Market services for households gaining ground in rural areas

Between 1993 and 2008, market services for households expanded unevenly across metropolitan France (mainland + Corsica) depending on the activity sector: in personal services (such as hairdressing and beauty care), the number of local units is increasing; in other sectors (such as repair work and drinking establishments), it is decreasing. The growth in the number of units is particularly significant in rural areas. Indeed, by 2008, small rural towns were almost as well served as larger urban areas. Although isolated rural towns have also benefited from the increase in the number of local units since 2000, they still have distinctly less access to certain types of services such as cinemas and travel agencies.