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Otis to participate in its World Cup football 2014 in Brazil. The U.S. company will install in Rio escalators and elevators of the legendary Maracana stadium, refurbished for the occasion. Recently it has also equipped the Burj Dubai Khalifa, the world's highest. And he was chosen to implement its latest generation of products to the Empire State Building in New York.

This series of prestigious contracts is part of a long history for the brand created in the 1850s by Elisha Graves Otis, inventor of the elevator. Since then the company has been incorporated into United Technologies, which has other subsidiaries such as air conditioning specialists Carrier or aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney.

Otis remains the king of lifts, with 80% of appliances brand in major tours around the globe. What outdo his most serious challenger, the European Schindler, ThyssenKrupp and Kone. "We are the world leader with a market share of around 25%," says Peter Dejoux, president of Northern Europe and Africa at Otis.

Last year, the group continued to race ahead: its revenues ($ 12.4 billion, or 9.6 billion euros) was up 7%, while its profit before tax (2 , $ 8 billion, or 2.2 billion euros) rose by 9%.

400,000 new lifts in China every year

Yet the recent history of Otis is anything but smooth sailing. First, the group has changed its mind. Exit the French Didier Michaud-Daniel, income in the Hexagon head Veritas, the certification specialist. Since mid-February, it was the Spaniard Pedro Baranda is at the helm. In the aftermath, Peter Dejoux took over some of the functions of Bruno Grob, one of the great figures of the company, died suddenly in November 2011. A new management team, while the global landscape of elevators undergoing a profound transformation. "Growth is high (5 to 10%) in emerging countries like China, India and Brazil as the market is spread in France, posting a decline in Southern Europe", illustrates Dejoux Pierre. China, for example, has become the world's largest market for new lifts, with 400,000 units installed each year.

To meet demand, Otis adapt its industrial sites and multiplies in the new El Dorado. The group built an elevator factory in Chongqing, the metropolis of western China, its fourth in the Middle Kingdom. In India, it will triple the capacity of its plant in Bangalore. "We are implementing there partly because these countries are sensitive to what we produced on site, said Peter Dejoux. But, from our factories in China, we serve as the countries of Southeast Asia. "

Moreover, these markets booming, the group has bucked his offer. With Otis brand, it offers high-end products like the Gen2 elevator to consume 60% less energy. But he also established joint ventures with local companies to distribute products from entry level. In India, in Gujarat, it sells brand elevators Trio. Thailand, Indonesia and South Africa, it distributes the references of another elevator manufacturer, Sigma.

In mature markets, the focus is more on maintenance, which often represents nearly 70% of sales. Otis has launched a dozen countries in a service called Elite that can repair elevators and remote … to increase the annual subscription of 200 to 250 euros. Contracts of this type have been subscribed for 80,000 units, a total of 1.8 million elevators maintained by the group in the world.

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Since Friday, the plant Fralib is occupied by its employees. A situation that is denounced by the president of Unilever France, Bruno Witvoët. "This is unacceptable in a constitutional state, says in an interview in Paris-Today-in-France. Such a coup with hooded individuals armed with baseball bats and batons, it is not of union action, it's a commando! ". The boss of Unilever France claiming the expulsion "immediate and prompt action with law enforcement" employees, has also filed a complaint for "physical threats" from the police. "From fabrications," Olivier replied Leberquier, CGT union. According to the police of Aubagne, intervened at the scene, there would have been no collision.

"Holland must keep its promises"

"Closing a plant is always a very difficult decision, Bruno recognizes Witvoët. But in some cases – including tea bags – we have overcapacity. This is justified in stopping this site ". He said Unilever has taken responsibility in the case of employees of Fralib, accepting "to add additional resources for the revitalization of the local employment" as required by justice. "Funds for creating new jobs has increased from 1 to 1.5 million euros" and "each dismissed employee is entitled to an internal transfer, pay the same conditions, in one of six other plants in France , "he said.

This new twist, the 592nd day of the conflict comes as 80 of the 103 employees still struggle, of 182 initially received their letter of dismissal. At the same time, a moving company came to do a quote on the site, and management proposed the CGT to move out of its local business, or in organizing the escorted access, for reasons of safety concerns, dismantling machinery. A scenario rejected by the union, which wants to keep the tool working on site to implement an alternative plan of recovery of activity.

Given this situation, unions are demanding the intervention of Francois Hollande. During the presidential campaign, President-elect said: "Nothing is done, nothing is guaranteed and if victory comes, I will also be at your side, President of the French Republic, to get your site live, had he launched at a meeting of employees Fralib in Paris in February. "The company is now under the control of the CGT and the Netherlands should keep its promises. His election is a ray of hope, "says Olivier Leberquier. The standoff between employees Fralib and its direction is far from over.

