International Headlines and Stories

 

The Citroen DS 5 of the newly elected president has not only brought joy to Peugeot-Citroen on Tuesday. The leaders of Bosch, which manufactures the electric motor and power electronics for PSA's hybrid vehicle, took pride in the choice of Francois Hollande. "Our site of Saint-Ouen is our global competence center in the area of ​​hybrid vehicles," welcomed Maugis Guy, president of Bosch France.

The group is an industrial giant of the Rhine, which weighs 51.5 billion euros in turnover in 2011 and employs 300,000 employees. In the Hexagon, has 25 sites and employs 8,200 people. Last year, the French subsidiary has made EUR 3 billion in revenue, of which 1.3 billion were exported. The French activity was slightly higher (+3%), despite the difficulties of the automobile industry. "We are logically affected by the fall in the number of vehicles produced in France in recent years," says Guy Maugis.

Attractiveness of the site "France"

This growth at the global level as in the French branch, comes from new products marketed by the group. And development is made possible by the emphasis on research investments (4.6 billion globally) as in the industrial (3 billion euros). "In France, the group has invested over 350 million euros for the past five years to upgrade its industrial base," adds the French official.

These investments were made away from the controversy that surrounded the site of Venissieux, in the Rhone, in 2004. Bosch had then seen 35 to 36 hours working time in return for an investment of 20 million euros at the time for the manufacture of diesel injection pumps. "This agreement finally allowed to employ 500 people in our factory for seven years," Guy is justified Maugis.

Posing as the "Ambassador of France to the parent," the leader welcomes investment in recent years. Because the site "France" is in competition with all other countries where Bosch is represented. For Guy Maugis, if France is suffering comparisons in terms of labor costs, it benefits from the quality of its infrastructure, training and inventiveness. However, he regretted "the unpredictability of tax regulations and social situation" and the low visibility of social dialogue, sometimes "surprising and even confusing."

Social dialogue that can sometimes be successful. The site of Venissieux, again, was again converted. Today, part of the factory is specialized in the assembly of photovoltaic panels. "The plant is running close to capacity, although the sharp fall in prices in 2011 prevented for the time being profitable, explains Guy Maugis. However, we are confident of having the wherewithal to impose on us in this area. "

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Purpose wants to be known among city dwellers. The chain will open its first home furnishings store in the capital during the week of May 7, on the prestigious Avenue Wagram (XVII), next to Roche Bobois. This is the second City goal, brand created two years ago to lead the offense group in major cities. The first of its kind since late 2010 is installed in the mall Domus Rosny-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis). A third is scheduled to open in late June in the mall Cap 3000 in Nice.

Covering an area of ​​between 1000 m2 and 1500 m2, the City Purpose are two to five times smaller than the stores Aim at the periphery of towns. The entire range of Purpose can not be presented. As Conforama, with its sign of downtown Confo Deco Goal has chosen to focus on the organization of living, bedrooms and kitchen. "Our products, all contemporary, are adapted to small spaces. They will be at very affordable prices, as the Parisians today lack a tender other than the high end, "said Berengaria Lamboley, marketing director of Purpose.

If the appliance will not be exposed in the shop of Wagram, customers will still buy coffee machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners via touch screens. Or through tablets which vendors will be equipped. Purpose The City of Wagram offer innovative services, such as animations to lunch fast payday loans. "We also deliver free in the evening between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., in central Paris and the Hauts-de-Seine," says Regis Schultz, CEO of the group.

A third sign referred

Offensive Purpose does not stop there. Regis Schultz prepares to unveil, in July, a third store format, with a dedicated teaching. Located in the "middle rurban" (catchment areas from 30,000 to 40,000), these stores will be "Aim small, with a comprehensive range of approximately 1500 m2, and are for those who do not want to buy a 40 km washing machine, "explains Bérangère Lamboley. Eight stores of this type are planned this year. These openings will bring to 219 the total number of stores owned by the brand of furniture.

Goal is now the third French player, with a market share of 10.3% in 2011, still far behind Ikea (17.8%) and Conforama (14.5%). For sale by its owner Goldman Sachs, Colony Capital and OpCapita (former Merchant Equity Partners), the group like five French investment funds. Shareholders give hope to the sign for 450, or 500 million euros, valuing the company at about six times its Ebitda (80 million euros in 2011).

