Posts Tagged ‘customers’

The Empire State Building to the extent of punters

April 17, 2011 - 11:56 am Comments Off

Malkin family, which controls the majestic Art Deco skyscraper overlooking Manhattan, plans an IPO for a new real estate company that will include the building of 106 floors. Everyone would theoretically invest in the tower of 381 meters climbed by King Kong film from 1933.

Still be there as Malkin cross some obstacles. In particular, obtain the consent of the heirs of the millionaire Leona Helmsley, their main partners, and about 3400 other co-investors. In the middle of New York real estate, we can already imagine the rat race. But Malkin has proven, since their takeover of the skyscraper five years ago after a bitter struggle with the eccentric billionaire Donald Trump, they had flair guaranteed payday loans.They restored the decorations of the Art Deco lobby, added a touch of green in the older building will reduce energy consumption by 40% and, especially, more than double the rent of offices, which remain among the most prestigious Manhattan.

At a time when the real estate sector rebounded in New York thanks to foreign clients, it might be a wise investment. Still, co-owner or not the Empire State Building, it will always pay $ 20 at the entrance to climb up.

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EDF for a price increase of 30%

March 24, 2011 - 4:44 am Comments Off

Rising energy prices could rise even faster. EDF, controlled nearly 85% by the State, public authorities have offered to pass on higher energy prices on the individual invoice. The increase in electricity prices would range between 5.1% and 6.5% per year until 2015, including inflation, reports Les Echos. At EDF said this morning it had not formally asked the government increased tariffs. On the government side, it also denies the information.

The Energy Minister, Eric Besson announced in effect a "slight increase" in electricity prices this summer. Before the National Assembly, he added that the government did not study "no significant increase" of these awards, underlining that "EDF did not transmit the request to increase rates corresponding to the ranges cited.He had said this morning: "In any event, a document emanating from EDF does not commit the Government." According to Eric Besson, "future pricing decisions will be made with a view to protecting the purchasing power of French people should continue to benefit from electricity 40% cheaper than the average of other European countries, thanks to the nuclear .

Increase between 28% and 37% in five years

The minister however said in February that the increase in electricity prices was "inevitable" in France to finance investments in nuclear power and renewable energy development. And this increase is expected to reach between 28% and 37% in five years, says Les Echos.

The increase in electricity prices depend on the price of Arenh (regulated access to nuclear power history).As part of the liberalization of Europe's electricity, law Nome, EDF is forced to sell up to 25% of its production of nuclear energy to its competitors prices Arenh no fax pay day loan. This rate has not been fixed and is continuing to debate. GDF Suez campaign for a level of 35 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), where the group chaired by Henri Proglio claims 42 euros in 2011 and steady increases to reach 46 euros in 2015. For now, the Regulatory Commission of Energy recommends a redemption price of 37.20 euros and the Champsaur report favors him a price of 39 euros.

Two scenarios

Eventually, the Nome Law provides that the cost of nuclear power in the rates converge to the price of Arenh 2015. But the cost of megawatt is estimated at 35 euros today.So to mitigate rising electricity prices on the invoice particular, EDF has scaffolded several scenarios, reports Les Echos. The electrician tricolor believes that the rise may reach 4.7% per year above inflation to 6.5% including inflation. However, if the government agrees to a modification of certain taxes, including the ability to finance renewable energy, the annual increase in rates could be limited to 3.3% above inflation to 5.1% with inflation.

At the debates on nuclear safety and the needs of investment in nuclear power seem to dominate after catastrophe Fukushima, appeals to higher energy prices could be heard. Still, the context is already loaded for the French who are with increases in fuel and gas.These potential increases could well fuel a new controversy and the fourteen months of a presidential election.

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The Paris Bourse is expected to remain in the green

March 22, 2011 - 10:48 am Comments Off

The CAC 40 should pouruivre its momentum on Tuesday. The benchmark index of the Paris Stock Exchange closed yesterday up 2.47%, exceeding the threshold of 3900 points. The mood on Wall Street Monday to beyond 12,000 points and Asian markets this morning should encourage him to continue on this path.

The increase was sustained by the hopes surrounding the nuclear plant in Fukushima. On site, the nuclear situation remains uncertain but appears to have stopped deteriorating. The operator of the plant, TEPCO announced that the work of rehabilitation of cooling systems had resumed Tuesday morning after being suspended the previous day following release of smoke.