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This is the latest idea to exonerate Blédina moms give their babies prepared foods. The subsidiary of Danone, France's leading infant nutrition market with 48.6% (against 23.4% for Nestle), will launch next month the first cooked dishes, compotes and other small pots sold in the fresh. Dubbed Blédina Day, this range of twenty-seven references (savory dishes, desserts …) is for toddlers from 4 to 12 months.

It took three years to Blédina and more than 10 million investment to develop these products, manufactured at its plant in Brive (Corrèze). Their launch, first in the large hypermarkets and Monoprix in Paris, will run until 2013. If successful, Europe is already in sight.

Fifty years after inventing the small glass jar, Blédina intends to revolutionize the consumption patterns. The company even provided dedicated refrigerators to hypermarkets, which will be placed in the middle of the radius baby. "We want to find moms who have moved away from these products because of the taste and rally those who have never been consumers with products that are as close as possible to the home-made," says Didier Lamblin, who took the Blédina reins last September. Approximately 30% of mothers are still reluctant to provide any dishes made with their babies and prefer them to concoct a homemade mashed potatoes. In total, more than half of the consumption of children aged 0 to 3 years which is made of non-specific products.

Revive the category

So, even if the French babies are the first consumers in the world of small pots and other dishes cooked (115 kg per year per child), tied with the English, partly because of prior trademarks and the number of active women, the growth potential remains high no fax pay day loan. This market, which weighs 1.2 billion euros (including 85% in supermarkets), has been stagnant for three years after experiencing an average growth of 6 to 7% from 2001 to 2008. He even saw its volumes fall by 3% over the last six months. "We have never experienced such a decline in this market," says Didier Lamblin, which reflects the constraints of purchasing power of French households. The purchase of small pots and other dishes (48% market share) has been most impacted by the economic environment than baby milk (52% market share), considered essential.

There was therefore urgent to revitalize the category. Especially as Nestlé, challenger in France, put the package last year to revive its brand NaturNes. Which enabled him to win a point of market share. "We are optimistic that growth will be as fresh to the radius of up to 25% of the category," said Didier Lamblin.

To convince moms, Blédina has chosen to focus on the naturalness, the culinary virtues and taste. On white background, packaging puts forward the product recipe and origin 100% French ingredients. Blédina also preferred product availability, crisis requires (from 1.69 euro to 3.70 euro reference).  

Another initiative at Danone, Gallia will launch its brand by the end of an economy size baby milk in the form of a bag-in-Box, for the most modest budgets.

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Benetton where history repeated scandals. There are a few more months, in November 2011, the Italian firm made history again by launching it's ad campaign "UnHate", featuring heads of state kissing.

Alessandro Benetton, son and heir to his wife in 2006 in Venice.

Relations already chilly between Canal + and the Competition Authority has further strained a little more. Without much surprise, the Sages of the Rue de l'Echelle decided to open a detailed examination phase of the acquisition of two free DTT channels Direct 8 Direct Star by Canal + with the Bolloré Group.

This decision follows a first round of talks between the policeman of the competition and Groupe Canal + on remedies for this operation. The concern of the competition authority is that Canal + uses its dominant position in the acquisition of broadcasting rights for pay-TV rights to negotiate jointly for future free channels. Clearly, the danger is that Canal + is negotiating with the U.S. studios' rights sets for both Canal + and Direct 8. Thus, the group led by Mr. Meheut could oust TF1, M6, or any other chain of the DTT market with the acquisition of rights. For example, the rights for pay-TV Desperate Housewives (produced by ABC) are owned by Canal + when those same rights for free TV are the M6. The competition authority wants to avoid in the future, that same series is broadcast on Canal + and then on Direct 8.

Second concern: the Canal + group has a film studio, Studio Canal +, which sells movies all free channels after a stint on Canal +. The competition watchdog wants to prevent the films from Studio Canal ending up systematically on Direct 8 over other competing channels cheap business cards.

These key points have been part of negotiations open between Canal + and the competition authority since 21 February. Canal + was proposed in late March, a series of commitments. But they were written so that these commitments do not seem to be very restrictive, was then analyzed the competition authority.

It must be said that the competition watchdog has been scalded by the attitude of Canal +. Five years after the acquisition of TPS by Canal + in 2006, The Competition Authority has, uncharacteristically, withdrew the repurchase authorization. the reason? Canal + has not fulfilled a number of the 57 commitments he then took. Including the fact of maintaining the quality of the channel TPS Star, premium channel distributed by all the competing platforms CanalSat.

Remedies imposed

Worse, even as the competition authority has opened new negotiations on the purchase of TPS, Canal + decided to close its chain altogether TPS Star. A decision that was very badly received by the Sages of the Rue de l'Echelle.

