In the good old days before Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, the British used to replenish their liquor stocks in Calais before taking the boat back to their country. If the flow of Britons to local traders was more or less regular all year round, it sometimes turned into a real rush, especially ahead of the Christmas holidays. And if the occasion knocks, should we expect an equivalent phenomenon ahead of the coronation of Charles III which is to take place next Saturday? Not so sure.
Seventy years after his mother, Elizabeth II, who died on September 8, Charles III will be officially crowned King of the United Kingdom on Saturday May 6. An event that will undoubtedly mark an entire people, including a large portion will drink a shot to celebrate when some others will raise their elbows to forget. Be that as it may, our former European partners will have to stock up. “When the borders opened in the 1990s, the English landed en masse to buy in France, in particular alcohol and tobacco, which cost much less here than at home”, recalls François Lurette of the office of tourism in Calais Côte d’Opale. He also says that the shipping companies had set up “day trips”, round trips over a day during which the British robbed the wine, beer and spirits merchants. “We had even seen shops specializing in tax refunds spring up, run by English people for English people”, assures Olivier Versmisse, wine merchant in Calais.
“Before, the English were just passing through”
All that is over. “Between the Covid epidemic, Brexit, inflation at home and the price of the crossing, it is no longer profitable for the English to come and shop here”, recognizes François Lurette. Indeed, with the travel restrictions put in place during the pandemic, the British had completely disappeared from the landscape. Except that today, they are slow to return according to INSEE, which has determined a deficit of English tourists of almost 20% in 2022 in Hauts-de-France compared to the level before the health crisis. “We’ve seen a little more of it lately, but it’s not linked to the upcoming coronation of Charles III,” said the boss of the Wines of Calais. “There were more at Easter, and now because it’s wedding time,” adds Thierry Leprêtre, associate manager of the Calais wine superstore.
In fact, Brexit has pushed the British to travel differently. “Before, they were just passing through, whereas today they stay there for a night or two. They sleep at the hotel, go to the restaurant and go shopping, ”recognizes Rodolphe Leprince, president of the Union of traders of Calais. Shopping for everything, including alcohol, even if in lesser quantities than before Brexit. “The British have a much lower franchise today, increased to 73 liters of alcohol per person compared to 230 liters before Brexit”, explains to 20 minutes the Regional Directorate of Customs and Indirect Duties of Dunkirk. Quantities which remain honorable for the manager of the Calais wine superstore: “For a wedding, we see the groom and two witnesses disembarking who fill the car, he assures. It still makes us baskets at 600 euros. »
So, even if fewer of them cross the Channel, the English who do so never leave empty-handed. “Whether they come for one reason or another, the return is always an opportunity for them to do the shopping”, assures the spokesperson for the Calais Côte d’Opale tourist office. And the manager of the Wines of Calais recognizes it, “often, they take the maximum quantities”. And so few traders are betting on the coronation of Charles III to boost their alcohol sales, all of them are betting big on another event: the Rugby World Cup which is to take place in France from September 8 to October 28. “We are already preparing the communication for this event”, rejoices Olivier Versmisse. “We expect a lot of benefits for the coast, especially since the England team will reside in Le Touquet,” hopes the tourist office. And depending on the course of the Fifteen of the Rose, as for the coronation of the king, the English will drink to victory or to drown their sorrows.