Further intervention by the BoJ also came to reassure the markets. This last Tuesday, in 2000 has injected billions of yen (17 billion) more on the money market to support the Japanese economy.It has increased to 39,000 billion yen from the money released March 11. In this atmosphere a little calmer, operators go hunting for bargains.

The Libyan military action criticized

However, they keep an eye on the situation in Libya. The international coalition, headed by the United States, France and Great Britain continued its operations in the night of Monday to Tuesday. Critics, from Germany, Italy or Russia, rise against, however, the intensity of the bombing in the West.

This tension plays anyway back on oil prices. In morning trading, a barrel of light sweet crude for April delivery took 19 cents to 102.52 dollars. That of Brent North Sea crude for May delivery, however, yielded 15 cents to 114.81 dollars.

International news should be the main préocuppation markets, lack of macroeconomic indicators. Like yesterday, the only statistically expected will come from the United States with the publication of the index of house prices (15 hours).

As for currencies, the euro remains stable against the greenback at 1.4224 dollar.

Values ​​to follow

PSA Peugeot Citroën

The automaker announced Monday that the halt in production at one of its Japanese suppliers affected by the earthquake of March 11 would cause a decrease in its activity in diesel engines and probably induce measures layoffs.

Renault

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has launched an appeal Tuesday for vigilance against the "vicious allegations" against China for stealing technology from foreign companies after the country has been implicated in the espionage case in the French group Renault .

Latecoere; EADS

Based on information from Figaroce Tuesday, the Chinese Avic, Britain's GKN and the Dutch Stork Fokker-filed a complaint with a price estimate.EADS and Airbus are under pressure to attend a Franco-French solution.

Sanofi-Aventis

Merck and Sanofi Aventis announced Tuesday it had terminated the agreement in March 2010 through a joint venture in animal health, combining Merial Animal Health business of Sanofi, with Intervet / Schering-Plough animal health unit Merck.

Technip

The group announced Tuesday it had won with TAQA Bratan installation contract for the development of Falcon Field, located in the North Sea about 560 kilometers northeast of Aberdeen (Scotland), for a water depth of 160 meters.

EDF

Edison, controlled jointly by the French EDF and Italy's A2A Monday issued an annual profit weighed down by asset writedowns and said it would not pay a dividend for fiscal 2010.

BNP Paribas

The bank granted a bonus of 1.67 million euros to its chief executive Baudouin Prot at the financial year 2010.

SeLoger.com

The group announced Monday expect a double digit growth of its key financial indicators in 2011 thanks to record audience levels.

The French market for the hearing has yet to conquer

March 18, 2011 - 9:48 pm Comments Off

The arrival of Alain Afflelou on the French market for hearing aids confirms a recent diversification of industry players, after opening in 2009 by the Leclerc group's first store Audition E. Leclerc. Today the market is still very fragmented, with nearly 1,351 independent hearing aid on the 3395 French centers. Nevertheless, the concentration is on, with specialized groups that develop their own network, often a sudden external growth accelerated. Among the most important, French Audika represents 11, 9% of centers (406), followed closely by Italian Amplifon (9.4%, or 321 centers). Following mutual centers with 291 retail outlets, and signs cooperatives (Hearing Health Hearing, Audio 2000 …) with 1026 centers.Finally, beyond the general logistics, opticians that are Grand Hearing, Optical Center and more recently Alain Afflelou want to focus on issues of health carriers.

Audika is by far the best known

The group is best known in France Audika, created by brothers Tonnard the mid-1970s. Its leaders have relied on such marketing campaigns are very active. With Robert Hossein, ambassador of retail chain for 10 years, Audika has also greatly increased his reputation among those 60 years and over, bringing to 71%, far ahead of his Italian counterpart Amplifon which is just over 26% on the same population category.The group spends an average of 7% of its annual turnover in the development and improvement of marketing materials (national advertising on radio and on TV, online marketing, offering testing, direct marketing, event image …)

Sector auditing is carried by positive trends in France and in most European countries, the first of them being an aging population fast payday loan no faxing. However, unlike other types of device (glasses …), it is much more sensitive to economic conditions, as many less well-reimbursed by social security. For example, a device for both ears costs on average 3,200 euros, and will be reimbursed only up to about 10%. What a wait encourage seniors and hard of hearing in the context of economic crisis.Audika has also regularly highlighted as a factor in the slowdown in growth over the last three years. The group next week will detail the accounts of the past year, but already announced a withdrawal of its sales from 0.8% to 105.7 million euros (-4.4% at constant number of centers.

