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Typically, large food stores do not take any major trade initiative earlier this year. They await the spring or early summer to launch new concepts. But this year, Carrefour pulled the end of February by launching "Free Promo" offers a permanent store to buy three products of the same radius (for each operation a new radius) and be reimbursed the least expensive of the three.

Sign of the times, promotion breaks the hut. The "promotional pressure, which measures consumer exposure prospectuses and offers on products, has never been higher. In ten years, the number of items sold in promotion almost doubled and the number of coupons has increased tenfold.On Google, "coupons" is one of the most frequent requests …

Steadily increasing the share of the turnover of retailers sold discounted up to 18%, according to IRI, a specialist market research. "The proof that the French are susceptible, and that the signs are not about to stop," says Yves Marin, founder of consulting firm Dashkoma. "The removal of a wave of prospectus may bring down the sales of a hypermarket 30%!" Says Alain Guinberteau, president of A3 Distrib, a company specializing in freelance prospectus.

The signs have no choice. Carrefour is participating with "Promo free" an escalation that led to the formation of a real bubble promotion.Under the Galland law, between 1997 and 2008, all food retailers have stepped up promotions to circumvent the prohibition of resale at a loss and restore purchasing power to clients. Result: a flood of offers increasingly sophisticated to become incomprehensible. "The bric-a-brac has created among consumers questioning the right price," said Elizabeth Exertier, Associate Director of Channel Marketing, another company of freelance.

"Offers free" cons "Guarantee promo"

For Carrefour, "Promo free" must mark a break and serve as a new "marker" for its price image, abused for several years on line pay day loans.Deployed on a large scale in its hypermarkets, but also in its supermarkets Carrefour Market stores and Carrefour and Carrefour City Contact, "Promo free" is also presented as a response to Leclerc, leading hypermarkets in France. The company is currently testing Brittany in 127 of its stores a new concept, "Guaranteed Coupon" which sifts through all the prospectuses of competitors in the areas concerned. Leclerc guarantees its customers a refund of the price differences between its products in-stock items and those coupon competitors. He will decide by summer whether it applies in all its stores.

"It's very clever, because Leclerc accredits the idea that promotional offers competing offer no interest," said Elizabeth Exertier. The system would also make savings on the prospectus. But Carrefour's response is also clever.The "Coupon free" outside the control that seeks to impose Leclerc "Warranty promo" because products sold on promotion are known at the time of checkout.

Vis-?-vis customers, distributors seek mainly to get easier. It is the stated objective of all signs and one of the reasons that also explain the rise of virtual prizes in recent years. Simply purchase several products to qualify for automatic discounts at the checkout.

The law of modernization of the economy has changed that. The arrival in 2000 of Long ticket, whose principle is to credit cards, customer loyalty when they checkout, is a page that retailers want to turn. The idea now is to ensure low prices permanent.Long hopes that his "promo Guarantee" has the same effect as "Ticket" it will have a concrete price image.

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Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux is president of Virgin Mobile and vice president of UNEDIC.

LE FIGARO .- Do you sell Virgin Mobile Free when preparing his arrival in the mobile phone?

Geoffroy Roux de B?zieux .- I have no plans to sell as we are growing, we will invest 20 million in strengthening our systems for longer battery life, we derive the first profit in five years' investments with a positive operating result and more than 400 million turnover this year. There will probably be in the coming years a recomposition of capital. I hold 5% and I can go up to 13.5%. Virgin Mobile could also go public. This would enable our two shareholders (Virgin and Carphone Warehouse) to go out and bring a new industry partner.

There is talk of a forthcoming project "revolutionary" at Virgin Mobile.What is it?

It is too early to say but it is a major initiative around the dissemination of audiovisual content on mobile. With the development of mobile Internet, network saturation is the challenge of tomorrow. We must find a solution for segmenting purposes.

How would you assess the work of Laurence Parisot, who is seeking a second term as head of MEDEF?

