“It’s even better preserved than on open-air stalls”: in Caen, fresh fish sold in vending machines

“People are obviously delighted. It starts very well! » Lise Hue is the owner of a new kind of fishmonger, located on rue Saint-Jean, in Caen (Calvados). All fish, seafood and other prepared dishes are sold there 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., in connected lockers, exactly like in a pizza vending machine.

“We already had a fishmonger and we bought this one, which was in liquidation,” explains the young woman. In two years, we have not managed to sufficiently increase turnover. So either we closed, or we found a new solution. That’s what we did. We removed the old stall and installed around a hundred lockers. This way, we don’t leave a business abandoned, and at the same time, we allow local residents to have fresh fish. Not to mention that we have a lot of difficulty recruiting staff. So this concept of lockers really stood out to us as the best compromise. »

Eat oysters even on Sunday evening

And clearly, the bet is paying off. “Customers appreciate seeing each product up close. In a way, it’s even better preserved than on the open-air stalls. They can choose what they like on the tablet then pay by credit card and the locker opens automatically,” she continues.

A fish stays a maximum of three days while the time limit is normally 6 days. “At the moment, we are selling whiting, cod and even scallops. » Note that these lockers can also serve as a collection point for special orders, open oysters, whole fish, seafood platters. “The customer places an order over the phone and we give him the locker number from which he can collect it whenever he wants. This allows people in the neighborhood not to have to travel and for those, for example, who come home late from work to make organization easier… Not to mention the customers who suddenly have a desire to eat oysters on a Sunday evening! »