After half a century of business on Avenue Borriglione in Nice, the Dutto shoe store will close permanently in a few weeks.

Dutto is closing permanently on August 23rd. The adjoining store, under the Rieker banner, will also close, and even earlier: on July 29th. By the end of the summer, things will no longer work for these two iconic businesses, located at 18 and 20 Borriglione Avenue, which will disappear from the neighborhood's shopping landscape.

No one will ever find a suitable fit at these two adjoining locations, which have been run by Dutto for 51 years, 25 of which were within the Laurenti family's reach – and for 10 years by Rieker. The end of a beautiful family story, as the manager, Ludovic Laurenti, 49, emotionally recalls.

Before 1974, a pharmacy occupied the corner of Borriglione and Rue Michel-Ange, a few steps from the Libération Market. A little further down the avenue, René and Jacqueline Dutto were shoemakers. They moved to the pharmacy, which had been converted into a shoe store. "It was city shoes," recalls Ludovic. "My father, Jean-Paul, was a shoe sales representative for a very large French factory. When the Duttos decided to retire, they spoke to my father, who told my mother, Arlette. At the time, she occasionally helped a friend who ran the Vergne shoe store in the city center. She was interested in taking over Dutto. This was in the early 2000s. Since the Dutto brand was well-known in Nice, my mother kept the name."

A new life to take care of his son

Arlette and Jean-Paul have three sons, including Ludovic, the eldest, a journalist at Nice-Matin like his wife. "Our son, aged 5, is about to start primary school," Ludo continues. "Then a question arises for us: how to manage a child, and especially his schooling, when we are both journalists, without fixed hours, but often late?" The course of life is leading the young couple towards a radical change. Arlette Laurenti opened a space adjoining the Dutto store to sell clothes, her hobby, while her brother joined the neighboring shoe business. "One day, my mother told me that my uncle was retiring and that she was stopping the shoe business to keep the clothes! In an instant, it clicked in my head: why not take over the store myself, which would allow me to take care of my son more easily? In 2011, I negotiated my departure from the newspaper."

And Ludo is launching into the mid-range, comfortable shoe, supported by his mother from her neighboring clothing store: "She helped me a lot and supported me in my new job and I thank her infinitely."

He gives up the Var plain

Four years later, the German manufacturer Rieker, specializing in supremely comfortable shoes, decided to open stores with partnership contracts, relying on professionals familiar with the brand. Ludo was one of them. "I signed to launch a store in the Var plain, at Nice One. My application was accepted. Ten days before the final signing of the lease at the notary, my saleswoman told me she was retiring. Catastrophe! If I go to the Var plain, Dutto is dead. I stopped everything and, with Rieker's agreement, I installed the German brand in my mother's clothing store in 2015. This allowed me to meet other suppliers and rejuvenate my clientele, and so, for 10 years, I ran the two stores side by side."

Today, the adventure comes to an end. For reasons inherent to the market, which has taken a hit. Starting June 4th, the merchandise will be liquidated. With one frustration running through Ludo's mind: "It's heartbreaking to stop a 51-year-old business and leave two extraordinary, serious, and honest employees."

A business that drags its feet

Ludovic Laurenti is turning his back. Sneakers, ballet flats, sandals, slippers—that 's it. Why, actually? Because the shoe market is undergoing a major transformation, according to this retailer: "It's been getting harder and harder for the past two or three years. Consumer habits are changing. Online orders are increasing. Even under my brand, which attracts loyal customers, local residents, I also have passing customers who buy on impulse, but whom I'm losing because of online sales. The second reason I sell is the date of the sales. They're starting earlier and earlier. This year, the summer sales are on June 25th. That's when the weather is nice, and the sales start. With frequent promotions, quality pushed down to gain margins, knowing that we'll be having sales at inflated prices, we can no longer sell at the normal price."

Third reason for stalled business: "The tramway hasn't brought only positive things to the neighborhood. Potential customers are more likely to go downtown, of course, but they're neglecting local businesses. We've lost that captive village clientele."

Memories and padel

However, the shoemaker states that he is ceasing his activity on good terms: "The situation of both businesses is healthy. I have zero debt." And after the Dutto-Laurenti saga? Nothing has been officially signed yet, but there will likely be no more shoes behind the next windows: "Selling to open another shoe store becomes impossible or else it's sold off. Because of the change in consumption, banks are no longer lending to buyers interested in this type of item."

A new career change is in store for Ludo: "In April 2023, I opened a souvenir shop on Rue Mascoïnat, in Old Nice. I'm keeping it, but I'm also looking for a location in Nice to set up an indoor padel complex."