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At Air France, social negotiations enter the heart of the matter. Thursday, at a central works council, the CEO of the company, Alexander Juniac, will unveil its industrial plan for the next three years. Air France, a lot of competitiveness, will not give any activity, but all will be involved in the effort. The low-cost group, Transavia, should be expanded and take some leisure destinations of Air France. The long haul should seek to cut costs – especially in economy class – and improve its services "business." The cargo should reduce the number of devices that are fully dedicated. Maintenance costs and reduce its rates to remain competitive

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Overall objective on which management and unions agreed last March: lower costs by 20%, excluding fuel. "There are in the business awareness on the situation of the company, confided mid-April the President of the Air France KLM, Jean-Cyril Spinetta. This is no longer debate. Everyone understands the need to act. "For Air France employees, it will mean two things: an increase of working time – key point of the renegotiation of all enterprise agreements – but also job cuts.

On this last point is highly sensitive, time calculations has officially not yet come. The company officials are sticking to the schedule already announced: it's the end of June they will detail the steps taken to refine the silhouette of a sustainable business. Reportedly, the total job cuts expected to reach 5,000 jobs by 2015, without layoffs.

Measures open for the first time pilots

Air France account first, as in the past, the attrition of employees not replaced to trim down. Each year, 800 people leave the company. Their failure to replace three consecutive years will result in 2,400 fewer positions.

In addition, a voluntary separation plan to double the number of cuts to achieve end to 5000 jobs. The pace will be accelerated significantly payday loans for bad credit. Past three years, Air France has quietly defatted its workforce of 4,000 positions, including 1,800 voluntary redundancies as part already, a plan launched in 2009.

But this time, Air France will go further: the separation plan will be open to all categories of staff: hostesses and stewards, ground staff and … drivers. A first.

In 4000 Air France pilots, we should indeed find candidates initially. Since the age of retirement has been pushed back 65 years later, the age group over 55, or 590 people, could find an interest to receive an incentive that would allow them to leave the company earlier .

"Pilots who work for twenty-five to thirty years in the business could benefit from the maximum bonus," said a company pilot. According to figures from Air France, at least 500 pilots over twenty-five years of seniority at the counter. The French pilots who see their colleagues KLM to retire at age 57 and those of British Airways to 54 say they are such a measure would repair an injustice.

As for other staff, several trade unions, as Unac, majority among hostesses and stewards (PNC), have put their requirements last week.  

"If, despite the alternatives of preserving jobs, negotiations on the restructuring of Air France" transform15 ", led the company to make a collective redundancy plan affecting PNC, then we would negotiate an alternative to the criteria of a dismissals under the Labour Code with priority call for volunteers and incentive fees at the start, "said Frank Mikula of Unac.

"We can not afford to keep people made redundant, an executive summary of the Air France-KLM. Better to pay them not to keep. We will calibrate the plan to get a return on investment after two years. "

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Presidential in major cities Paris | Leeds | Lyons | Toulouse | Leeds | Sheffield | Liverpool | Bordeaux | Lille

"Choose well, choose Goal!" The old slogan of the number three of the furniture it always goes well. The company creates envy and indeed could, as revealed yesterday, Les Echos, soon change hands.

Reportedly, no less than five French investment funds have indeed shown interest in the brand of furniture from the current owners, Goldman Sachs and Colony Capital funds and OpCapita (former Merchant Equity Partners). Paragraph (Auchan group) looked at the file, but refrained. The name of the Austrian Lutz teaches that attempts since 2008 to enter France, is also advanced.

Officially, however, the group is not for sale. "No process was launched. Goldman Sachs and Colony Capital, which each hold 48.5% stake in Aim, rather sought a refinancing solution, "says a source close to the two actors, who adds:" They received expressions of interest, among others of Axa Private Equity and PAI, but they will refuse the offers if they are insufficient. "

Develop and design the kitchen

The three shareholders hope to sell Aim for 450 or 500 million euros, valuing the company at about six times its Ebitda (80 million euros in 2011). This is less than what was paid for Conforama Steinhoff – nearly seven times Ebitda – but the amount is close to that that the three had paid Kesa (Darty parent) in March 2008, ie 550 million euros.