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The gavel to jackhammer … Business leaders now dare to push the door of auctions. They never are all equipped at an auction conducted by volunteer auctioneers. The amount of auctions of industrial sales (excluding used vehicles) is still marginal, although they jumped 19% to 93 million euros in 2011. "The attraction already noticeable in recent years has increased as a result of the crisis," says Thierry Savy, Secretary General of the Council of voluntary sales. These, which still account for only 4% auction in France, grew two times faster than the market.

"We must be aggressive on price"

Between D and management system of family man, the stakes were driven by familiarity with this process through Internet sales, but largely through the efforts of new players such qu'AVE Auctions, Second Market or the Ritchie Bros. Canada. This group, world leader in the specialty, recorded a turnover of 42 million euros in France last year, against 29 million in 2010. "Customers are attracted to our policy of no reserve price," says Cedric Jandet, marketing director for the Eastern Europe, Ritchie Bros.

"To win public sector contracts, we must be aggressive on price, while protecting our production costs, says Florent Martoia, Martoia construction manager. We can not act on either the cost of labor nor materials. This leaves the equipment. On average, the gain at auction is 25%, but sometimes the prices vary from simple to double. "

Brokers also

And companies want more. "There are more and more participants to sales, says Xavier Godrucheau, president of XXL Auctions, however, prices do not soar." Means buyers are limited and the development of second-hand market is hampered by Banks that do not like finance material more difficult to resell. "We are witnessing a terrible credit crunch since last summer, said Eric Leprince, CEO of Agora Financial and Vice President of CGPME in Paris. Banks resort to litigation, and suddenly chains are organized. "

The world of opportunity is not just auction. Sites such as brokers or Webenchères Agriaffaires appeared on the Internet. "As the sales sites for individuals, we simply buyers and sellers together," said Arnaud Comyn, owner of Ocazoo. CEO Site interencheres.com for auctioneers, Dominique The Coent claims an annual increase of 20% of the audience and 17 million page views per month. "Given the interest of the customer, the auctioneers have understood the need to communicate," says he.

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Bad news for laboratories and pharmacies. "In 2012, for the first time, the French market for reimbursable drugs sold in pharmacies will be in recession. After four years of stagnation, it will show a 2% drop in value, "Robert said Thursday Chu, president of research firm IMS Health France. A setback due in part to price cuts and delisting imposed by governments, but also to "a failure of innovation."

Other mature markets will not show very strong growth. By 2015, the pharmaceutical market will grow by +2% to +5% in Japan. It will gain +1% to +4% per year in the United States and other developed countries, IMS provides. "The other European markets are affected but the timing is different," explains Claude Le Pen, an economics professor at Paris-Dauphine and France consultant IMS Health no teletrek payday advance. In Germany, for example, the policy of price reduction was initiated before that of the Hexagon.

Profitability deteriorated

The expiry of patents that protect the original drugs is another factor, important for the retraction of the pharmaceutical market. The peak of these patent losses will be achieved in 2012 with $ 48 billion of revenue at risk of generic competition. In practice this means that four fifths of those sales (about $ 40 billion) will not occur. Generics, legal copies sold of 15% to 70% cheaper by country (55% in France), take place.

 

The distributor sells one to one of its retail stores (3 000 to 5 000 m2), all located in the shopping streets of major cities. "In most cases, assignment of lease rights or collection of an indemnity or compensation allows both reduce costs and generate an exceptional income," says one expert. However, competitors and suppliers are worried about a possible exit from the market in the wake of closures of outlets the most visible, vital to the store's reputation. Especially since Virgin sells very little through its website: only "a few percent of sales" line, according to management, against 11% for FNAC.

The Bordeaux Merignac store closed early 2011, the Carrousel du Louvre in late January, one in Saint-Denis in the beginning. The Virgin of Metz should lower the curtain end of June and the date of closing of that of Toulouse was not communicated to employees. The brand sold at Fnac location of 3000 m2 that it had reserved in the future shopping center Beaugrenelle. Last year, his competitor had already convinced Lagardère Services to undertake the small stores in stations and airports, since renamed Fnac. The future of the flagship Champs-Elysees is uncertain. Virgin charge of real estate firms to find a buyer for his lease.

