France | Employment | ‘Buy French’ Campaign

French consumers are being urged to choose products made in France as a patriotic response to the country’s economic travails.

As part of a strategy to cut imports and boost national industry, the government is encouraging shoppers to read the label before they buy.

“ ‘Made in France’ has never been so fashionable,” according to Le Nouvel Observateur’s Challenges magazine in an article that coincided with the launch on Friday what is reportedly the first major exhibition showcasing “Buy in France.”

With the economy flagging, and hourly manufacturing costs 20 percent higher than the European average, President François Hollande and his administration have been pushing to boost domestic industry, the French news agency AFP reported as the show opened.

Last month, Arnaud Montebourg, the minister for industrial renewal, called for supermarket chains to introduce exclusive “Made in France” shelves in their stores.

Mr. Montebourg became the poster boy of the campaign when he posed for the Parisien magazine in a French-made matelot top, wearing a French-made watch and holding a French-made blender.

The French appear to like his idea…

Choosen excerpts by JMM from

via Can a ‘Buy French’ Campaign Save French Jobs? – NYTimes.com.