French authorities have ordered a halal supermarket in Paris to close down for refusing to sell alcohol and pork.
The “Good Price” mini-market in Colombes did not comply with the conditions of its lease, which stated the shop must act as a “general food store,” the Court of Nanterre ruled.
The authority in Colombes, which brought up the case against the supermarket, argued that local residents were not being served properly as it did not sell pork and alcohol.
Citing court papers, The Independent reported on Monday that the store stocked only halal products.
When the local authority questioned the manager, he reportedly said that “It’s business. I look around me and I target what I see.”
He said: “I look around me and I target what I see. The lease states ‘general food store and related activities’ – but it all depends on how you interpret ‘related activities’.”
He added that other stores selling alcohol in the area face “security problems” and claimed Franprix sales figures showed there were “losses in the deli department”.
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Defending him, his lawyer contended that alcohol is only a complement to food and “not part of the general diet”, and hence, it had no obligations to sell it.
However, the court observed that its products were “restrictive and did not fit the broad concept of general good.”
Terminating the store’s lease, the court ordered the tenant to vacate the place and pay a fine of €4,000 (£3,500) to the local authority in legal costs.