Elsewhere in Europe, demographic trends are also sector growth, while the rate remains the highest gear that the Danes, with about 50% deaf. In Italy there is now barely 1,500 hearing correction centers, almost cons 4000 in France, for a population of just below 6%. This facilitates beyond redemption centers Alpine also many independent, accelerating the creation of outlets.

Technological advances needed

Match or remains taboo, especially for younger seniors (age 50), which is still a psychological brake to purchase, in a context where power is often equated with disability. Hence the importance for these groups, as well as their manufacturers, to work on the miniaturization of devices and discretion in order to rejuvenate the heart of their target clients to the fifties, and bet on a rate of equipment in France still low, with only 17% of the 6 million hearing impaired equipped in France.

Japan's economy paralyzed after the quake

March 11, 2011 - 1:16 pm Comments Off

The most powerful earthquake which claimed the North-eastern Japan early this morning has an impact on the Japanese economy. Before long, the Nikkei has literally collapsed, the yen has fallen and the country is, for now paralyzed.

In fact, air transport and railways have stopped Friday in much of Japan. Traffic was stopped in the major airport of the archipelago, at Narita, in the Tokyo area, where services were checking the status of airport runways. Shinkansen express trains were immediately arrested throughout the northeast of the archipelago, and highways in the Tokyo area closed a few minutes after the earthquake.

Similarly, the markets, the response is immediate. The Japanese currency fell against all the eight major currencies.The Japanese currency is thus dropped to a low of two weeks against the dollar at 83.30 yen to the dollar and 114.98 yen per euro after issuing a first warning to the tsunami.

The index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nikkei 225, has accelerated its losses late in the session. The benchmark index of the place of Japan and ended lower by 1.72%

It must be said that the disaster – which worsens progressively transmitted information has been particularly violent. The quake had a magnitude of 8.8 at 6:46. A scale rarely observed. Waves of 4.2 meters swept the Pacific Coast. Japanese TV shows and soon after the earthquake has made "many injured".

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The winners of the underhand dealings of the State of the Court of Auditors

February 18, 2011 - 7:24 am Comments Off

Poorly controlled spending, revenue uncertain. In its annual report published on Thursday, the Court of Auditors shall, as usual, a finding on the strict management of public finances. This observation leads to doubt that France would bring its public deficit to 3% of GDP in 2013. "We believe that the target of 6% of GDP in 2011 is achievable, but we are more interrogative beyond 2011," said Didier Migaud Thursday, the first president of the Court. In fact, this year's deficit reduction will come mainly from the end of exceptional measures (stimulus plan, reform of business tax). This boost disappearing in subsequent years, it will have to rely on structural measures to redress public finances.And more so, according to the Court, "economic growth could be less" to the 2% retained by Bercy.

However, until now, France has not been rigorous. Expenditure side, the objective enshrined in planning law has never been respected Multi (1.4% increase in 2010 instead of 1% predicted). And as for obeying the Roadmap 2011, "should make an effort to save $ 13 billion, the savings identified by the Court amounts to only about $ 5 billion," said Didier Migaud. The years 2012 and 2013 are not better documented. Hold the involve expense to conduct reforms "much more ambitious than those already announced," concludes the report. Example of payroll for the State.To stabilize it, should, according to the Court, freeze until 2013 the index point officers (one of the essential elements of their remuneration) and capping premiums categorical. Now the government has simply freeze the index points in 2011 …

On the revenue side, the Court is concerned that two reforms of 2009-that of business tax and the VAT reduced food-do lose respectively 4 low interest rate personal loans.7 and 3.1 billion in government revenue annually. Remains that in 2011 this trend is reversed. The tax burden will increase by $ 10 billion, thanks to cuts on the niches. But it recommended to go further, reducing the total tax and social niches 20 billion per year. It must be said that there is urgency. According to the report, the only cost of up tax shelters has increased by 43% from 2004 to 2009, reaching 72.9 billion.One-third of state tax revenue! And this without counting the 75 billion sites that have been deleted from the official list … In the annual report, the Court condemns once more the earned income tax, which costs over $ 4 billion, "does not incentive effect of re-employment "and overlaps with the RSA activity.