A new store model

Despite this dramatic reduction in wing, Jean-Louis Raynard, CEO of Virgin Stores, assures to look for ways "to restart the sales payday loan lenders." In 2011, sales were "slightly" decreased to about 300 million euros, while the goal of returning to profitability, fixed by its shareholder, the fund Butler Capital, has not been reached. The sign is positioned on "high-growth segments, such as helmets, but their contribution is still insufficient," admitted the manager, who also spoke of "a new store model, smaller, more segmented with an offer and a greater role for digital. " Virgin had to test its new store format before summer. Since the date of presentation of this "new strategy" has been postponed twice. It is now scheduled for early May "an establishment in the first site at the end of the year." In the meantime, Virgin will open at the mall from the Gare Saint-Lazare, probably in the coming days. It will not surprise the customer by its small size (965 m2), because the offer has not been reviewed

.

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A month after the controversy created by the opening of its giant plant in Tangiers, and while made in France remains a central issue in the election campaign, stoutly defends his Renault acceleration in the low-cost. Cultivating paradox, the group believes that its low-cost models to help protect jobs in the Hexagon. And even if the MPV Lodgy Dacia, built on the site of Morocco, is proposed for Wednesday from 9900 euros, more than twice unless the Renault Scenic assembled at Douai, in the North.

On a European market down, "there is considerable logic to make the models where we can make them competitive," said Carlos Tavares, the deputy CEO of Renault. "While our competitors are forced, in a desperate step, practice excessive discounts, may destroy value, we invented a way to make money more effectively," he says. The low-cost range "the most profitable business" liberates margins well above 6%.

a French champion of global size

With these profits, which are "reinvested", "Renault is protected, we avoid tough decisions, our competitors are forced to take. This helps prevent people make social plans, "says Renault boss operational, which notes that" those who claim to have higher production in France more important than ours, are also those in losses. " More generally, "France would gain by having a world champion-size automobile. When the company expands overseas, it's good for the group in France, "said Carlos Tavares.

Renault has made last year 23% of its vehicles in France (against 44% for PSA). In the long term, its production declined sharply in the Hexagon: 445,000 cars and 201,000 commercial vehicles in 2011, against 1.1 million cars and 227,000 commercial in 2004.

The Lion, the automotive division was not profitable last year (- 0.2% operating margin, against 0.8% for Renault), will remove 6,000 positions this year in Europe, including 3,500 in-house .

Handicap image

The diamond company, which devotes 40% of its investments in France, it now locates priority models with high added value: commercial vehicles, electric cars and high end. The next high-end cars, planned from 2014, however, must win while French "has a disability image" in the face of German manufacturers, recognizes Carlos Tavares. For the hour, equivalent models, the Renault cars are bought "on average 10% cheaper" than those of the Volkswagen brand.

On the electric as the band Zoe will launch its fall, the boss does not hide his disappointment at the slowness of government. "The charging infrastructure are late. France has a huge opportunity to play, we have everything it takes to become a world leader in power. I am a little concerned that we can possibly pass up this opportunity, "he says.

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It's a funny for that women's football. Originally included in the most prestigious prizes for men and hopes, the TV rights specialists on women's football is becoming the subject of a separate market. Direct 8, the DTT channel created by the Bolloré Group and is currently being acquired by Canal +, made the nice observation. "In 2007, Yannick Bolloré has decided to change our schedule to that of a general channel, explains Thierry Cheleman, Director of Sports Direct 8. Implying sports programs. " Although too small to address the sporting rights of the men's national team, then put Direct 8 on the lower category. "At the time, the French Football Federation (FFF) launched a tender for the national championship and hopes, the director continues.This lot also included the TV rights of the Women's Team France until 2014, for which we are therefore committed to broadcast three games a year. "

Public expectations for the beautiful game

Bingo. More than blueberries (or hopes), the girls create the surprise sport in 2009 and 2010 during the qualifying matches in the Women's World Cup 2011. Helping performance, each game attracts between 300,000 and 400,000 viewers on TNT channel, reaching over 700,000 fans August 25, 2009, for the first prime-time (France / Serbia).