Under the leadership of a new CEO, Regis Schultz Purpose managed to change course. The brand is losing its image with cheesy a thorough review of its range. More modern, but also more focused on the shelves carriers, such as decorating and cooking business card. And especially to lower prices, more in line with those of its competitors, thanks to tremendous work on own brands and supplies. Particular aim was to ally Cafom (Habitat-unique.com sale …) and joined the Central Purchasing SELECTIS to buy at cheaper prices.

The fleet of approximately 200 stores, almost unchanged for three years, was renovated. Purpose and City, a store designed for smaller and larger cities where the supply of appliances is only available on the terminals, was born in late 2010.

A nice improvement

The efforts are paying. Last year, sales grew 4.2 Goal% (LFL), reaching 1.8 billion euros. The company gained market share for the third consecutive year, from 9.2% in 2008 to 10.3%, despite the loss of eight franchised stores. But Goal acquired almost as many (five) since the beginning of the year, thanks to 200 million euros released by the sale of the walls of twenty-five stores last November. An operation orchestrated by Colony Capital, as he did at Buffalo Grill and encouraged at Accor. "Certainly, Goal has almost no debt and the bride looks very nice. But, with higher rents, its profitability will be even more difficult, "says one industry expert. Especially since prospects are rather gloomy furniture. In 2011, the market had grown by only 1.5%. "Goal should instead focus a competitor, French or European, who can achieve economies of scale in procurement," says this source.

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Public hospitals are not so bad, that is the situation of their banks might damage. That, in broad strokes, the picture painted in its annual rating … by Dexia Credit Local, former first sector bank being dismantled.

The deficit in French hospitals reached 220 million euros in 2010. That sounds a lot but the amount represents only 0.3% of their budgets. Excluding appendices generally accounts surplus – long stay, retirement homes, nursing schools, real estate … – care, "heart-to" hospitals, loses 470 million (0.8% of budget). A stable amount of improvement after two years. 2011 should be in the same waters: a somewhat wider scope, including both private non-profit institutions, the government announced an initial estimate of 504 million deficit, against 508 million in 2010.

These figures make it unlikely that the return to balance this year, wanted by Nicolas Sarkozy. However, they reflect "the efforts by hospitals to control their staff costs," says Claire Bouinot, Dexia Credit Local. Because their revenues have increased by only 2% in 2010, the lowest increase for over ten years. Moreover, 300 hospitals "only" are in deficit (-600 million euros), others are in balance or in surplus (380 million).

The year 2010 also marks a break: after a decade of growth, investment by hospitals fell almost 5%, to $ 6.5 billion. They are expected to decline again in 2011 and slightly more strongly in 2012 payday loan. The 2007 Hospital Plan which, in "looping" financial arrangements with state subsidies, led to the partial solution to the obsolescence of French institutions, has expired. It "does not appear in the same volumes relayed by the Hospital Plan 2012", Claire Bouinot analysis.

But above all, co-financing of investments by banks, which was almost closed eyes until 2008, has become extremely difficult. Not that the banks fear increased risk: 24.1 billion, the debt reached "6.2 years of cash flow, a normal level," says Andrew Baker, director of studies of Dexia Credit Local.

But Dexia, precisely, which gave almost half of the loans to hospitals, this activity has slowed since 2008 and early 2012 has completely frozen, waiting to know his fate. And "among our competitors in the public sector, foreign banks have disappeared, savings bank, Credit Mutuel, Crédit Agricole and Societe Generale reduce the wing," says Andre Boulanger. Standards requiring them to strengthen their balance sheets and low earnings generated by public clients explain this decline.

Nothing serious immediate for most hospitals, which merely postpone investments. But much more worrying a small minority of them, including fifty hospitals "in a particularly difficult situation, where the operation consumes cash instead of generating," pointed to by Claire Bouinot.

Unlike products that are struggling to attract equity investors, Stone devotes its safe haven status. If the majority of investors to prefer unfurnished apartment, either in the new with the Scellier or to renovate the former, others opt for furnished rentals, deemed combine flexibility and profitability cash advance loan. As such, residential services have a large supply of products apparently attractive.

