“Aveyron businesses are more resilient than elsewhere”: Aveyron takes a leap in creation

Nicolas Benissian, directeur départemental de la Banque de France, aux côtés de Dominique Costes, président de la CCI. Centre Presse – M. ROUALDES

In this first quarter of the year, the departmental director of the Banque de France, Nicolas Benissian, and the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dominique Costes, took stock of the economic situation in department. And we learn that Aveyron entrepreneurs demonstrate "resilience" in a situation that is far from favorable between inflation and the explosion in energy prices.

1 The creative boom

Aveyron has never seen so many business creations in recent years. There were 1,639 of them registered in the business register last year, when there were only 727 five years ago or even 1,432 in 2022… The status of microentrepreneur is of course not unrelated to this. But not only. Because sectors are booming, like renewable energies and photovoltaics in particular. He is not the only one: we can note, for example, a strong development of online commerce, following a health crisis where households have gotten into the habit of ordering online.   

Several delivery companies have also emerged in recent months in the department. "There is also a phenomenon that we did not know about before: that of the sale of automobiles online", explains Dominique Costes, president of the CCI.

2 Low increase in salaried workforce

This is also a new situation to take into account. Yes, Aveyron has never had so many companies. But employment is progressing slowly… In comparison with 2018, the department only has 2% more employees: 47,783 compared to 46,885. Compared to the 42% increase in the number of companies, this is little…
But this can be explained by the nature of these. One of the striking examples is certainly the real estate sector where now, ever more numerous agencies work with independent, non-salaried sales agents. We could also mention seasonal rentals, such as Airbnb, where owners now register with the trade and companies register…

The industry, which has employed the most people in the department for many years (18,605 employees in 2023), has seen its workforce decrease by 2% in five years, due in particular to the crisis at the Bosch factory – "the employees are bouncing back very well, it should be noted!", emphasizes Dominique Costes –, or the closure of the Société Aveyronnaise de Métallurgie (Sam) in Viviez. The foundry employed 333 people.

3 Which sectors are suffering ?

Nicolas Benissian, director of the Banque de France in Aveyron since 2023, like Dominique Costes, president of the CCI, assures him: "Aveyron companies are more resilient than ever before. elsewhere, they are doing better in the current situation".  Why ? "Because they are managed like a good family man and suffer less from unbridled competition than in big cities and elsewhere… Few companies come to canvass here and get the prices ", respond the two men.

Who do not hide the fact that certain sectors are not immune to the inflationary crisis, just like that of the increase in energy costs. Bakeries, the food industry in general and industry are also particularly affected by these exploding bills.

A crisis unit in Aveyron

"It is always easier to climb the steps of the ICC than those of a court…" For all the companies in the department in difficulty, Dominique Costes, president of the chamber of commerce and industry based in Rodez, recalled that his institution was one of the few in the ;rsquo;hexagon to have a crisis unit with a person specially assigned to the files. And the president assures him: "There are solutions!"

But other sectors are suffering even more. Particularly in the most rural areas where liquidations are most numerous today. Most affected sector: the so-called CHR sector (cafes, hotels and restaurants). The president of Umih, the main union in the sector, Michel Santos, had also sounded the alarm several times when Covid-19 emerged. And the figures now prove him right: among companies recognized as being in difficulty for several months, CHRs represent 25% alone!

We are also seeing a drop in the number of so-called local businesses. Perhaps more surprisingly, DIY or even home equipment is in decline after its strong breakthrough during the health crisis. "People are taking advantage of the technology again ;outside certainly", smiles Dominique Costes. Proof of this is that in recent days, the Maisons du monde brand announced an action plan to recover declining sales for the second year in a row. Including the reduction of its store network…
 

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