There were good things: the relaxation of relations with the social partners or the creation of conventional breach. But the crisis has caused a resurgence of government intervention. I'm not sure he has to decide everything from industrial sectors of future business to save or let go.Please do not recreate the Commissariat au Plan! In this context, we can not just repeat "we want less government" or "Companies need air …" The speech "all-deregulation" is no longer convincing: the state has an essential role oversee the finance, competition, trade relations … But it remains poor manager and poor tactician. It bosses to offer a vision of the role of civil society and social partners, and demonstrate that we can be a power-cons. Laurence Parisot has not expressed this vision so far. Now is a crucial time for three years coequality only yield ground in the training, the 1% housing, employment center …

Do you fear, as the UIMM (metal), that management is "threatened with extinction in the public debate and action?

Disappearance, no, inward-looking, yes.The crisis, combined with our internal problems, has revived tensions: between small and large businesses, services and industry, banks and SMEs, elected and permanent … There is a danger that everyone is more concerned with his personal lobbying of the interest. We hear too of discordant voices. Our concern must be the unit of employers for bad credit payday loans. I remain convinced that what unites us is stronger than what divides us.

So you introduce yourself to the presidency of Medef?

I decided not to run. First President of the MEDEF requires 3 or 4 days per week, which would not leave me enough time for Virgin Mobile. On the other hand, I chose the unit of employers and a strong MEDEF. In recent weeks I have met many entrepreneurs.Some urged me to go, and many others want a debate on the issues of employers without publicly display our divisions. For some wounds have not healed. I do not want to add to current tensions already high. This reasoning applies to me as for any other candidate.

You spend your turn to try your luck in 2013?

It is too early to say whether I will be a candidate! The bosses can be learned and I have time. I'll stay here by a contractor hired through my assignments with the MEDEF, keeping my freedom of speech.

You are the vice-president of employment center. What is your assessment of fusion ANPE-Assedic?

The whole has not experienced a major failure, especially in the payment of compensation. Given the timing of forced marches and the crisis that no one had imagined, this is not so bad.But the merger has cost hundreds of millions and has not improved the service to job seekers and businesses, except that they no longer have to go in 2 separate locations.

How better?

The social partners should consider simplifying the compensation grids. This would help counselors to be more versatile and to focus on supporting the job search. It was also wrong to want to put job seekers in boxes according to their status (retrenched and entrepreneur …) rather than according to their distance from employment. Although they were both dismissed from Continental, the tire factory worker who for 30 years requires more monitoring than the young computer specialist who find a job alone, via the Internet. Finally, geographical mobility is very low, when we know that in some employment areas unemployment is 5% and others 14%.We can do much more on aid to move.

Unedic fund she measures for the unemployed at the end of rights?

We will make a gesture if the state is one. But a reasonable gesture: we have an accumulated deficit of nearly 10 billion euros at end 2010. We managed to borrow 4 billion in the fall to an exceptional rate of 2.23% but the situation has changed and we will not have the same conditions this summer when we will raise about 2 billion.

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How far interest rates will climb Greek? They have reached record levels on Wednesday, the highest since the entry of Greece into the euro zone in 2001. By mid-afternoon, the yield (rate) of the obligation Greek 10 years was 7.096%, 6.976% against the previous day. They even reached 7.176% to 12.30.

Yields move away so the Greek benchmark, the German Bund, the gap between the two is widening to 400 bps (4 points). At the same time, the cost of insuring the debt of Greece, which evolves according to the rate, found levels of February, 400 points mid-afternoon, according to Markit surveys.

The weakening euro

Leaded by the Greek distrust of debt, the euro fell as well. Around 13:30 it was trading at 1.3346 to the dollar, after falling to 1.3326 dollars one hour earlier.Reached a floor more since the announcement of a plan of European aid for Greece, on March 26 last.

