251 lines
8.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
251 lines
8.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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motoring
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europa
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7472592
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-----
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# Business in France: European opportunities for UK companies in Lille
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## Quick and inexpensive to reach, almost any UK company should find an
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opportunity for success in Lille. Paul Bray reports.
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![The SEAT Exeo][1]
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The SEAT Exeo: Driven to new heights
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1:50PM GMT 18 Mar 2010
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When the French politician Pierre Mauroy held both national and local office
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during the Eighties, his business card is said to have read "Mayor of Lille
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and Prime Minister of France" - in that order.
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![The belfry of the Lille Chamber of Commerce - UEFA Europa League - Seat
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Exeo][2]
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Trs belle: the beautiful belfry of the Lille Chamber of Commerce
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Tongue- in-cheek no doubt, but typical of the gritty independence and self-
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made spirit that characterise France's northernmost region and the city at its
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heart.
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Lille's football fans should have felt quite at home in Liverpool for their
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club's UEFA Europa League Round of 16 second-leg tie at Anfield - and not just
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because both cities are former European Capitals of Culture.
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Lille and its major satellites are twinned with Leeds, Bradford and Rochdale,
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and the city's history and mentality are similar to many in the north of
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England, even down to a preference for beer over wine.
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"What first drew me to Lille was the sense of family values and the unhurried
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pace of life," says Leicester-born Elliot Wordsworth, who has run a shoe
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design business in the city since 2003.
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## Related Articles
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* [Business opportunities in Madrid][3]
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12 May 2010
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* [Romania: A country that's fast off the Bloc][4]
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24 Feb 2010
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* [Business opportunities in Lisbon][5]
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08 Apr 2010
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* [Full speed ahead in Hamburg][6]
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29 Apr 2010
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"The welcome is very warm, it's very easy to meet people and the old part of
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Lille, with its Franco-Flemish architecture, is very beautiful."
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Lille has retained some of its traditional industries in both light and heavy
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engineering; Alstom and Bombardier still build trains in the area. But the
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textile factories and coalmining hinterland for which the region was once
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famed are gone, and a combination of local enterprise and state-sponsored
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initiatives have been obliged to fill the vacuum.
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Nimble-fingered former textile workers now act as pickers in the warehouses of
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online retailers and mail-order firms, taking advantage of Lille's custom-
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built distribution parks and its proximity to five different motorways.
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Research clusters have been formed, including the thriving Eurasante health
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cluster and a new centre for research into non-woven textiles. Major
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infrastructure developments are also planned for the region. The Canal Seine-
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Nord from Cambrai to Compiegne will connect the Paris basin with the waterways
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of the north (including Lille's river port on the Deule).
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The Louvre is opening a new museum and cultural centre in nearby Lens, and
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large-scale brownfield reclamation projects are getting under way.
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"There's such a spread of industries, services and developments in the region
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that almost any UK company should find opportunities here," says John Gleave,
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senior trade adviser at the British Consulate-General in Lille.
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"Historically, Britons have tended to overlook the Lille region and head for
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Paris or the south. But it's a good place to dip a toe into the French market
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and test the waters, partly because it's so quick and inexpensive to get to."
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The coming of Eurostar and the French high-speed rail network (TGV) gave a
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huge boost to business and tourism in the area.
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"With the one-hour time difference, I can leave Lille at 8am and be in London
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at 8.20," says Philip Jenkinson, chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce
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and Industry in Lille and managing partner of local legal practice Triplet.
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Lille is a major market in its own right. It is the centre of the third-
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largest conurbation in France, home to 1.2 million people, and houses the
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headquarters of a number of multinationals, from thermal underwear maker
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Damart and sportswear giant Decathlon to starch manufacturer Roquette and
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Bonduelle, Europe's largest vegetable canning and freezing operation.
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There is a significant UK presence in the region, with almost 200 firms
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including GlaxoSmithKline, Tate & Lyle, Portakabin and the Kingfisher-owned
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DIY chain Castorama all operating here. However, their staff are largely
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French and although Lille supports an English school and a thriving cricket
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club, the British population of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region is estimated at
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no more than 5,000.
