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Staff at the French mini-chain Sauramps went on strike yesterday (Thursday 29th June), in protest at the court's decision to accept an acquisition bid which will result in over 60 redundancies and the closure of the Odyssee store.
The workforce blocked access to two of the five Sauramps bookshops in protest, according to the local newspaper Midi Libre.
Staff have also called for residents of Montpellier and Sauramps' customers to join a demonstration this weekend (Saturday 1st July) to protest against the court’s decision, which will see Lille-based chain Furet du Nord buy the Sauramps shops, while a rival bid which would have meant nearly 40 more jobs were saved fails to succeed.
Asked for her reaction to the decision, culture minister Françoise Nyssen declined to comment directly, but noted that another offer would have preserved more jobs.
Sauramps went into receivership in March after it had reported declining sales and modest losses for more than a decade. In an unexpected twist to the saga, the group’s chairman and c.e.o. Jean-Marie Sevestre told the online book magazine ActuaLitté that he will appeal the court’s decision. "I am extremely disappointed by the decision, of course", he said.