The markets react since Tuesday in part to a report released that day lending to Greek leaders intend to negotiate the terms of any financial assistance from the EU and IMF. Despite an immediate denial from the authorities of countries, markets have overreacted to information.

IMF teams arrived Wednesday morning in Athens to provide technical assistance to redress public finances. Their mission will last two weeks. The budget deficit, also revised upward, to reach 13% of the GDP against 12.7% of the initial estimate used as the basis for projections of the annual budget fast cash advance.But news of Greek economic, fiscal deficit for 2009 is revised upwards and could reach 13.5% or 14.3%, according to the newspaper Naftemboriki.

Economic forecast not reassuring

This renewed tension on the market does not bode well for the country that has yet to find 20 billion euros by the end of May to repay debt is estimated at 300 billion euros, or 113% of GDP. Macroeconomic statistics are not reassuring either. According to the European Commission, the economy needs to contract by 2.5% against 2% initially estimated.

Asian investors, including Chinese and Japanese funds, show little enthusiasm for the idea of buying Greek bonds. George Papaconstantinou, which announced its intention to borrow dollars, must travel to the United States after April 20 to find new potential buyers.

In this context, Greek banks, whose notes have been degraded in recent weeks and who face capital flight, have requested further financial assistance to the government. They want to benefit from funds remaining from the support plan, or about 17 billion euros, said the Greek finance ministry.

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The "battle" began. Michel Chassang, president of the Confederation of French Medical Unions (CSMF), announced Tuesday the launch Monday, April 12 a large protest movement throughout the tariff. "Enough is enough," he said. Doctors Liberals are fed to suffer the utter contempt for the government. "

The object of his scorn? The refusal by Roselyne Bachelot, Minister of Health, to implement the tariff adjustment in 2007 and decided that should have been implemented … in June 2008. "We need the signatures and commitments are respected," he insisted.This refusal to do so amounts to wipe their feet on their partners and to deny the value of the medical procedure and the physician's role in our health care system. "

The agreement signed just before the presidential election provided that doctors should reduce the amount in consideration of their prescriptions. An objective written ambiguously, that has not been reached and thus explains, among other things, the refusal of the Executive to reassess the rates.In retaliation, the CSMF calls on all private physicians to begin April 12 a "protest" to demand respect for their word.

Arbitration Rules April 20

All GPs are invited to price the consulting firm at 23 euros – unless the patient refuses to continue to be reimbursed on the basis of 22 euros – and the home visit at 33 euros No fax cash advances. All specialists must apply the "C2 consultant" (consultation at the request of the attending physician) to 46 euros and the doctors office and facility listed in the table guards should require the payment of fines.

The CSMF enters "window: Arbitration policy" to push his claims.This procedure, carried out by Bertrand Fragonard, the president of the High Council for the Future of Medicare, is to set the tariff applicable to physicians between the signing of two agreements. Its conclusions should be made public on April 20 instead of 12 as originally planned. "If we do not succeed, everything will be blocked for at least eighteen months," said Michel Chassang. For three years we expect. Commitments must be remaindered. "Pressure necessary for the arbitral settlement should not, he said, proposing the passage of consulting GPs at 23 euros.

The CSMF said it would take no tomorrow – the day when the Supreme Court must rule on the subject – in the strike launched by its competitor MG France to seek alignment of pricing on the generalist specialists ."Let us begin by asking to implement this agreement before considering the next," said Michel Chassang justified.

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Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the graphics.

Compared to one year in 2009 particularly salty on the front of local taxes, the slight increase looming for 2010 seems almost like a lull … "Elected officials have until April 15 to vote on 2010 budget, but many have anticipated the future. My first impression is of limited and moderate increases, "said Philip Lawrence, in right-wing chairman of the Finance Committee at the Association of Mayors of France. Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice, but Pau, Mulhouse, Toulon: many municipalities have opted in 2010 not to raise tax rates and residential property taxes. And the increases are reasonable in Albi (1.9%), Marseilles (2.9%) and Toulouse (4.2%), even if the increase goes wrong in the Pink City where opposition has denounced the absence of investment justifying rate increases.Exemplary, the city of Rodez is even lower than 1% of its tax home this year, but this case is extremely rare!

