Michel Nogué, a former pizzeria owner, hotelier and tobacconist with nearly two decades in retail, has been appointed deputy for commerce in Tarbes with a single overriding goal: reversing the decline of the city centre.
Nogué, who was born in Tarbes and opened his first business, a pizzeria called Le Radis Noir on rue Abbé-Torné, at the age of 26, went on to run the Amys hotel on the route de Lourdes and spent close to 20 years as a tobacconist. He also served as president of the departmental union of tobacco retailers and as a regional and national vice-president of the same body.
He said his life had been shaped by commerce and by a commitment to working people who struggle to make ends meet despite their efforts. He subsequently served as president of the municipal sports office before taking on his current role after Pascal Claverie was elected mayor in March.
Filling empty shopfronts
Nogué said his priority was to give the people of Tarbes and the Hautes-Pyrénées a reason to return to the city centre. Early measures he described as sending a positive signal include enhanced security, one free hour of surface parking, and, from the start of the new school term, two additional free hours in the covered car parks on rue Brauhauban and rue Verdun for customers of businesses affiliated with the local traders’ association Tellement Tarbes.
To tackle empty shopfronts, he said he would soon bring together independent landlords to encourage them to lower rents, arguing that too many premises remain vacant because asking prices are too high.
He also said he wanted to diversify the retail offer by favouring independent shops while not excluding major chains, which he argued would find the city centre an excellent way to raise their profile. He noted that two perfumery chains want to return to the city centre following the departure of a competitor.
Nogué said he would fight for commerce until his last breath, while acknowledging the situation in the city centre remained very difficult.