Faced with all these excesses, Didier Migaud said on Thursday that "a revision of the Constitution may be useful." A strong statement from the former socialist president of the Finance Committee in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, he reiterated that the action of the Court was bearing fruit. Thus he noted improvements in personnel management of air navigation, singled out last year. While the situation of the port of Marseille or the computer system of State Chorus has not progressed.But overall, according to the Court, 71% of recommendations have led to a reform in 2010.

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Microsoft and Google trap accused of plagiarism

February 2, 2011 - 3:24 pm Comments Off

Google settles accounts with Microsoft in public. In a blog published on the night, the number one Internet search accuses his rival of copying the results it provides Internet site Bing. "Some results from Bing resemble more and more to an incomplete version, hackneyed from those offered by Google – a cheap imitation," says one of the engineers of the division of research on the internet, Amit Singhal.

The story takes the spy novel. It began last summer, says Google, where its engineers find that gives the same first search result on a misspelled word: "torsorophy" instead of "tarsorrhaphy (Tarsorrhaphy, an ophthalmic surgery)."Bing began offering our first search result without specifying the spelling [...] It was very strange," writes Amit Singhal.

A real trap is then assembled by teams of Google, who voluntarily associate a hundred keywords devoid of any meaning ("hiybbprqag", "delhipublicschool40 chdjob" or "juegosdeben1ogrande") with Internet pages containing any of these words. Normally, other search engines, which Bing would never have offered results for these keywords invented payday loans. But after some time, Bing began to display exactly the same as those of Google.

Observes the Microsoft Internet Explorer users

Why? Google advance an explanation.Microsoft to attract into his trap, he told twenty of his engineers laptops running Windows with Internet Explorer, and gave them the task of entering the keywords Google invented and click on the rigged results. According to Amit Singhal, the similarity of the results shows that Microsoft observes user navigation on Internet Explorer to copy Google's ranking in Bing. "We hope that this practice cease," he quips.

Taken to task publicly, Microsoft has admitted to using information obtained through Internet Explorer, with the consent of its users. What he had never hidden the rest, says Business Insider. But according to an official of Bing, Harry Shum, these data represent only a "small part" of information that takes into account in determining its ranking."We use more than 1000 different signals and features in our algorithm," said the Microsoft executive.

SNCF: the "wake strikes" law but "shocking"

January 10, 2011 - 2:04 am Comments Off

"There were mistakes, and as CEO of the station, I assume," hammered on Sunday Guillaume Pepy, coming this Sunday on the train Strasbourg case-Port-Bou. On the night of December 26 to 27, a cascade of events had caused a delay of 13 hours for 600 passengers on board. A fiasco explained in the internal investigation report by the planning of drivers, weather and strikes called "wake up". This is the notice filed for the evenings of 24 and 31 December which, under various pretexts, are in reality only one objective: to allow agents scheduled to work night party to stay home.

The chairman of SNCF has admitted that a strike of this kind, around the Christmas day in Dijon, was a factor in the incredible "galley" of passengers of the Strasbourg-Port-Bou. "These strikes are then triggered mainly by SUD-rail for many years.They are constitutional. To be legal, they are nonetheless extremely shocking. Their goal is to disrupt the public service when the French are most needed, "commented the president of SNCF, criticizing a" moral vacuum ". Refusing to designate a "scapegoat," Guillaume Pepy has ensured that there was "human error" but no "individual fault deserving punishment." He also emphasized that the vast majority of railway workers had "worked a snowy during the episode" and that some had even returned to work for themselves while they were on leave.

"Emergency Plan"

Chairman of the SNCF, Guillaume Pepy, has announced an "emergency plan" for 12 lines "sick" of the station, as the Paris-Amiens and Paris-Tours or the RER line A."On each line, we will set up a barometer of public satisfaction, which will be measured each month," he said. Asked about the cost of such a plan, Guillaume Pepy said the bill would amount to "several tens of million euros", drawn from the "benefits" of the group are wholly reinvested. Car, confirmed the pattern of the public company, the SNCF has been a recipient last year, despite "a few hundred million euros" for losses in the transport of goods. Its turnover rose by 4%. In 2009, the station had lost almost a billion.

