PETpla.net Insider 01+02 / 2011

REGIONAL MARKET REPORTS 8 PET planet insider Vol. 12 No. 01+02/11 www.petpla.net France The last but not least part of our Regional market report on France is dedicated to the interviews with Valérie Mure, General Man- ager Retal France, and Dominique Paul Vallée, Bericap France. Retal in St. Alban “The strategy is one of differentiation.” Valérie Mure, General Manager Retal France We met: Valérie Mure , General Manager Retal France For almost 10 years Retal, with its origins in Russia and the Ukraine (Uniplast), has been building its presence all over Europe, with PET resin production in Lithuania (Neo PET), and with preform plants in Bulgaria, Spain and France. Retal France is located in the centre of France, in St. Alban in the Rhône-Alpes – also conveniently located for the famous French waters such as Volvic, Evian and Badoit, as well as the neighbouring waters with the name of the town - Eaux Minérales St. Alban. Eddy Ferry from Husky, who accompanied us to St. Alban, and we were warmly welcomed by Valerie Mure, the General Manager. She is in charge of the French operation of Retal. She was born in St. Alban and grew up in St. Alban. Her father is the mayor of St. Alban since 20 years. She said, “Life is simple and straightforward here in St. Alban. We are very much attached to the history of the town, to its development. This is why I am here, why I joined the adventurous activity at Retal in 2003, as financial manager. I was appointed managing director myself last year, when Philip Blonda left.” Her background is financial. Her focus is financial. “Knowing your figures, you understand the company. You see everything. You can judge the actions and performance of each department and each individual.” And then she adds, charmingly, “But I don’t need to exert close control. I see us as a team. We are successful as only a team can be. We are good in quality, fast in reaction, good in service and close to our clients in terms of communication”. by Wolfgang von Schroeter (report Retal) and Alexander Büchler (report Bericap) Regional market reports France Part 5