All year
Groceries in Albiez: supermarket, butcher's and delivery
The Sherpa by the slopes, the Sambuis Dufreney grocery and the bakery in the village, Carrefour Market and Lidl in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne: where to shop, and in which order.
Albiez-Montrond has everything you need without going back down: a supermarket on the snow front, a grocery and a bakery in the village. But to reach Albiez you have to pass through Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne — and that is where the big shop belongs.
The sensible routine: the big shop in Saint-Jean, the rest in the village
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne is on the way, roughly 18 km and 20 minutes from Albiez. It has a Carrefour Market and a Lidl.
Worth knowing: there is a petrol station and a laundrette at the Carrefour Market. Over a week with ski gear, the laundrette is not a detail.
Once you are up there, the village shops cover everything else: bread, the things you forgot, cheese, aperitif supplies.
On the Mollard snow front — the Sherpa
This is the closest shop to the apartment, 250 m away, and it sits right on the snow front. That changes what it is for entirely: not a shop you plan a trip to, but a two-minute stop on your way back from the slopes, skis in hand, for tomorrow's bread or whatever dinner is missing.
Groceries and household goods, with delivery available. On site: a bread counter, a butcher and charcuterie counter, cut-to-order cheese and regional produce.
Opening hours — they vary by season and are kept up to date on the shop's own page: sherpa.net — Albiez-Montrond
Out of season, it closes — in autumn in particular. If you come outside the ski season, do your shopping in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne before driving up: the grocery in the Chef-lieu, open all year round, covers the rest. Our article Albiez out of season details what stays open.
It is also the best address for taking home something you will not find in a supermarket:
- Sandrine's home-made dried beef sausages, made on the premises — the shop's speciality, and lethal with an aperitif.
- Buckwheat from Saint-Jean.
- Honey from an Albiez beekeeper.
- Beers from Modane and Valloire.
- Génépi from a small local distillery.
In the village — the Sambuis Dufreney grocery
A small grocery-cum-general store in the heart of the village, housed in what was once a farm, later converted into a traditional shop. This family business is open every day of the year — a sentence that means something in the mountains.
You will find general groceries, cut charcuterie and cheese, regional produce, gas, hardware and first-aid supplies. Fresh bread from the Moulin Valentin is delivered daily.
Opening hours (subject to change): every day 7.30 am to 12.30 pm, then 5 pm to 7 pm — and 4 pm to 7 pm from 3 July to 3 September.
In the village — the bakery
Le Moulin Valentin sells bread, pastries, sweet tarts, hot and cold drinks, open sandwiches, quiches and sandwiches. Its history deserves an article of its own.
Taking cheese home: the cooperative
To leave with something that extends the holiday, the stop is the Arves valley cooperative dairy, which has a shop in Albiez-Montrond. Their Beaufort AOP is excellent, and the range goes well beyond it: cheeses, charcuterie, jams, honey.
What to bring with you
A few consumables are not provided in the apartment and cost much less down in the valley: dishwasher tablets, 50 L bin bags, toilet paper and Nespresso capsules. Worth putting in the boot before driving up — the full list is on the apartment page.
Read next
- Six waymarked walks starting from Albiez-MontrondFrom 40 minutes to 3½ hours, six waymarked routes leaving from the village or the Mollard — junction by junction.
- Le Moulin Valentin, the bakery of Albiez-MontrondA bakery whose story starts in 1694 — and a bacon-and-cheese 'pain yéti' that settles the picnic question.
- Beaufort des Arves: the cooperative dairy to stock up on cheeseSummer or winter Beaufort is not the same cheese. A shop in Albiez-Montrond, and a raclette grill waiting in the apartment.