Havana Club: serious setback for Pernod Ricard

15th May

 

The French group, co-leader of the global wine and spirits, has lost his latest appeal yesterday in the battle between the past twenty years at rival Bacardi. Pernod Ricard can not use the Havana Club trademark in the United States, world's largest market rum (40% of sales). Held by the Cuban state, the famous rum is sold in 120 countries around the world by Pernod Ricard.

The U.S. Supreme Court refused yesterday to consider the decision to an appeals court in Washington in 2011 that had impeded renew the Havana Club trademark in the United States. And, under a 1998 law, also called "Bacardi Bill". The French had seized earlier this year the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes of finally succeed. "We are victims of something unjust, said yesterday at Figaro Pringuet, CEO of the group. This is equivalent to changing the rules in the middle of the match. "An allusion to the retroactivity of the law, in theory contrary to the U guaranteed pay day loans.S. Constitution.

A bitter defeat for Pernod Ricard. He sees close the doors of the United States while global sales of Havana Club have increased tenfold over the last eighteen years. But the French did not admit defeat. He is preparing for the next battle. Impose the Havana Club trademark in the United States when lifting the embargo will be imposed. Bacardi sells rum discreetly in Florida also called Havana Club, manufactured in Puerto Rico, is in ambush. Pernod Ricard does not intend to let its competitor the right to enjoy the international reputation of the brand, built over several decades. He therefore announced yesterday that he would file the trademark Havanista replica of Havana Club. Insurance for the French to cut the grass under the feet of Bacardi in due course.

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The price of gasoline in small drop

24th April

 

Like every Monday evening, the Ministry of Sustainable Development publishes weekly reports fuel prices in France. For the first time since late January, a liter of unleaded 95, unleaded 98 and diesel show a decline. But it is minimal for the SP 95, a liter costs on average in the hexagon 1.6507 euro (against 1.6664 last week, a record) for the SP 98, it is worth 1.7001 euro (or an less than 1.7095 posted last Monday) and a liter of diesel fuel most consumed by the French, amounts to 1.4295 euro, 1.4362 against seven days ago.

This small decline is explained both by a slight decline in oil prices in recent days, combined with a slight rise of the euro against the dollar. Indeed, in one week, a barrel of black gold has risen from 104.77 dollars to 102.86 dollars on Monday (-1.8%) in New York, while the euro / dollar rose to a , 3077 to 1.3220 (1.1%). Besides these two variants, the price of gas depends on the gross refining margins, those of distribution, the rate of VAT (19 payday loans guaranteed no fax.6%) and the TIPP (domestic tax on petroleum products), attached to around 60 euro cents per liter.

According to a recent study by two economists, gas stations reflected both increases than cuts refined oil prices on their price. Supermarkets are the best students.

If Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president on May 6, so that social VAT would take effect in October. That is to say that the VAT rate will go from 19.6% to 21.2%. If, however, Francois Hollande took power, the Socialist said he would be immediately increased by 1.6 point VAT. He also warned that it would impose a freeze on gasoline prices and would set up a floating TIPP.  

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Local taxes: finally stabilizing

16th April

 

Taxpayers can breathe: the local tax rates should not increase this year. Tax notices will arrive in mailboxes this fall only. But local officials, who had until April 15 to vote on their budgets, have made their decisions. "Overall, the mayors chose not to raise rates in 2012 of the housing tax and property taxes on both, on the frame and the non-built" summarizes Laurent Philippe, President of the variety right to the Finance Committee Association of Mayors of France (AMF). Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Lille, Grenoble, Nantes, Nice, Rennes or Bordeaux opted for stability in 2012. As medium-sized cities like Perpignan, Orléans or direction. Communes of Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris, and Chatillon-sur-Seine, in Burgundy, has even dropped their local taxes! Departments follow the same path. "The majority of councils in 2012 froze the property tax rate on the frame. And most of those who did have increased moderately, between 1% and 2%, "says one to the Assembly of Departments of France (ADF). Among the few above this low water we find the Maine-et-Loire (rate increase of 5.1%) or the Haute-Garonne (2.8%)

But this apparent wisdom must not forget two things. On the one hand, the housing tax and property taxes are the product of the rental value of housing by a tax rate, which is voted by local councilors. The leasehold basis, they are indexed annually at the national level. For 2012, the parliamentarians decided a 1.8% increase (from 2% in 2011, 1 payday loans.2% in 2010 and 2.5% in 2009). Result, local taxes paid by households will increase by 1.8% where the tax rates of the department and the municipal block are stable.

