In Amiens’ central Place Gambetta, the shops are bustling and the brasseries are full of office workers enjoying lunch.
Four hundred and fifty miles north, in twin town Darlington, clutches of hardy shoppers hunker down in the drizzle but trade on High Row is sluggish.
These two high streets should look similar, but they are worlds apart.
An investigation as part of our High Street Fightback campaign today reveals British shopkeepers are being hit far worse by online retailers like Amazon than their counterparts in France.
An estimated 150,000 UK high street jobs were lost in 2018.
Last month a report by MPs recommended measures including green delivery taxes on online retailers, and a reduction in business rates and rents.
Meanwhile, the French government has already announced a tax on internet giants to help preserve its town centres.
Both Amiens, nearly 100 miles north of Paris, and Darlington, Co Durham, have populations of just over 100,000 and both have suffered during Europe’s decade-long economic slowdown.
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After visiting these two towns it was clear the problem of empty stores is caused not only by our different shopping habits, but also by the tougher conditions our shopkeepers face.
Florist and grocer Robin Blair, 73, tells me: “We have been drastically affected over the last five years. I would say our takings are down about 50%.”
Robin has been working on his family’s stall in Darlington’s historic covered market hall since he was just eight years old, when he starting helping his dad.
JJ Blair and Sons has traded there for 140 years.
“People in France shop differently,” says Robin. “They buy more fresh produce and they don’t buy ready meals from the supermarket like people here do.
“Britain is very different now with everyone doing so much shopping online. It’s so easy to go online and get food delivered at home at any time.
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“What it means is that there’s a danger of losing this type of shopping with a face-to-face personal service which is so much a part of the community.”
Darlington saw the highest rate of shop closures in the North East in 2017, with 24 stores shutting down and just nine opening.
One of the biggest losses for Darlington was the closure of Marks & Spencer on Northgate.
In recent years the town centre has also lost a BHS, a TK Maxx, a McDonald’s and a Starbucks.
By contrast, Amiens’ main street, La Rue des Trois Cailloux, is thriving with both chains and independent retailers.
Amiens florist Justin Bourbal, 36, says his family-run shop established 50 years ago is doing fine.
“It’s becoming more and more difficult in France too because people have less in their pocket,” he admits.
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“But the internet does not have a damaging effect. We are well-known shop here in Amiens so we can trust our customers to keep coming back, especially for big occasions.”
Justin’s views are echoed by Chantalle Legoix, 53, who has managed her independent clothing shop Chantal & Vous on Place Gambetta for 34 years.
She tells me her clientele make a special effort to visit for advice, and garments that are not sold elsewhere.
So too for the famous Jean Trogneux chocolate shop, here since 1852, which has a constant stream of customers through the door as I chat with duty manager Stephanie Etroit.
“There are many retail parks outside the city centre, but there is only one chocolaterie like ours, so people always come here,” Stephanie says.
Justin, Chantalle and Stephanie all pay local council rent which is a fraction of UK business rates.
Chantalle’s attractive central location costs around £1,200 a year.
Robin, however, informs me he has to pay around £30,000 a year in rent and business rates for his two stalls.
Another advantage small shops have in France is that supermarkets can only open on Sunday mornings.
Parking in Amiens is roughly the same price as in Darlington, but public transport is cheaper.
Most French office workers have two hours for lunch, although they also work eight hours a day, so they can stop off for essentials without disrupting their time at their desk.
Figures from Ecommerce Europe show 36 million people shopped online in France last year, spending an average of £1,570 annually.
In Britain, more than 43 million people used the internet for shopping, and their average annual spend was more than double at £3,200.
French out-of-town supermarkets are never alternatives to local bakeries and butcher’s shops. Darlington fishmonger Jon Liddle is well aware of the issues.
“I think it’s a lot more vibrant there in terms of people going to their local fishmonger,” he says. “We take a quarter of what we took 20 years ago. When I started out with my father it was great, but I wouldn’t dream of getting my sons into this business.”
Take any British city and compare it with its European twin and the picture is similar.
Darlington councillor Chris McEwan says British shopping habits leave councils with “very little room for manoeuvre”.
He believes towns like his can only arrest the decline by making shopping attractive. He says: “It’s about price-matching for people who want to shop local.”
On Grange Road, Helen Hawkins is sorting fresh stock at her designer interiors store Brown and Baxter, which would fit in well in Amiens.
“It’s a new venture,” says Helen, 42. “Our first year didn’t quite reach our expectations, but we are trying to get our name out there. It’s hard though when landlords can charge a fortune.”
For Helen and thousands like her, a French Revolution is required to save Britain’s High Streets.
What must be done to help
• Ensure online retailers pay fair business rates
• New tax on online sales, with money going to the wider sector
• Online firms to collect the right VAT from overseas sellers
• New fund to revive town centres
• More business rate relief for firms which fill town centre shops left empty for a year
• Easier planning laws to convert shops for offices, leisure or housing
• Help councils crack down on landlords with run-down properties
• Give councils more compulsory purchase powers for neglected sites
• Better public transport into towns
• End rip-off parking fees
