Paris takes advantage of Olympics to reinvent its kiosks

The goal is to preserve these traditional features in the urban landscape while finding new purpose for their existence

Newspaper kiosks have been an iconic fixture on the streets of Paris since the middle of the 19^th century when Baron Haussmann did his famous urban refurbishment of the French capital. They haven’t always stayed the same in design, but they’ve always been there to meet the demand for a newspaper, magazine or postcard. However, the sales of these traditional products have been steadily on the decline for many years now which spells a gloomy future for the newsstand vendors.

This is where the City of Paris has decided to step in by using the Olympic Games as a convenient start-off point to try and diversify the purpose of the kiosks.

For the plan, the newsstands will gradually turn from points of selling newspapers and magazines to points that provide a variety of services such as tourist information, postal services and the sale of locally made products.

Mini tourist info points?

Paris is a powerhouse in the global tourism industry, visited by tens of millions of people from all over the world every year, yet when they may need useful advice or a piece of information a helpful desk is rarely nearby.

For this purpose, in partnership with the "Paris Je t'aime" tourist office, thirty kiosk operators have undergone training to provide guidance to visitors during the Games. If this receives positive feedback from tourists, then the initiative could be extended to cover more or even all of the kiosks in the city in a way that would essentially create a network of mini tourist info points.

Another role linked to tourism would be to turn the kiosks into small gift shops. This, however, will be done in a way that avoids the ‘kitschiness’ of souvenir stands in many popular destinations. The newsstands will only sell products carrying the “Made in Paris (Fabriqué à Paris)” label introduced in 2017 by City Hall as a way to promote the local economy, and more specifically the sector that bases itself on the skills of local artisans and designers.

Last but not least, Paris also aims to transform the kiosks into many postal service outlets, something that will also be of use to neighbourhood residents and not just to tourists. The pilot regarding this initiative will launch in 2025 with 50 participating kiosks.