In deciding a thorough review of the acquisition of Direct 8 Direct and Star, the competition authority wants to put pressure on Canal +. Either it offers significant remedies or the competition authority to impose under the injunctive unilateral. Both parties have until July to agree.

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Since the U.S. Open in 2011, claims rumble among players. Endowments tournaments and especially to the calendar Grand Slam. To calm the discontent, the price of Roland Garros were revalued by 8.67%, while those in the first round losers go up by 20%, at a circuit where prices are 30% focused on the four best (Djokovic Nadal, Federer, Murray). Decryption.

LE FIGARO. – How did you arrive at this decision?

Gilbert Ysern. – The distribution of the wealth of tournaments, with a concentration on a small number of players has never been greater than today, is one of the peculiarities of our sport. Comparing such a discipline such as golf, which quite a lot like ours, we find that there is a greater disparity in prices. So we decided to upgrade the equipment of the players the first week. By comparison, in Indian Wells, the winner gets 130 times more than the 1st round loser. In Miami, it is 1 to 85. At Roland Garros in 2011, it was 1 to 80 and this year it will be 1 to just under 70.

Do you feel you were put in front of the players an ultimatum?

We are not in this logic. I went to Indian Wells meet the players, because it was the first time the top four were together and they have suggested. But it was not a meeting.

The strike threat was real?

No, there was no threat. We know that the idea of ​​putting pressure on the tournaments through a boycott threat has arisen in a number of players at the general meeting in Melbourne (in January) payday loans guaranteed no fax. And it could also be evoked by a handful of players at the next meeting in Miami (in March). This does not worry us, it is not the posture of players including Roger Federer, who is the Chairman of the players.

What are the exact players' claims?

Their concerns are twofold. Besides the question of the distribution of prices between them is that of the wealth generated by the Grand Slams, they believe, with 73% of revenue devoted to prices, not being quite to their advantage. The second case is more complex, because the reality of our economy is not what they believe. At the end of the year, there is nothing left in the coffers of the Federation because all resources are reinvested in tennis. It is important that players understand the ecosystem of the French model launched by Philippe Chatrier thirty years ago, which has developed alongside the Roland Garros tournament and play in the national territory, one feeding on the other.

Can we say that there will be no boycott of a Grand Slam tournament or Roland Garros or in 2012?

You can never say never, but it is my firm conviction.

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"We deliberately forced the line number 9 on our making it extremely low," warns immediately Métroz Thierry, head of the Citroen style. With only 1.27 m high and 4.94 m in length, it must be recognized that this concept car looks more like a shark of the road as a regular limousine. "This vehicle still contains all the genes of future DS," said Frederic Banzet, the brand manager for Chevron quick guaranteed personal loans.

The look of the number 9 is its first asset. Its large headlights stretched blending smoothly into a sculptural grille give it a personality that will not leave indifferent any motorist, whatever and wherever they are. This front is undoubtedly the first DS signature style.

The look of the number 9 is its first asset.

While the latest statistics show an automotive market at half mast and some European manufacturers are expressing their concerns, the cars bought in France have never reached such high prices. According to The Argus, which published his 2011 portrait of the average car in France, the average price reached 21,181 euros, against 19,767 eurosen 2010. An increase of 1,414 euros (+12%) in one year!

According to The Argus, this trend is explained by the end of the scrappage scheme. And the French did not hesitate to turn to larger cars. The average vehicle in 2011 in France measure 4.19 meters long, 1.76 wide and 1.54 high. It weighs 1266 pounds and consumes 5 liters of fuel per 100km to 126 grams per kilometer of CO2 released.

The luxury SUVs are popular

The Argus notes and a sharp decline in so-called urban cars (-26%). The family (10%), major roads (37%) and minivans (18%) have however taken advantage of this change in consumption pattern. The SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), including luxury, are also popular. And the price of the latter increased by an average of € 3660! Overall, the share of cars with less than 15,000 euros in sales in 2011 is 19%, from 15,000 to 25,000 euros, 45%, and more than 25,000 euros, 36%. In 2008 these shares were 24%, 46% and 29%.

The study of the Argus corroborates previously published figures by the Committee of French Automobile Manufacturers (CCFA) and published by Challenges. They reported a price increase of 15% compared to 2010. The average price of new vehicles, all brands, has reached 22,800 euros according to the CCFA. A rise in prices seen in all countries where a grant has been established to support the sector.

But if they are willing to spend more to buy a car, the French did not mean abandoning another means of transport, more environmentally friendly. He would have sold more than 3 million bikes in 2011. A figure up 5.5% over the previous year.

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