Back stage at the superstore | Doc du dimanche | France 5

France is the country with the highest number of superstores per inhabitant. It’s a highly lucrative sector with a turnover of 173 billion Euros per annum. But profit levels are causing concern both because of the financial crisis and the relentless drop in purchasing power. It’s a difficult context for the bosses of the big stores who have to adapt their strategy to stay in the game. Our reporters spent three months behind the scenes at a superstore that is not quite like the others, in the suburbs of La Rochelle in Charente-Maritime. With a sales floor surface of 9,000 square metres, 380 employees, of which 100 are checkout operators, it seems on the surface like all its competitors. However, despite the thanklessness of the tasks, the atmosphere in this store is such that employees make a career of it. Our reporters followed the daily lives of Sebastian, Sophie and Françoise, all passionate about their work. But will this happy atmosphere be enough to get the superstore through the crisis ?