They bring good luck and announce the return of sunny days. The little white bells will be very popular again this year on May 1st. But who has the right to sell it on the public highway? What can or cannot be done on this Labor Day?
If, in principle, street vending is prohibited, there is an exception for lily of the valley
on the occasion of May 1st because of “a long tradition”, explains the general direction of competition, consumption and the repression of fraud (DGCCRF) on its website. But beware: this authorization given to individuals is very framed and exists only for May 1st, and not for the previous days. Only florists are therefore authorized to sell lily of the valley before Monday.
Wild, unwrapped lily of the valley
In the same way, only the sale of sprigs of wild lily of the valley, without roots, is authorized for non-professionals on D-Day. reminds the NFB) must in theory be sold without packaging, and especially not be accompanied by other flowers. Because the objective behind the regulations is to avoid overshadowing professional florists, whose federation calls each year on mayors and the State to regulate these sales deemed “wild and illicit”.
Individuals who would like to sell lily of the valley must therefore stay away from the shops: according to the municipalities, many of which issue municipal decrees, they must respect a distance of around 50 meters. It should also not impede pedestrian traffic.
Watch out for fines
More surprisingly, the many “tables and trestles” on the sidewalks on May 1 are, in theory, prohibited. In some towns, you also have to stay away from the markets, be of legal age, or even be domiciled in the town where you want to do your small business. It is also sometimes necessary to request authorization in advance. In the event of non-compliance with the rules, the sale may be considered as being carried out “on the sly” and be the subject of a fine for an amount of 300 euros.
According to a Kantar study, published in July 2021, 6% of lily of the valley sales were made on the street. Florists concentrated 41% of sales, against 23% for mass distribution, 10% for markets, 9% for specialized garden centres. Sixty million sprigs of lily of the valley are generally sold in France on May 1. And nearly 80% of production comes from horticulturists in the Nantes region.