Will the French go back to their neighborhood bookstore to buy their books? This is in any case the objective of the introduction of the minimum delivery rate, set at 3 euros by a decree published Friday, April 7 in the Official Journal. The measure will be applicable six months after the publication of the decree, namely on October 7. Only orders under 35 euros will be affected. Above this ceiling, the threshold of 0.01 euro, applied since 2014, will remain in place. Note that holders of a loyalty program, such as Amazon Prime, will also have to pay these delivery costs.
This decision had been expected since the promulgation of the law of December 30, 2021 on “The Book Economy” which established a floor price for books purchased online but without specifying the amount. It was finally decided by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy and Rima Abdul-Malak, Minister of Culture in consultation with Arcep (Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority), after consultations with the actors concerned. The final step was the authorization of the European Commission, finally obtained last February.
An amount that no one satisfies
The establishment of delivery costs at 3 euros is however far from rejoicing the actors of the sector. Starting with the major e-commerce platforms, to which more and more consumers are turning to the detriment of bookstores since the Covid-19 crisis. Amazon thus pointed to the inflationary nature of the new regulations, as well as the risk for consumers who live in “rural areas and small towns” of no longer being able to obtain books. Fnac, for its part, pleaded for a minimum threshold limited to 2 euros.
The decision is also denounced by the network of independent bookstores, which demanded a higher floor price, up to 4.50 euros. Professionals in the sector will therefore continue to plead for an increase in the threshold, arguing that the average cost of a delivery by a bookstore is around 6 euros. In particular, they ask the government to encourage the Post Office to introduce a cheaper shipping rate for booksellers.
Unique legislation in the world
France is the first country to introduce such regulations. In addition to this minimum delivery rate, the Darcos law had given authorization to municipalities and intermunicipalities to support their independent bookstores, in the manner of the subsidies granted to small cinemas since the Sueur law of July 13, 1992.
As a reminder, France has been a pioneer in the regulation of the book market since the law of 1981, which imposes a single price on new books. Legislation that has allowed the sustainability of independent bookstores, 3,500 shops today selling “nearly one in two books”, according to the Syndicate of French bookstores.