Apartment in Dijon offered by Adagio to a business clientele. Photo credits: Adagio

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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We knew the fabric of SMEs insufficient in France. Comparisons with the German model, its "large SMEs' innovative and exporting family, were hardly flattering. But the new method adopted by INSEE to classify firms by size is even better in this light French weakness. The definition of the company formalized the end of 2008 no longer regarded as subsidiary companies of its own: it links them to the group they belong. In a study published on Tuesday, INSEE describes the corporate landscape of hexagonal resulting from this change. Conclusion: "The production base is much more concentrated than it seemed."

The breakdown by company size – large companies, medium-sized companies (ETI), SMEs and microenterprises – is turned upside down. In 2009, France had 2.7 million and entities (excluding agriculture and financial sector). Under the old way of counting, only a hundred of them exceeded the threshold of 5,000 employees that large companies. With the new definition and the inclusion of the concept of group, they spend a little over 200.

So, they employ 28% of employees, which is double what was the scope of large enterprises in the previous definition fast payday loan. They carry 33% of the value added (or 17% of GDP, also double the valuation date chosen) and account for half of exports. Similarly, with this new definition, the share of large enterprises in research and development expenses increased from less than 40% to 60%.

SMEs overrated

"Symmetrically, the weight of the other three categories of firms is less important," said INSEE. It is SMEs whose share "decreases the most." For nearly half of these companies with 10 to 249 employees are subsidiaries of a group or a larger enterprise.

Another lesson of the study, the weight of each sector is modified for the benefit of the industry, as the subsidiaries making or supporting business functions, previously classified in the service sector, are reinstated. The industrial workforce is located in "reinflated" by more than 2 points, representing 27.5% of total employees.

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The Paris Bourse should attempt a rebound on Tuesday, a day after falling more than 3%. Around 8:02, the CAC 40 futures contract shown up 1.02%, suggesting a sharply higher opening of the Paris index. The movement should be a European future since the Frankfurt Stock Exchange advance them to 0.68%.

The problems of sovereign debt, however, should hang over the markets. The pressure rises in the euro zone since Moody's announced that the triple A French was threatened. Spain and Italy are always attacked in the bond markets. Finally, Germany is in the viewfinder of many observers who believe the country could experience a domino effect on the market.

But Europe is not the only one to raise the nervousness of the operators.

For now, the rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's reported that U.S. credit rating would not be affected by the failure of these discussions. Fitch, however, said it could revise its outlook on maintaining its AAA rating assigned to the United States. It recalls that it had warned in August that "a failure of the super committee to reach an agreement would likely have a negative result on the rating" of the country.

This news has already had the effect of falling Wall Street yesterday and the stock markets in Asia this morning, confirming the prediction of Japanese Finance Minister, Jun Azumi, said this morning that fearing "a big disappointment in the markets."

Oil rises

Under the spotlight, the United States must deliver on Tuesday the second reading of GDP in the third quarter.

The rebound of the day continues at the Paris Bourse. The Cac 40 climbed 2.18% in mid-session at 3013.30 points, in the wake of Wall Street and Asian stock markets.The increase accelerated after the announcement of an exceptional action of major central banks including the ECB and U.S. Federal Reserve, to enhance the supply of dollars in the banking sector.

Wednesday he had already climbed 1.87% to 2949.14% points as investors cautiously welcoming the determination displayed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou during a conference call Wednesday evening out to Athens for the crisis.

Same upward trend in other European financial centers: London in mid-session gaining 1.38% and 2.10% while Frankfurt Milan rose 1.49% and 2.51% in Madrid.

For now, the markets show their confidence in the ability of the euro area to help Athens to prevent the country will default, and is forced out of the single currency.

After months of deadlock between Parliament and European governments agreed in principle to toughen the Stability Pact and fiscal discipline common EU response to the crisis of debt was signed in Strasbourg on Thursday morning. This device provides for financial penalties in the form of cash deposit in blocked accounts for countries that would leave too lax spinning their deficits, and processes more automatic than in the past to punish the worst performers in Europe.The agreement should therefore be subject to European finance ministers Friday in Poland, that will floor on the back of the Greek crisis in a macroeconomic environment deteriorated.

At the end of their conference, the Franco-German said he believed the day "that the position of Greece is very much in the euro area." But on one condition, also very explicit: "The implementation of strict and effective recovery program of the Greek economy supported by the countries of the euro area and the IMF and which conditions the disbursement of future tranches of the program. "George Papandreou was quick to deceive, confirming" the absolute determination of his government to take all necessary measures to implement all commitments. "For the budget minister Valérie Pécresse, what the Prime Minister of Greece were "reassured" the euro area, she said on Thursday LCI.

