An evocative collection of photos. This is one of the (many) things the French have got right and the British completely wrong: our town centres are dominated by the same chains and franchises which have squeezed out most of the independent, family-owned businesses. That wouldn't be so bad if they didn't also insist on using the identical store frontage and signs so that a high street in Wrexham looks the same as a high street in Bolton. The French had the bright idea of insisting that a chain which opens in an old-fashioned, traditional location adapts its look to blend in with the surroundings.
The Germans should have done the same but