Later in the rigor

However, in municipalities having decided to increase the rate of 1% tax bill will rise by 2.8%. On the other hand, the lull follows the fiscal shock in previous years. Newly elected in 2008, mayors and councilors have "benefited" from the beginning of their mandate to fill the coffers. Paris and has increased its local tax rates of 9% in 2009 and 8% in 2010. In Nice, the increase was as high as 14.8% in 2009. The Perpignan have been put to them in 2010 (+8%) and 2011 (+4%). The approach of the 2014 elections produced the opposite effect. "Elected officials will do everything to not raise taxes until the election" said Philippe Laurent.

The climate has changed in local communities. Transfers paid to them by the state were frozen in 2011 and declined slightly in 2012. Bank credit is harder to obtain. After years of massive hiring, operating expenses slowed (+2.4% in 2011). Departments will reduce their investment in 2012 for the third consecutive year. Nicolas Sarkozy wants to go further and impose discipline in the regions, counties and cities with more than 30,000 inhabitants not to replace a retiring on two of their agents. Francois Hollande and if does not want a "two", he advocates a stabilizing state transfers.

In Japan, there will be enough to open her hand for money

14th April

 

Who has not dreamed of just open my hand to touch the money immediately? Tomorrow is reality, or almost, Japan.

Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank will offer its customers, in September, cash machines with a floppy schema veins, a sensor capable of recognizing the lines of the hand.

Other institutions are already in the Archipelago of biometric authentication technique. But it simply serves to replace the numeric code if it has been forgotten, to prove that the credit card into the machine belongs to the person using it. This time, no need to map. The machine will compare the vascular pattern of the palm, pre-recorded by the bank, with the distributor free business cards. No question that someone other than the card owner uses the account. The margin of error, it seems, almost zero. The idea came, says Takeshi Usui, Executive Director of Ogaki Kyoritsu, the tsunami of March 11, 2011 where thousands of people lost all their identification papers and credit cards.

The only thing that we should not lose is memory. Indeed, distributors will claim any biometric same date of birth of the customer. And a password.

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Fusion Universal-EMI: Warner-attack against

11th April

 

The merger between Universal Music and EMI, respectively number one and four global music publishing operation is not like the others, beat independent labels, headwind against it announced last November. And this acquisition which is the subject, since late March, a thorough review by the European competition authorities, gives rise to unusual trading.

In addition to the traditional arguments about the consequences that such a merger might have on prices, the protagonists struggle, indeed, the future of design in Europe. With unexpected postures. If the American Universal Music – directed from Santa Monica by the British Lucian Grainge and detained by the French Vivendi – poses as guarantor of European culture, his compatriot Warner Music – owned by Russian-born U.S. billionaire Len Blavatnik – shall guard on the "negative consequences for the identity and heritage of Europe, access to culture, creativity and innovation", in a note circulated to the Commission that Le Figaro is procured.

The strength of Hollywood

Warner – unsuccessful candidate for redemption of EMI – displays the same objective as the independent grouped in Impala: torpedo rapprochement with Brussels Universal-EMI but also the resumption of catalogs of the British recorded music (number 2), ranging from Norah Jones Sting, by a consortium led by Sony (No. 4). Both operations should lead to the birth in each of these careers in music of a domineering leader, strong market share of nearly 40% in Europe.

"A music company will seek to reduce risk by influencing the production of records or by focusing its marketing firepower on a few tracks that are most likely to travel abroad – usually in the Anglo-American repertoire," warns the Warner notes, which sounded the alarm: "In the European context with its very specific markets, record companies are essential to sustain production in local languages ​​and cultures. Leave a dominant player in deciding the viability of investments in local cultural carries a high risk. "

And prevent, "A local company is less competitive when a dominant player can absorb the bad years with a thick catalog of rights. This control of the catalog explains, in large part, Hollywood domination of the European Film Market. "

All subjects, Warner insists that should preoccupy European countries signed the UNESCO Convention encouraged to "adopt measures and policies to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions within their territory." A goal also highlighted in the European treaties, the U.S. recalled. Brussels must rule on the Universal-EMI merger by August 8. Universal as well as Sony have proposed sale of catalogs to reduce their scope. Recorded music side, if the Commission is not satisfied by the remedies of Sony, the European anti-trust will also open an investigation.

