PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2010

REGIONAL MARKET REPORTS 11 PET planet insider Vol. 11 No. 09/10 www.petpla.net We travelled around France for 3 weeks, criss-crossing a large and beautiful land in the heart of Europe. We spoke to a large number of players in the market - large (most of them) and small, visiting numerous towns such as Nantes in the West, Le Havre in the North, Lyons, Lake Geneva, and of course Paris, the logistics centre of the country. We asked the machinery manufacturers, the converters, the fillers, the recyclers the same question: Why is the market for packaged drinks in decline? And then we asked: What are the conflicts that develop in a declining market? What are the consequences for today’s players? What strategies are there to ensure survival? How does the future look? Their replies form the basis of the reports in this and the following 2 or 3 issues of PETplanet Insider. The replies were extremely varied, very different and often coloured not only by the present business climate but also by the individual tem- perament of the people to whom we spoke. The “Facts and Figures” represent a short summary of the macro figures relating to the French market in general, the economy (see column on this page), the beverage business and the PET business (see below). They are particularly inter- esting when we compare them with France’s big European neighbours - Spain, Italy and Germany, which PETplanet has already covered in previous Regional Market Reports. Macro-economic data Population in millions France is the second biggest country in the EU. France 64.3 (Jan. 2009) Spain 45.0 (PETplanet 09/07) Italy 59.0 (PETplanet 05/08) Germany 82.0 (PETplanet 10/09) GNP per capita in Euros France enjoys a high standard of living. France € 30,326 (2008) Spain € 24,020 (2008) Italy € 26,332 (2008) Germany € 30,342 (2008) Economic growth in % Economic growth figures show the well-documented downward slide that has resulted from the economic and financial crisis, and the forecast improvement in 2010. 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 France +2.2 +1.9 +0.4 -2,2 +1.2% Spain +3.9 +3.6 +0.9 -3,7 -0.8% Italy +1.9 +1.5 -1.0 -4,7 +0.7% Germany +3.0 +2.5 +1.3 -5,0 +1.2% 2009 and 2010 are both forecasts. Foreign trade in billions of Euros France has a negative balance of trade France Export € 465.3 (2008) Import € 409.6 (2008) Balance minus € 55.7 (2008) Spain Balance: minus € 94.1 (2008) Italy Balance: minus € 11.5 (2008) Germany Balance: plus € 176.3 (2008) 3URGXFW 'HYHORSPHQW ] VOLGHV 70 &ORVXUH 0RXOG 7HFKQRORJ\ 7KH SDWHQWHG FORVXUH PRXOG WHFKQRORJ\ EUHDNV WKH VRXQG EDUULHUV RI FRQYHQWLRQDO F\FOH WLPHV DQG SXWV DV D PRGXODU V\VWHP QHZ VFDOHV LQ HDVH RI PDLQWHQDQFH DQG RSHUDWLRQ RI PRXOGV +LJK &DYLW\ 0RXOGV IRU WKH 3DFNDJLQJ ,QGXVWU\ )RU VLQJOH RU PXOWL FRPSRQHQW SDUWV 0RXOG 7HFKQRORJ\ 7HVW &HQWUH 3URGXFWLRQ 6XSSRUW ] PRXOGV D EUDQG RI ] ZHUN]HXJEDX JPEK &RPSHWHQW ± SURIHVVLRQDO ± LQVSLULQJ +RHFKVWHU 6WUDVVH ā 'RUQELUQ $XVWULD ā 7 ā ZZZ ] PRXOGV FRP Reg i ona l mar ke t repor t France part 2 Issue 10/2010