable scaling
Marie-Laure Basset, CEO of API, accepts that mistakes were made in Château-Larcher.
“We had really low traffic flow and, as a result, too few potential customers for the mini-market,” she told FranceInfo. “We have refined our location criteria and almost all of those opened in 2025 have had a very good start.”
She denied Mr Gargouil’s claims, saying that the company wants to achieve profitability to sustain their model and is not “in a frantic race for profitability to pay shareholders and pay ourselves dividends”.
The company is aiming to be profitable by 2027, and is working to achieve better economies of scale as it expands, she added.