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As in most Latin nations, the French like to build up personal relationships
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with trading partners over a period of time - a fact not always appreciated by
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UK firms, says Mr Gleave.
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And although younger people are increasingly able and willing to speak
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English, it makes sense to have your sales literature and website translated
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into good French.
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"You need to be more patient than in the UK or USA," adds Mr Jenkinson,
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"particularly when dealing with the authorities, because the system is still
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very bureaucratic. And despite government attempts to reduce them, standard
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payment terms are high: 90 days is still common."
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But it's a myth that the French are chauvinistic in their business dealings.
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"They pride themselves on being very good buyers, and they'll go where they
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can get the best quality at the best price, regardless of nationality," says
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Mr Gleave.
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"Any UK company that's serious about doing business here can be successful."
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**_The Seat Exeo - An affordable indulgence_**
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A great spread of industries, services and developments make Lille worth
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considering for forward-thinking UK businesses. The same desire to cover new
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ground lies behind the development of the stylish new SEAT Exeo.
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Offering exceptional styling and exhilarating performance across trim levels
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S, SE, Sport and SE Lux, the quality-build Exeo takes executive-class motoring
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in a thrilling new direction. SEAT has challenged every aspect of traditional
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car design, producing a saloon and an estate that are both handsomely fit for
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purpose - and with prices from £18,775, great value for money.
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A plethora of interior features make driving a pleasure. Standard equipment
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includes dual-zone climate control, integrated Bluetooth and cruise control.
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No wonder it has strong residual values (a robust 31 per cent for the Exeo SE
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2.0 TDI CR 143PS after 60,000 miles, according to CAP).
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Innovative advances in both petrol and diesel engines have produced a powerful
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yet highly efficient car. Diesel models, for example, give combined fuel
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economy of 51.4mpg. One of many reasons why the SEAT Exeo is firmly in the
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lead.
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**[The SEAT Exeo ][7]**
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**[SEAT Fleet and Business Sales][8] **
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**[The SEAT Exeo ST ][9]**
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[X][10] Share & bookmark
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][11]
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* Share: [Share][10] [ ][12] [ ][13]
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[Tweet][14]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/motoring/europa/7472592/Business-in-
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France-European-opportunities-for-UK-companies-in-Lille.html
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Telegraph
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## [Europa][15]
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* ### [Sponsored »][16]
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* ### [Motoring »][17]
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[X][10] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][11]
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Share:
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* [ ][10]
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* [ ][12]
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* [ ][13]
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* [Tweet][14]
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* ![SEAT autoemocion][18]
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[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01584/SEAT-
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Exeo_1584924c.jpg
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[2]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01599/Lille-Chamber-
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Comm_1599229f.jpg
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[3]: /sponsored/motoring/europa/7714654/Business-opportunities-in-
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Madrid.html
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[4]: /sponsored/motoring/europa/7306099/Business-in-Romania-a-country-
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thats-fast-off-the-Bloc.html
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[5]: /sponsored/motoring/europa/7566879/Business-in-Lisbon-opportunities-
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for-British-companies-in-Portugal.html
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[6]: /sponsored/motoring/europa/7651369/Hamburg-offers-so-much-for-British-
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business.html
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[7]: http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;222586669;46310051;f
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[8]: http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;222586672;46310053;b
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[9]: http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;222766003;46516938;j
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[10]: #
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[11]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-
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article-What-are-these.html
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[12]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
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this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
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the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
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as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/motoring/europa/7472592/Business-
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in-France-European-opportunities-for-UK-companies-in-Lille.html %0A%0AFor the
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best content online, visit www.telegraph.co.uk
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[13]: javascript:print()
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[14]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[15]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/motoring/europa/
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[16]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
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[17]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/motoring/
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[18]:
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01583/sponsor_SEAT_1583338a.jpg
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