Rebelote in 2011. Building on this success for the Hearing, Direct 8 means in effect in 2010 with Eurosport, a subsidiary of TF1, the rights of the Women's World Cup 2011, acquired at the same time as the Men's World Cup 2010. Coproducts and codiffusés by both channels, games are a success hearings.Especially since the disappointment surrounding the men's team at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 frustrated football fans. "After the episode of Knysna, there was a latent expectation of the French for the beautiful game and a fighting team, Fabrice Lorvo analysis, a sports marketing specialist at FTPA. The public was ready to ignite their national team. The spark, it is the girls who brought them. "

To date, the semi-final France / USA Women's World Cup represents the historical record of the chain … and all channels TNT (2.43 million viewers, 17.4% audience share). Normally, the average audience of Direct 8 between 2 and 2.5% market share. Since then, the magic continues.Since the start of the qualifying matches for Euro 2013 Blue to seduce between 720,000 and 940,000 fans.

The appetite of the major broadcasters would raise prices

Given this popularity, the chain does not stop there, and is now attacking the European and national. "If a French club in 2012 reached the final of the Champions League Women, we might be candidates to UEFA to broadcast the match," said Thierry Cheleman. Last year, the epic European Lyonnaises, who had won the competition against Potsdam, had already resulted in an audience of 1.2 million viewers (4.9% market share), peaking 1.9 million. Meanwhile, the management of Direct 8 has made an offer to FFF for TV rights of the first women's division (D1) over the period 2012-2014.Insufficient supply, Eurosport and France Television has won the set in August.

It is the flip side: the structuring of the market for women's football TV rights could eventually crowd out smaller players. "For the TV rights are the subject of a market requires that the images are produced and disseminated. Two years ago, it was not the case for women's football. Direct 8 that produces the games itself, has allowed the emergence of women's football on television in the clear, "Fabrice Lorvo analysis. On average, the chain said spend between 40,000 and 50,000 euros per game. The emergence of such a market whets the appetites and proposals for new broadcasters.

For the giants of the sport are Eurosport and Canal + could well participate in the cost inflation of rights, if performance women are superior to those of men.Inflation that is already seeing Thierry Cheleman, even if they are about 100 times lower than those of men. From this point of view, the acquisition by the pay channel Direct 8 could be an asset, "even if it is too early to draw clear ambitions to Canal + for Direct 8 on women's football," he concludes .

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Despite the overwhelming vote of the German Bundestag for the second aid package to Greece on Thursday, the race against the clock continues to George Papandreou. She took the look of a marathon: the Greek Prime Minister first met on Friday morning in Warsaw, the European president Hermann Van Rompuy to prepare the summit on 18 October ahead crucial, three months after the July 21, who had devoted a strengthening of the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) without convincing the markets.

George Papandreou then went to the Elysee, in the late afternoon for a meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy. He assured the French president that his country was "determined to make every effort" to prevent the collapse of his country and invited experts from the area to go to Athens to see the extent of reforms course.This is one of the main achievements of the meeting on Friday in Paris: "The president urged the Greek prime minister to make it completely transparent with respect to creditor countries," it says in the entourage of Nicolas Sarkozy. In other words, European citizens to prove that Greece was best to keep its objectives. The stakes are high, as evidenced by the reception received by virulent responsible for the Troika (EU, IMF and ECB) income in Athens Friday to assess the process of fiscal consolidation implemented by the government.The officers demonstrated outside the government blocked their access to multiple departments, so that the meeting with the ministers of finance and administration reform took place in anonymous offices in Athens to avoid the challenge.

A moral obligation

These social tensions have led the president to praise the efforts of Greece, in a solemn declaration from the steps of the Elysee low interest personal loan. "The Greek people suffered a lot (…) but he must understand that in recent years too many reforms have been delayed." France will be at his side, he said. "We have a moral obligation to place the member countries of the eurozone and the European Union, said Nicolas Sarkozy.Europe is a civilization, a family and solidarity: when a family, one member is in trouble, all others must help him. "For the president, so" it is no question of dropping the Greek ", because" the failure of Greece would be the failure of the whole of Europe. "

In Paris, we keep tooth and nail to the strict application of the plan voted on July 21. After Germany, Thursday, Austria approved the turn Friday, becoming the twelfth state to say yes to seventeen. European leaders want the agreement to be first adopted by all members – by mid-October – before discussing any possible enhancement of the plan."The question of political credibility," insists there be at the Elysee, where you bet on the fact that financial markets will eventually be convinced that beyond the inevitable slowness of the political process in Europe takes measures appropriate to address the debt crisis.

