The move is in response to the smoking ban, which will come into effect in France next year. Being a country of dedicated smokers, it is feared that the traditional French cafe culture will be severely affected by the ban. To me, it seems more likely that the Gauloises puffers will give a Gallic shrug and take their habit to the pavement tables, where they will still be able to indulge, but I welcome the sentiment behind Copé’s tax cut.

As something of a connoisseur of French cafes and bars myself, I am confident that an investment in new product is long overdue. France is a veritable antiques emporium of aged coin-op equipment. Fancy a trip down pinball memory lane? Then visit a French cafe and you will see long-forgotten models, some of which are still switched on. You might be able to play a game of pool if the barman can find you a cue, but don’t expect anything fancy like some chalk or a bridge. Table football is still popular as it makes a good place to rest a drink, and some of them have built-in ashtrays…

For so long, the French amusement market has been Europe’s poor relation as high taxation has meant minimum investment. Let’s hope that this announcement will bring more French operators to the ATEI in January to check out what the industry has been doing for the past 20 years. It could be a case of fags to riches ...

Stephanie Norbury

Editor

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