In terms of departments, which also accuse households, the situation is identical. The Gard and the Rhone, for example, have opted for stability. The increase was 1.8% in the Upper Rhine and Lower Rhine and 2% in the Cotes d'Armor. The general council of the Aisne himself has chosen to increase property taxes but to lower the tax. Finally, one region has raised interest rates: Alsace. It is true that the regional councils were encouraged to moderation, in this election year!

Play it safe and limit investment

The electoral cycle also explains the relative wisdom of Commons this year. The mayors have used their first full year term in 2009 to increase the tax pill, so you do not have to be taken thereafter for unpopular decisions.The rate freeze comes in Nice and after soaring 14.8% in 2009! "Faced with crisis, the municipal councils play caution and prefer to limit the investments. In Seals, for example, I do not remake the road, "says Philip Lawrence.

The behavior of the departments is more surprising since they are much affected by the surge in social spending. "But higher taxes do not tell us enough. The general advice is therefore resigned to cut spending in grants to associations for example, "says one to the Assembly of the departments of France (ADF).Or they choose to enter into division, as the President of the General Council of Seine-Saint-Denis, Claude Bartolone, who intends to vote on Thursday a budget deficit – which is illegal – in protest against the decline social benefits paid to his department by the State in the sum of 75 million euros.

Still, the picture is far from idyllic for the taxpayer. Firstly because even in places where rates are stable, their taxes will increase by 1.2%. Indeed, property taxes and housing paid by households are a multiple of a tax rate (passed by elected officials) with a base consisting of the rental value of housing. But this basis is adjusted this year by 1.2% nationwide. Then, all elected officials have not given up the hype tax. In Paris, the rates will still rise by 8%. Even punishment in Perpignan, where taxation was wise for nine years.In addition, there are finally some surprises Tax garbage collection, which jumped 20% incidence in the urban area of Marseille.

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The Japanese Nikkei chained record after record. On Tuesday too, the benchmark index of the Tokyo rises up from 0.44% at 11,294 points around 7 am 30 – and after a rise of 1.46%. A more up since 1 October 2008. The Nikkei is accelerating its progress towards the end of the session in a trantaine minutes, to 11,300 points, a bar he has taken in meeting the Nippon stock does seem determined to break away from the psychological barrier of 10,000 points, she did not retouched since December 4 last.

In Hong Kong, the markets continue in their euphoria: The Hang Seng climbed again on Tuesday to 1.4%, to 21,537 points. India's BSE Sensex 30 allows itself 0.94%, to 17,692 points.

Increases also softer

Lower increases are found elsewhere in the region, as Shanghai, where the CSI 300 is 0.34%, to 3403 points. Industrial activity is at its highest in six years.The growth rate could rise to 12% in the first quarter. These good figures show a rebound in domestic demand.

In addition, Chinese President Hu Jintao hoped his country and the U.S. economic relationship and trade ties "stable" and "healthy" during a conversation with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama bad credit payday advance.

In Sydney, where the S & P / ASX earns 0.66%, to 4907 points, or New Zealand, where the NZX 50 wins 0.25%, to 3276 points.

The night before, Wall Street has ended on a positive note, while U.S. markets will be closed this Friday.Fall day when the U.S. unemployment figures as expected by investors.

JAL: creditors require less international links

The main creditors of the first Japanese airline is currently in receivership, Japan Airlines (JAL, -0.67%, 3.72 yen), demand that it drastically reduced its international connections to continue to lend money , said Friday Nippon daily.

Crushed by debts of more than 2,000 billion yen (more than 15 billion euros), the former national airline filed for bankruptcy in late January and began a drastic recovery program under the auspices of a semi-public rescue companies in distress. Its aircraft are still flying but the company still loses money.

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