But this second step could engage quickly Nicolas Sarkozy said he would travel to Berlin in the coming days to meet with German Chancellor in order to "accelerate economic integration in the euro area and put in place as soon as possible "the bailout of the single currency and Greece decided on July 21. This meeting could take place the next weekend.

The crisis of confidence in the European banking sector will not work out. While Europe is trying to convince the world of the soundness of its banks in the current crisis, the major U.S. money market funds prefer to leave the ship. A study published Friday by the rating agency Fitch Ratings, the top ten overseas funds have massively reduced their exposure to European banks. They thus cut their dollar investments in European banking shares by 8% in August, after a fall of 9% in July. Since late May, their exhibit was planed by 27% guaranteed high risk personal loans.

Today, European banking shares held by ten U.S. funds represent 676 billion dollars, or 42.1% of their overall portfolio. These investments still weighed 47.2% in late July."Reducing exposure to leading European banks is largely offset by increased investment in financial institutions in Australia, Canada, Japan and Scandinavia," said Robert Grossman, an official of Fitch Ratings.

Some European countries are more affected than others by the flight of U.S. investment.

This Friday looks bleak at the Paris Bourse. The CAC 40 starts on the day down 0.37% to 3064.49 points. London and Frankfurt lost 0.35% and 0.38%. 1.09% loose Madrid, Milan were down 0.30% and 0.61% in Zurich.

Operators are struggling to recover from their emotions after the new European stock markets plummeting and U.S. yesterday. This morning, Asian stock market sent negative signals with indices in very sharp drop. This bad mood due to a surge in concern about the state of the global economy, reinforced by poor indicators of the Atlantic. Bad index measuring the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing activity in the region, lower sales of existing homes in July, new jobless claims rising again during the second week of August … All signs of the apparent stagnation of growth in the United States.

Concerns about U.S. growth fears add to the debt crisis in Europe, European banks are the first to bear the brunt. In its Thursday edition, The Wall Street Journal reported on fears the U.S. Federal Reserve on the liquidity of European banks. And for the first time since February, the European Central Bank (ECB) has given a major dollar loan to a European bank, whose identity was not revealed. An action that reinforces doubts about the ability of banks to refinance.

Morgan Stanley has added his two cents to panic, explaining that she perceived the United States and Europe as "dangerously close to recession." The President of the European Union, Herman van Rompuy, tried Thursday to calm the mind by ensuring that there was "no new recession" in sight.And this morning, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed that the U.S. economy was "resilient". In vain.

"The bears are back"

"The bears (pessimistic players, ie) are back in force that night, after disappointing U.S. economic indicators and renewed fears about the stability of European banks, which prompted investors to push the button sales," said Ben Potter, an analyst at IG Markets in Australia. "There seems to be getting ready for a weekend very ugly, with a market dominated once again by fear and panic," he added.

Gold reached a new record Friday morning in Asia, to 1,837.50 dollars per ounce, due to the concern. And oil, which fell 6% in New York yesterday, continues to fall in morning trading.A barrel of "light sweet crude" for September delivery lost 1.69 dollars to 80.69 dollars while that of Brent North Sea crude for October delivery gave 68 cents to 106.31 dollars.

No significant indicator that could reverse the trend, are expected on Friday.

Values ​​to follow

The banking sector

European financial stocks, which had been rolled by a renewed tensions in the interbank market and concerns about the short-term refinancing of banks are still misguided. BNP Paribas (-3.22% to 33.11 dollars), Natixis (-2.90% to 2.81 dollars), Credit Agricole (-2.70% to 6.06 euros), Société Générale (-2, 69% to 21.02 dollars) and AXA (-0.56% to 10.28 euros) are in the red.

Danone: -1.75% to 46.05 euros

Nestlé, the group became a favorite activity for infant formula, Wyeth, Pfizer subsidiary, valued at approximately ten billion dollars (seven billion euros), officials said a source familiar with the bank.

Technip: -3.67% to 57.77 euros

The French engineering group said it had received a letter of intent on the part of the American oil company Anadarko for the construction of an offshore platform for the Gulf of Mexico.