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In the Benetton family, is the financier. Chairman of Edizione Holding, Gilberto Benetton, 68, was on Wednesday in Paris. He inaugurated at the Carrousel du Louvre, the world's Restaurants. This space managed by the subsidiary Autogrill house a McDonald's already controversial. For Le Figaro, Gilberto Benetton details the strategy of the family in its various activities.

LE FIGARO .- Why invest in the Carrousel du Louvre with an area of restoration of 2 000 m²?

Gilberto BENETTON .- Le Carrousel du Louvre, nine million visitors and two million meals a year. For a group like ours, we felt it important to be there. We present in France since 1994, our largest market outside Italy, with 84 rest stops. Our fleet also teaches in seventeen stations, two major airports and hotels.We work in association with partners like French Brioche Doree and Buffalo Grill, with whom we will open soon a service area on the motorway between Marseille and Nice.

At the Carrousel du Louvre, the opening of a McDonald's restaurant has troubled the French …

We propose a range of cuisines from around the world. Among the brands represented, we can find the Spanish Mira, Meltem the Mediterranean, the Moroccan Salam, the Asian Self, Beaudevin for France and for Segafredo Italian coffee. What makes the success of our formula is to offer a wide range of services with a predominance of local products. This is a great innovation.We are already present in the world in more than fifty museums, archaeological sites and palaces of prestige as Pompeii, Versailles and the Palacio Real in Madrid or the Empire State Building in New York.

What are your development projects?

This is no time to expand in Europe, but the consolidation. That means reducing our costs, cut out the superfluous, lower our prices. In France, we are the second group of restaurants on motorways. New opportunities will arise. We will participate in bids to manage new areas on the motorways and the TGV station.

Your group is already very diverse. What activities will experience the highest growth?

Management infrastructure, be it highways or airports, is the most promising.Edizione, holding family owns 79% of Sintonia, large umbrella company infrastructure. We are ready to get up to 51%, to make way for new shareholders while retaining control. Latin America and Southeast Asia are the growth prospects strongest. Sintonia has one billion euros of liquidity. In Italy, we presented a draft of expansion of Rome airports to increase capacity from 33 to 70 million passengers per year. By the end of 2010, the new Alitalia, since its takeover by Air France-KLM will have its own terminal.

Do you regret certain investments?

Our only mistake was coming in 2001 in Telecom Italia, a 24.5% at worst as wrong when the telecommunications business was at its zenith. We have not managed directly participation.We decided today to leave. In the textile industry (Benetton Group, which owns 67% Edizione), we faced the crisis with equanimity. Turnover declined this year by about 4%, especially in the United States and Eastern Europe. The Western Europe remains substantial. Each one million more passengers is 1 000 jobs.

And Autogrill?

Autogrill will continue its development in France and Germany. In fifteen years it has grown from a turnover of 700 million euros to 5.8 billion business. It is unparalleled in the world. This seems an easy job, but it's far from true. The proof: the competitors are not legion. For ten years we have taken control of the U.S. HMSHost, the Frantour Restoration of specialist duty-free Aldeasa makes us the world leader in the specialty, Alpha Group and WDF.There would be many other channels to acquire, but not yet. We must consolidate and improve the quality of our services. From this perspective, the opening of the Carrousel du Louvre is a test and a step forward.

China, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, all those Asian countries that depend on their exports, feared a return of protectionism, driven by rising unemployment in the world, is not undermined by the weak recovery that seems s 'start on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

Meeting yesterday, and until Sunday evening in Singapore, the 21 forum member countries of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation), which also ranks in the United States and Russia call to fight against this temptation with force.In contrast to increasing free trade that will stimulate economic recovery and create new jobs, they say.

The APEC forum, which is celebrating its twenty years, knows whereof he speaks: it accounts for respectively 40% of world population, 51% of GDP (gross domestic product) and 50% of international trade.

Recovery Plans

The exercise is more difficult than in countries that are recovering as fast as China (8% growth expected this year), the risk of overheating point and are "likely to trigger new asset bubbles and estate, "says Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank.Indeed, Hong Kong and Beijing, apartment prices begin to flare, necessitating a very fine management of support plans launched by the Asian countries.

In total, they represent more than 1 000 billion (665.7 billion), including 585 billion for China alone. But no question of suspending them. "We will maintain our policy of economic recovery until a sustained recovery is assured," said the APEC forum, which emphasizes that the expected recovery "is not yet based on solid foundations."

For its part, South Korea, just to finalize its agreement to free trade with the United States.Washington accuses him not to open its automotive market and the day before the U.S. International Trade Commission had to deny Samsung Electronics to sell some of its products overseas because they pirated Japanese licenses.

Saturday and Sunday, the Heads of State of the APEC forum, which will meet in Singapore and will also consider the climate, will certainly a lot to do.