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Fimalac wants afford Accor Casinos

January 8, 2011 - 11:32 am Comments Off

Accor, which still holds 49% stake in Lucien Barriere, the casino operator's IPO which had failed in early October, is about to sell all of this participation which he wishes to separate for several months. The acquirer would, according to information from Wansquare, the financial services group Fimalac, also parent company of Fitch Ratings.

Even if the purchase price is modest for Accor, "is clearly positive in terms of perception management," said one trader in Paris. Indeed, the record Lucien Barriere had suffered a setback three months ago, when Accor had canceled its debut on the Paris Stock Exchange the day before the expected date of listing. The shares were offered for sale at a price between EUR 16.10 and EUR 19.60.

Following this failure, due to a lack of investor appetite for the operation casinotier them are not popular-Accor maintained that all options were "reopened", including finding investors. However, management prefers Barrier IPO (IPO). This could suggest a new attempt in 2011.

For Accor, it is always about to emerge from such participation "nonstrategic" which enters its extensive program of asset disposals.

Accor should be applauded

For now, neither Fimalac or Accor, nor Lucien Barriere commented on that information. The press recently evoked potential buyers as CVC Capital or by a fund of Goldman Sachs payday loans with no fax.

"Lucien Barrière is valued between 500 and 700 million euros," Gilles Pelisson had estimated in early 2010, when he was still president of Accor.Retaining only 49% of Accor's participation would amount to around 300 million euros. "If the sale price is between 280 million and 300 million euros, the market should still applaud this agreement," commented one Paris trader Friday.

In the 2009/2010 financial year ended September 30, Fimalac has reported a net profit of 30 million euros (+36.4%) for a turnover of 608.9 million euros ( +8.8%).

The group recently acquired the company Vega, French leader operating rooms dedicated to entertainment, sports and events and economic events. The company has notably orchestrated the return of Michel Polnareff in 2007 and is particularly associated with the operation of the Zenith of Rouen. He also holds 40% of Gilbert Coullier Productions, the leading French organization of shows for singers and comedians speaking.

Nothing works for casinos

The casino market has suffered tremendously, both from an economic crisis that has sealed the "entertainment budget" of the French and regulations become more stringent over time.

Fillon Moscow, eleven trade agreements

December 9, 2010 - 2:56 pm Comments Off

Our correspondent in Moscow

As usual, during an official visit to Russia is a harvest of contracts that will accompany the tour, which began Wednesday in Moscow, François Fillon. Alongside his host, Vladimir Putin, with whom he will hold a joint seminar of government, the Prime Minister sponsoring the signing of eleven trade agreements. They "illustrate the changing dynamics of our economic ties, welcomed Francois Fillon, in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta government daily. European charts in the "friends of Moscow," France is in second place behind Italy.

In the basket of agreements, Alstom, which should garner itself a dozen signatures, will carve out the lion's share.The French allied especially with RusHydro, leader of hydropower to increase 20% production capacity of plants situated on the Kuban River in the south west of the country. Sagem is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the meters with the Russian Energy Agency.

Capital flight

Suez will be responsible for the infrastructure of a water treatment plant, north-east of Moscow. Veb associated with the bank, financial arm of the Kremlin, the BNP will offer funding opportunities for the construction, Sochi and Rostov-on-Don (Southern), two waste treatment plants Degremont. With the conglomerate Rosoboronexport, Safran and Sagem create joint venture in the field of navigation systems for aviation and marine customers.More unusual, the public company Ouralvagonzavod (rail) should formalize its takeover of the French foundry Sambre et Meuse, a northerner PMI of 180 employees.

Like L'Oreal and Renault, the large French companies welcome the growth prospects offered by the Russian market. However, these examples do not reflect the mood – gloomy – qu'entretiennent recent months foreign investors with regard to Russia. From January to October 2010, the equivalent of 21 billion dollars of capital have left the country, according to the chairman of the Central Bank, Sergei Ignatiev, a move initiated by "non-financial organizations have increased their foreign assets."

In a recent note, Alfa Bank has questioned the ability of Russia to find the outlandish growth rates before the crisis, citing the number of disabilities, access to infrastructure costs six to eight times higher elsewhere, the aging population, low productivity growth and the persistence of high interest rates.