LThe economy is of interest. To realize this, it was enough to attend the economic breakfast organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Landes, in its Dacquoise branch, last Friday December 6. At least 150 entrepreneurs and decision-makers gathered to listen to the summary on the economic situation of the department at the end of 2024.
Wait-and-see approach, drop in investments, failures… the words spoken this morning have somewhat darkened the Landes sky. Explanations with the president of the CCI, François Lafitte.
Is the morale of Landes entrepreneurs good at the end of 2024?
When you are an entrepreneur, you have to invest. Investing is a bet on the future, but for that you need to have visibility. However, there are unknowns: the situation is undecided on the economic level, on the geopolitical level and I add that there is political uncertainty in France. This does not encourage the entrepreneur to take risks. This is why today we are witnessing a form of wait-and-see attitude.
What are the sectors in difficulty today in the department?
The metal construction and construction sectors are currently the most affected and there has been a fairly significant reduction in the number of building permits. The situation is also a little more critical for a certain number of restaurants or cafes.
And agribusiness? We know that this is one of the strong sectors for the Landes…
This is a sector where the difficulty lies in restoring profit margins. The turnover is not really deteriorating, it has even been maintained, but entrepreneurs in this sector are no longer really able to make a profit. Particularly because these are companies which have been very affected by the additional costs of energy, raw materials and even packaging.
In other regions, we have seen paper mills close their doors. Does the wood industry have solid backing in the department?
As for the paper and packaging activity, we observe a small dip but which corresponds more to a readjustment in relation to global activity. On the other hand, sawmills are more directly affected due in particular to the poor health of the automobile industry. Indeed, certain wood products are used for transporting parts.
Should we fear layoffs next year?
We observed a 20% increase in files received at the commercial court. These are files particularly for the catering and construction sectors. What is new compared to previous years is that these are no longer small businesses but medium-sized companies with sometimes 20 employees. Yes, there is a risk of seeing unemployment increase.
Can large companies in this department be affected?
They have their own funds but they are restructuring. This is the case for the Maïsadour group, for example, on their industrial tools and in particular the slaughterhouses.
Restructuring is another word for dismissal…
When we have two slaughterhouses and we decide to close one to concentrate more activities there, we reduce the number of employees, indeed.
There is also, and we must talk about it, some good news. What are they?
We have a very dynamic aeronautical activity in the Landes. We can talk about Safran in Tarnos, but also Potez, in Aire-sur-l’Adour, which is developing a lot abroad. The tourism sector is doing well overall, with a 2024 season a little below 2023 all the same: camping is doing well, while the hotel industry remains a sector that needs to find its bearings. Finally, we are seeing good dynamism in the health sector.
Do you want to talk about hydrotherapy?
Not only that. On hydrotherapy, we have not rediscovered the euphoria of the years before Covid, but we are starting on a positive note. Something else should be noted: we observe that there are new initiatives in the region, such as the start-up Ziwig Lab, which is developing saliva tests to detect endometriosis. This shows that the Landes are there. I also think that this sector could be an area of future development for the department.
How do you think the year 2025 will shape up?
First, we will have to regain political stability and decide on a certain number of issues, in particular on pension reform and taxes: companies will not be able to assume an inflation of levies to rebalance the accounts of the nation. At the same time, the municipal elections are approaching and will have an effect on the economy which will consist of a freezing of decisions. 2025 therefore risks being a sluggish year. Especially since the global economy is in a form of transition.
Which ?
We are moving from a globalized economy to a regionalized economy. It is a movement initiated by the Americans who are starting a standoff with China for global economic leadership. The Landais are in the middle of all this: there are large companies with an international reach (Egger, Ryam, DRT, Safran, Chemviron, etc.) in the region. We will be very concerned by this subject. They should not be underestimated.
