Many construction companies are pushing the door of the commercial court at the moment. Illustration photo: Adobe Stock
The Bordeaux Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry unveils its latest economic barometer. If temporary difficulties are felt for certain sectors such as commerce or services, others are more seriously affected. This is the case for CHR and construction, many of whose companies are at the helm of the commercial court.
“Ambient gloom”. This is how to soberly summarize the Gironde economy in the first quarter of 2024 according to Patrick Seguin, president of the CCI Bordeaux Gironde. “The economic situation is rather disappointing, companies are facing problems with cash flow, order books and margins”, he continues. According to the latest CCIBG barometer, these three indicators have deteriorated by eight points. And in detail, several sectors of activity are concerned. The CHR (cafés-hotels-restaurants) first, which “mark time” after a second half of 2023 “rather positive”. Reason given: a sharp drop in attendance, but also recurring tensions on margins. Retailers, also affected by this drop in attendance, are seeing their turnover fall; just like the services. “The industry maintains its activity despite disappointing order books”unfolds the consular chamber, which ends with the case of construction, particularly affected by the real estate crisis, “with degraded margins and fewer construction sites”.
CHRs and the building in the red
Beyond these difficulties, which may be temporary for certain activities, it is above all their consequences which worry Patrick Seguin today. According to the president of the Bordeaux Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the number of cases handled by the department’s two commercial courts (Bordeaux and Libourne) is exploding. “Over the whole of 2023, we had 1,668 files. In the first three months of 2024 alone, we are at 745, an increase of 55% between the last two quarters. » And to alert: “The courts are starting to be overbooked here in Bordeaux, there are now additional sessions on Fridays. The judges are volunteers, we are reaching the limit and we are worried. »
How to explain this increase? By reimbursing unpaid debts to URSSAF or taxes in particular, as well as the maturities of State Guaranteed Loans (PGE). “Some managers had taken out EMPs saying to themselves, “we’ll never pay it back anyway”. All combined, added to inflation and the tightening of a number of areas explains the current situation”, analyzes Patrick Seguin. Unsurprisingly, the two sectors of activity most affected seem to be hospitality and construction. “There are more than 700 restaurants in Bordeaux. If we count 30 seats on average per establishment, that adds up to 21,000 people who would eat at the restaurant for lunch and dinner, sketches the President of the Consular Chamber. Are there too many restaurants in Bordeaux? » Despite this complicated context, Girondin leaders anticipate a more favorable second half, counting on the fall in inflation to see customers return and order books fill. “The improvement in the economic situation of companies should automatically lead to a reduction in cash pressures”, notes the CCI. Which specifies that business leaders, waiting on a wait-and-see basis, plan to invest less than in the first half of 2024, fearing “having to deal with even reduced margins”.
Departure from Ryanair: “whose act”
First recalling that the CCI Bordeaux Gironde is the second largest shareholder of the airport company, Patrick Seguin also returns to Ryanair’s recent announcement to close its base at Bordeaux-Mérignac airport, eliminating 90 local jobs. “This departure was not desired by the airport. Ryanair is a company that has somewhat unusual commercial practices, and we have been in conflict with them for six years. The company returned to the airport to find a compromise and get out of this situation, mediation took place and they reached an agreement which stopped the legal proceedings. Then, it was necessary to renegotiate the pricing conditions […], and as soon as the legal proceedings were closed, Ryanair, which had said “yes” on the commercial agreements, said “no”, arguing that it needed a substantial discount. What we learned is that they are accustomed to doing this in many airports. […]. We did not appreciate the job blackmail they did, Ryanair is leaving, which act. » And to emphasize that around forty airlines are already in the running to take over the low-cost company’s slots.
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