For its part, the Chancellor has again ruled out the idea of ​​European bonds, proposed by some to pool at least part of the issuance of debt of the euro area. It would be "absurd," she said this morning outside the Motor Show in Frankfurt.

The U.S. maintains pressure on Europe

To this, add the announcement of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) said on Wednesday that they could increase their holdings of bonds denominated in euros. Brazil has such willingness to participate in a "global effort" against the economic crisis that affects rich countries, said the same day the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff.The same goes for Russia, which has indicated its willingness to "consider an investment in the new mechanism in the euro area if the responsibilities are clearly defined" through its Vice-Minister of Finance. However, Italy, whose rates have soared during bond, has denied media reports that she would have asked China to invest in debt.

U.S. side, however, no way to release the pressure on Europe. It "must do more" in the words of Timothy Geithner, U.S. Treasury Secretary, who must participate in a meeting Friday of finance ministers in Europe.In an interview Wednesday on the financial channel CNBC, he considers, however, that the Europeans 'capacity' to solve the crisis, seeing a good eye that they "recognize that they are late."

Note that Christine Lagarde, Executive Director of the IMF, should give a speech in Washington on "Challenges and solutions for the global economy and the IMF" to 16 hours. While Ben Bernanke, the Fed chairman, should speak at a conference in Washington on the regulation of systemic risk in the early afternoon.

Oil prices continue to fall

On the macroeconomic front, the number of people employed in the euro area rose by 0 Online payday loans.3% in the second quarter compared with the previous three months, said Thursday the EU statistics office Eurostat.Still according to Eurostat, inflation remained stable in August in the euro area to 2.5% year on year, as in July.

In France, the trade deficit is expected to reach 75 billion euros this year, a new sad record after the 56 billion euros recorded in 2008, says Les Echos. For its part, the European Commission revised downwards its growth forecast for France for 2011 to 1.6% against 1.8% expected so far.The annual growth rate of the euro area as a whole also 1.6%, however, is consistent with a previous estimate.

For its part, Spain has raised 3.95 billion euros in the markets Thursday, with bonds to eight and nine years, with rates down from the previous issue of the same type on July 21.

Finally, many figures are expected in the U.S., including inflation for the month of August, the current account balance in the second quarter, the weekly claims for unemployment and industrial production for the month of August .

On the foreign exchange market, the euro climbed to 0.44% against the greenback at 1.3804 dollars on Thursday.In turn, oil prices continued to fall, after figures showing a decline in demand for refined products in the United States, and while the markets remain worried about the situation in the euro zone, analysts said. In morning trading, a barrel of "light sweet crude" for delivery in October lost 43 cents to 88.48 dollars per barrel of Brent North Sea crude for October delivery 53 cents to 111.87 dollars.

Values ​​to follow

• Banking

The banking sector, including Societe Generale (13% to 19.73 euros), BNP Paribas (20% to 32.52 euros) and Credit Agricole (12% to 5.88 euros) remains in the spotlight. It does not seem affected by the revelation of a fraud, a trader at UBS.The crisis became systemic, according to a document sent to the European Union finance ministers and obtained by Reuters, which also recommended a further strengthening of bank resources.In addition, two out of three French believe that the weakening of the banking sector related to the debt crisis could threaten their economies, according to a CSA poll released Wednesday to Les Echos.

• LVMH (2.15% to 114.20 euros)

The group announced Wednesday it had chosen Jordi Constans, come to Danone, to succeed Yves Carcelle at the head of Louis Vuitton in 2013.

• ArcelorMittal (3.65% to 13.35 euros)

The company promised to stop its steel plant in Florange (Moselle) would be temporary, said Wednesday the French government.

• Areva (2.11% to 21.02 euros)

The nuclear expert will present its strategic plan in early December through improved operational performance, an adjustment of investment and possible asset sales, its chief executive said in an interview for Echoes.

• Publicis (2.03% to 31.11 euros)

The group announced Thursday the acquisition of 100% stake in a public relations agency in the United States, Schwartz Communications, which specializes in technology and health, for an undisclosed sum.

