The independent shopkeeper in France has always played a very important role, and historically they have been supported — if only in theory — by government intervention. Hypermarkets began to develop in France in the early 1960s and it was not long before their increasing share of total retail trade began to alarm the smaller operators. In 1973 the Loi Royer, which attempted to restrict hypermarket expansion beyond certain limits, was introduced. Has it had any effect? Or has the slowing down in hypermarkets in France has been due to a number of other causes? Steve Burt suggests that the law may not have had the restrictive effect that was expected. Any decline in the number of large units opened may be attributable to changing economic conditions and organisational trends.