FR - Cœur de Villages is all about revitalising small towns across France.
Focusing on villages with a maximum of 3,500 inhabitants, Cœur de Villages is gradually becoming an indispensable resource for small communities.
Follow us to find out more about this fantastic ally.
Let's chat
We’re meeting the founder of this bold association, Franck Saldo.
To begin with, why did you want to set up Cœur de Villages?
It started simply as an observation. Across the country, and for far too many years now, numerous rural communities have been striving – often with great difficulty – to maintain or revive local shops, services and economic activity.
Yet, at the same time, many entrepreneurs, shopkeepers and project leaders do not necessarily consider setting up in areas that actually offer a more liveable environment.
Drawing on my experience in business development and commercial property, I therefore decided to set up the Cœur de Villages association in late 2022 to facilitate and simplify this connection.
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Cœur de Villages is based on a simple belief: ‘Every village deserves a future’.
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How do you run your association?
I run Cœur de Villages on my own, but I’m lucky enough to have Geoffroy and his team from Mon web local, who take care of the website and do their utmost to support me on a daily basis, as they truly believe in the project. I no longer really see myself as a client; it’s more like a partnership in this project now.
I’ve also recently had the opportunity to work with Réjane, a specialist in messaging and content strategy, who volunteers a few hours a week to take care of this aspect of the project. I really appreciate her willingness to help.
Furthermore, I cannot forget the Nice-based artist François Nasica, who was the first, back in 2022, to believe in the project’s value and who helped me free of charge with the first version of the website, as well as Sonia, the designer of the initial visual concepts for ‘Coeur de villages commerces’ to be used on social media.
It is a simple project that has fostered mutual support and wonderful relationships.
What do you see as the main missions of your association?
First and foremost, we connect villages, local authorities and project leaders to promote the revitalisation of local shops and the development of rural areas.
It is a mission that is both delicate and extremely rewarding.
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To promote local life and village initiatives through a single platform, dedicated to the promotion and revitalisation of villages in France with 3,500 inhabitants. The platform highlights shops for sale in villages, showcases available commercial premises to help local authorities attract shopkeepers, craftspeople and entrepreneurs, and in doing so promotes local life and village initiatives.
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A platform open to all villages
Through its social media activities, Cœur de Villages also helps new entrepreneurs to set up shop and revives the social fabric, sometimes damaged by rural depopulation, by attracting new residents.
Economic sectors driving projects
Our support for local shops and craftspeople is among our first priorities, followed, of course, by healthcare professionals, without whom it is almost impossible to revitalise a region.
Regions possess real economic potential
We also discuss ideas and proposals from project leaders, who are working in their own way to boost employment and thereby contribute to the vitality of regional life.
Cœur de Villages, ‘a vision for the future’
Do bar in mind that French villages represent an essential, indispensable asset within our country. Because a vibrant village is often one where shops, services and residents keep its heart beating, our platform helps them to preserve, safeguard or even create what defines its entrepreneurial identity.
What are the main challenges?
The aim is simple: to act as a hub, enabling villages – which are often run on a ‘voluntary’ basis by elected representatives and residents – to have a dedicated, user-friendly website where they can post job vacancies free of charge and advertise events organised in their community.
Would you like to add a detail, any anecdotes or projects that have caught your attention since your association was founded?
I’d just like to thank everyone who’s following this initiative and for their messages of support. Following us on @coeurdevillages costs nothing but can really help a lot of villages that want to keep their local shops and services. The more followers we have, the more visibility the posts get… and the greater the chance that someone will come forward. A big thank you to you too, UzEssentiel, for your help and support for the villages.
Together, we’ll keep the heart of our villages beating. Because, let’s not forget, Cœur de Villages is a community-based concept that’s free and useful for everyone.
The right address: Cœur de Villages. Contact: contact@coeurdevillages.com. All Cœur de Villages opportunities. Find Cœur de Villages on Instagram and Facebook.
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