• Bouygues (1.31% to 25.05 euros)

Wednesday, Bouygues Construction, through the company Eirene, delivered the first 53 service centers and respond to the DIT (Directorate of transport infrastructure under the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transportation and housing), according to Reuters.Eirene now provides maintenance and management of these buildings for 28 years.

• Technip (2.06% to 68.77 euros)

The French group of Petroleum Engineering has won a contract for facilities ammonia-urea fertilizer in Port-Gentil (west of Gabon), from Gabon Fertilizers Company, said in a statement.

• Cellectis (6.19% to 6 euros)

The company will acquire the Swedish company Cellartis specialist tools for research and development in vitro derived stem cells, as part of a contract valuing the approximately 33.8 million.

• Hermes

The luxury group said that trading in its title would be suspended Thursday pending the decision of the Court of Appeal of Paris on the exemption granted by the AMF on the buyout of minority interests.

After the storm that plunged all the stock exchanges, the European shares rebound on Thursday. In Paris the CAC 40 index opened up 2.96% to 3092.16 points. Same trend in Frankfurt the Dax rose 2.81% to 5771.21 points and in London the FTSE 100 opened up over 2% to 5118.29 points. Appeasement was already felt in the Asian stock markets that are returned to the green or showed moderate declines.

Wednesday, the markets were shaken by rumors of a deterioration in the rating of France, immediately denied by the rating agencies and the French government, and concerns about the health of the bank Societe Generale. And the CAC 40 plunged 5.45%, narrowly escaping the psychological threshold of 3000 points to 3002.99 points. Other European markets have suffered the same drop Frankfurt dropped 5.13%, 3.05% London.Madrid and Milan 5.49% 6.65%. In New York, the Dow fell 4.62% and 4.09% for the Nasdaq.

Bank stocks monitored

Gold continues, meanwhile, fly from record to record. The precious metal has crossed the threshold of 1800 dollars. It is this Thursday morning in 1790 dollars, after hitting a new record of 1815.50 dollars. However, oil resumed its decline in Asia. Yet he had resisted the panic the day before with the announcement of a dramatic and unexpected decline in crude inventories in the United States. In morning trading, a barrel of "light sweet crude" lost 79 cents to 82.10 dollars and that of Brent North Sea fell by 1.10 dollars to 105.58 dollars.

Among the values ​​to be followed, the bank that have been heavily tested yesterday. The Financial Markets Authority (AMF), the stock market regulator, announced that it will monitor developments in the securities sector.Trading in Societe Generale jumped nearly 9% to 24.16 euros after being suspended briefly at the opening. The title was unscrewed from 14.74% on Wednesday. The bank asked the AMF to investigate the origin of the rumors that have depressed its course Same day payday loans. The CEO of the bank, Frédéric Oudéa, denounced, in an interview with Le Figaro, "the series of attacks" against the French banking sector "sounds completely fantastic, I struggle with the utmost force, it is taken at Societe Generale, "he lamented. "We have no fear on our lending: we achieved 93% of our long-term funding program year, he added.Short-term side, we have 105 billion euros of underlying assets with central banks and keep full access to the interbank market. "

BNP Paribas (2.98% to 36.67 euros) and Credit Agricole (5.68% to 6.418 euros) rebounded Wednesday after falling by 9.5% and 11.8%.

In addition, EADS (1.66% to 20.24 euros), the parent company of Airbus, said Wednesday it will not achieve its objectives in the United States in 2020 without new acquisitions.

Title Alcatel-Lucent (2.11% to 2.324 euros) is expected to rise following the release of quarterly results from Cisco Systems, above the consensus of Wall Street.

L'Oreal (2.29% to 1.73 euros) should benefit from the decision by Goldman Sachs, which added its list of preferred European stocks to buy ("pan-Europe conviction buy list").

Saint-Gobain (1.11% to 31.775 euros) has announced the acquisition of Solar Gard, a subsidiary of Belgian group dedicated to Bekaert Specialty Films, as part of its strategy to accelerate its growth through acquisitions.

Maurel & Prom rose 4.22% to 12.35 euros after opening up over 8%. The oil company reported a surge of 123% of its revenue thanks to increased revenues in Gabon and Nigeria.

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