The Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) present in Rouen this Wednesday, January 13, 2021 the economic results of Norman companies. With a rather surprising figure: the number of business creations increased, in 2020: 35,297 new registrations, up 4% compared to 2019. “The crisis is an accelerator of life change, testifies Vincent Lodat, president of the CCI Rouen Métropole. Some wanted to create their business to have their activity, or they are executives who wanted to change their life, or even their place of life in Normandy. “
But this positive figure hides some disparities. The number of project leaders hosted by the CCIs, potentially large projects, is in free fall : there were only 4,745, down 43% over the year. The companies created are often micro-enterprises, sometimes with a single employee. “We stay on small structures, confirms Vincent Lodat. But we can create jobs with it. Every business starts with one, two or three employees. You have to create your business model. We can have very good surprises with the rise in capacity of TPE. “
Thanks to loans guaranteed by the State, corporate bankruptcies have, at least for the moment, been contained.
Digitize businesses
To avoid failures, companies are encouraged to go digital. “We are not ahead in France in this, details Michel Collin, president of the CCI in Caen. Some companies do not have the Internet … We have to move. We can help them create marketplaces, do click and collect, take a picture of an object to put it on a platform … With support, it works. There is a clothing store in Falaise which sold around 30 items in a month, the owner himself was surprised! And these are practices that will continue after the crisis … “
What du Brexi?
Another element to deal with: Brexit. The UK exits the European single market. “We will have to put oil in the cogs, details Vincent Lodat. There are 1,300 Norman companies exporting to England. We remain on watch on English and European regulations. We can have goods that will go through Dieppe rather than Calais, for fear of blockages, because the port is very busy. There is more flow than usual … ”
Daniel Dufeu chairs the West Normandy CCI: “We hear everything and its opposite on Brexit. You have to know how companies will react, will the administration be complex? I remain confident, we all have an interest in this being organized well.” He wants to be positive for the future : “The tool is not broken. Once the virus is regulated, everything will start again as before, and maybe even stronger!”
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