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Urban renewal: what results?

9th April

 

A water sports center has replaced five towers in the district of Val Fourré in Mantes-la-Jolie. Photo credits: ANRU

Sales of lamb at Easter double

4th April

 

Double the normal. During the month of Easter – Friday night for Jews and Sunday for Christians – he buys at least twice more lambs than usual. "It consumes on average between 4000 and 5000 tons of lamb meat per month in France, according to panel data Kantar says Anne Mottet, an economist at the Livestock Institute. When Paschal month, households consumed 9,000 tons in 2010, for example. " A strong tradition since 13% of French households to savor the occasion of Easter, against 5% in normal times. The lamb symbolizes for Christians the resurrection of Christ and the Jews, the exodus led by Moses out of Egypt.

Economically, the farm became a holder of lamb from the reallocation in 2009 by former agriculture minister, Michel Barnier, a part of CAP subsidies in favor of sheep farmers, the farmers worse off at the time. "It allowed me to generate additional income of 12,000 to 15,000 euros per year," said Hubert Elder, farmer in Maine-et-Loire.

To prevent a portion of the added value is captured by intermediaries, this direct selling. "At Easter, I'll sell 12 lambs against 4-5 in a typical week. They are valued 30% more than when I sell them at retail "he adds. A small niche – is consumed in France 190,000 tonnes of lamb, only 10% of the pork market – but profitable. The price is comparable to consumer beef prices: 12.95 against 12.94 per kilo for beef and 6.58 for pork.

Still according to Kantar, the French producer of lamb is the best paid in Europe with a price paid around 6.09 euros per kilo, against 4.97 euros in the UK, against an average of 4.78 euros in Europe.

UK and New Zealand

Flip side, nearly 60% of sheep consumed in France are imported from countries where they are cheaper to raise. More than half the imports come from the UK, just under a quarter of New Zealand, Ireland and the rest of Spain.

"Legs salt meadow, racks of lamb, milk, orders flow for three weeks, said Christian Le Lann, artisan butcher in Paris. We sell top quality local lamb but there is a commoditization of the product because of the importance of imports of lamb from New Zealand including a by-product of wool transported frozen, which invades the shelves of supermarkets "says the merchant who is also president of the French Confederation of butchery.

Lastly, there is the question of renewal of French sheep farmers. They will be 63% out of business in the next decade. The investors do not rush in sheepfolds.

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LD Lines under control of a Danish group

28th March

 

The giant Danish DFDS and the French Louis Dreyfus (LDA), owner of LD Lines, have finally announced the birth of their joint venture that will operate five ferry routes between France and England (Dover-Dunkerque Dover- Calais, Portsmouth to Le Havre, Dieppe, New Haven) and between France and Tunisia (Tunis-Marseille). LD Lines line between Saint-Nazaire and Gijon, Spain will not belong to the joint venture.

Last year, the two partners were involved in a bid to take over Sea France, the SNCF subsidiary whose termination of service was delivered in January. But the offer was violently rejected by the unions.

1160 employees in 2013

Since LD Lines, in partnership with the Danish DFDS, has two ships on the Dover-Calais line, previously operated by Sea France no teletrack payday loan. This is a new step, predictable, but that was difficult or impossible to implement at the time of the attempted rescue of Sea France.

The joint venture will be owned by DFDS 82% and 18% by LDA. Officially launched on July 1, she will manage nine ships. DFDS those under the British flag and those of LD Lines under the French flag. "It is not intended eventually to operate under a single flag, says Christophe Santoni, the CEO of LD Lines. For reasons of social or commercial, we retain the two pavilions. "In 2013, the ferry company expects to achieve a turnover of 276 million euros. It will employ 1160 people in total.