Paris1972-Versailles2003

While back in my dear Versailles, we searched for good food and good drinks at affordable prices in my belle France, And of course, there is one for everyone our find while living in the Yvelines 78 of the Ïle de France region,took us to Coigniéres, Let me tell you updated about this is Coigniéres !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

With my dear late wife Martine always looking for new things to try, foodies and drinkers with moderation ,and good prices, we went everywhere. We are as a country really deep into several layers sometimes call AOC etc and the same goes for every vegetable , fruit or processed food or drink, they are always levels like a caste system with quality and prices for everyone. There are huge hypermarket, only good for the necessaries of comfort such as laundry goods, and down to little tiny neighborhood supermarkets. There are places of private initiatives selling direct from the farm, (we love it) and there are markets in every town bringing the best from the area but sometimes from afar and abroad. This post brings me back sentimental memories which I am proud to share with the world.

We read an ad in the local paper of Versailles and went to check out the Marché du Frais on the N10 in Coigniéres , there are now with 13 stores in the Paris area, The story goes that the group, on a human scale, was a family business. Taking over from their parents established on the markets, the Quattrucci brothers opened the first store in 1986 in Villemomble “Hyperprimeur”, then in Argenteuil in 1989 “La ferme de Spahi”. Since, successively several large stores, then this year under the brand Marché Frais Géant have seen their appearances.  In 2019 (we left the area in 2011) the brand Marché Frais Géant becomes a partner of the Casino group, the 12 stores becomes 9 Great Market Supermarkets Giant and 3 -Supermarkets Fresh Market Leader Price. Do not know where this will lead but we are already sad to see the change and we have good souvenirs of the store in Coigniéres as found by my dear late wife Martine.

We came across same parking lot to continue shopping in the O’Marché Futé for fresh produce and papery very nice and inexpensive all in one stop shopping; great memories with the family indeed; memories forever. This one sadly has closed.

A bit on the history of the supermarket I like.   After a first test started for Casino and convinced the Quattrucci family to put the 13 stores to its network. The brand is mainly located in Île-de-France region ,and has already generated no less than 300 million euros in sales in 2018 across all thirteen stores. These stores have an area of 4000 to 6000 m² and have a huge fruit and vegetable department. The products are presented flat, with a universe dedicated to large parcels and a fresh-packed assortment rather short, centered on large rotations. For the sake of optimization, some of the reserves are directly stored in the sales area, on racks, above the shelves. In 2019 the Market Frais Géant Market brand became a partner of the Groupe Casino group, and the 13 stores become: hypermaché Fresh Géant and Supermarket Market Frais Leader as said above, Turn of event due to financial difficulties with the Groupe Casino group in June 2023, the supermarket group, was awaiting the upcoming launch of its rescue plan to restructure Its debt of more than 6 billion euros,and they had announced a preliminary agreement with the specialist in fresh products Prosol, the fruit pole, vegetables, fish and cremerie of Grand Frais (see post) with a view to a “major” partnership. In a part of its network, the successful concept in fresh products. In early January 2024, buyers after intense and harsh negotiations as part of the restructuring of debts, 190 Casino stores pass under the Intermarché brand, which will have to give in 26 to Carrefour, and 98 to Auchan. On February 26 2024, draft: an accelerated safeguard plan is validated bythe Paris Commercial Court , backed by the Attestor investment fund (UK). (also, investor in water company Saur in 2013, and the resumption of the Europcar group by Volkswagen in 2020 ), The operation must bring in 1.3 billion euros. The transfers will be done gradually until this summer 2024, in three waves, with a first wave scheduled for April 30. The restructuring of the debt, which amounted on December 31, 2023 to 6.2 billion euros, plans to erase nearly 5 billion euros in receivables debts.

Let me tell you a bit about the town of Coigniéres, a town located 29 km from Paris , about 18 km from Versailles. It is adjacent to Maurepas in the north, Mesnil-Saint-Denis and Lévis-Saint-Nom in the east, Essarts-le-Roi in the south and Saint-Rémy-l’Honoré in the west. It is traverse by the national road N10 which can be reach from Versailles and goes to Rambouillet, The town has a train station on the line of Paris-Montparnasse – Brest, whose route is parallel to the N 10, and which is served by the trains of line N of the Transilien train Paris-Rambouillet. Coignières is one of the 12 towns of the new agglo metro area of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.(see post).

A bit of history I like the town existed already in the 8C since it is in 768 that it is quoted, under the name of Cotonarias, as being given by the king Pépin the Short to the abbey of Saint-Denis. Since the 11C, Coignières has played an important role as a coach stage on the road linking Paris to Chartres. You can still see a former coaching inn. The relay station for horses was built in 1706, where is today the No. 99 of the road N10 Chartres to Paris.

The Marché au Frais in Coigniéres : https://marche-frais.com/supermarche-a-proximite/supermarche-coignieres/

The town of Coigniéres on its commerce zones : https://www.coignieres.fr/vivre-a-coignieres/economie/coignieres-pole-economique/

The town of Coigniéres on its history/heritage: https://www.coignieres.fr/vivre-a-coignieres/identite-et-specificite/

There you go folks, you can try them too while in your long term stays here. The store in Cogniéres is very nice indeed and a good area where we got butcher products and wines as well. Again , hope you enjoy this post on this is Coigniéres as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!