“Craftsmanship is a useful purchase”: the president of the Gard Chamber of Trades and Crafts is confident for 2025

Xavier Perret, président de la Chambre de métiers et de l’artisanat, d’un optimisme prudent. Midi Libre – MIKAËL ANISSET

Xavier Perret, président de la Chambre de métiers et de l’artisanat du Gard, constate une légère hausse des défaillances mais évoque aussi l’attrait pour les artisans.

This start to the year is expected to be gloomy in economic terms. What is your assessment as president of the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Gard ?

There are many food trades, craftsmen who work a lot with the end-of-year holidays. In general, it has worked well for them. But we feel that household consumption is marking time a little. If a craftsman sees his turnover drop by 5 to 10% in Gard, it is his salary that is at stake! The concern is there in Gard with this question: what will happen now ? The months of January and February are not the months when we consume the most.

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Entrepreneurs indicate that they are living on their reserves, on orders already taken. Do you share this more encouraging observation? ?

Yes, of course, we have a little more reserves. Orders are starting to decrease. We live very little from public orders, except for the building industry which is experiencing a disaster. Households prefer to save. We must tell ourselves that for crafts, we are still on useful purchases that go directly into the craftsman's pocket.

For the local economy, what speech are you giving at the beginning of this year, the one that wants to avoid any catastrophism? ?

We are always in action. We must remember the lesson: there are many things that we do not control with international wars, credit rates, etc. I tell artisans that 80% of their turnover is theirs. It is their choice, their ability to bring in customers, to be nice. It is up to us to support them, to help them if they need it or through forums, meetings, information and training throughout the year.

Are you going to set up support systems for artisans in 2025, a sort of crisis unit if the situation deteriorates?

We work every day whether the economic situation is bad or not. […] We work a lot on the substance, on the long term, from training to the transfer of businesses. For example, we have noticed that retirements very often involve the sale of the business. Which is increasingly complicated.

A craft business to take over can often be a good deal. Temporary help would be considered a sticking plaster on a wooden leg. […] Setting up a crisis unit ? It is useful in the event of a major disaster, but I think it is more of a PR stunt.

Have you noticed any business failures in recent weeks that need to be addressed? ?

We have seen a slight increase in failures, particularly in the construction industry, because we see that there are still companies that are at the limit, have a major problem with unpaid bills. We are not yet in a major disaster. We knew this was going to happen, the problem is that it is coupled with political instability, the increase in rates, the post-Covid catch-up effect. Companies are repaying Covid aid contrary to what some elected officials say.

 

 

 

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