Fresh fish counters in France are here to stay despite growing demand for self-service pre-packaged products, Laurent Vichard, seafood director at French retail giant Carrefour, told IntraFish.
Carrefour, one of the largest retailers in France, operates more than 5,000 stores in the country and over 13,000 stores in 30 countries.
Customers are increasingly moving towards self-service, Vichard said, noting that the gap in growth between self-service seafood sales and fresh counters in France was 10 percent in 2022.
Still, Vichard doesn't see a point in the future when fresh fish counters will disappear, because customers expect stores to offer full-service seafood departments, and French consumers value the expertise and advice offered by those working these counters.
