Send Gift Baskets to Evry, France

Evry took on its current name in 1965 when it became part of the French new town initiative. The town used to be called “Évry-Petit-Bourg” and had a population between 2,000 and 3,000.

As Orly was France’s primary international airport when Évry was built, many multinational companies, including Digital, Hewlett-Packard, and Alstom, established headquarters there. Nevertheless, since the expansion of Charles de Gaulle Roissy airport, all the larger companies have moved out, causing the demise of many smaller service companies that catered to the lunchtime needs of thousands of displaced or laid-off staff.

Accor’s hotel and catering firm and Carrefour supermarket chain are among the few international companies left. Despite having a postal address in Évry, they are geographically located in Courcouronnes.

Two hundred thirty-five shops have been added to the town’s commercial center, the Agora, in an attempt to counteract this exodus (54 ready-made women’s clothing stores, 14 shoe stores, 28 men’s clothing stores, 13 children’s clothing stores, 15 jewelers, nine mobile phone stores, nine opticians, and 19 restaurants and snack bars). Economically, Agora is also suffering from the recession. One restaurant and 29 shops are vacant. A total of 24 shops are on the upper level, with rents almost double that of the lower-level shops. Car parks are now “pay by the hour” during the week to discourage rail commuters from saturating parking spaces during the day to the detriment of shoppers. Free parking is available on weekends.

Local authorities have also declared certain quarters a “zone franche,” which means that businesses that start up in these quarters are exempt from corporation tax, along with many other social benefits and aids, making Évry a desirable place for entrepreneurs in the future.