Roger Crueyze, Managing Director: “We had an excellent year in 2023, the Selo is solid and balanced”

La Chaldette, un joyau sur l'Aubrac. – Marina Besse

The general meeting of the Mixed Economy Society of Lozère (Selo) was held, this Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in the barn of the Parc des loups du Gévaudan, in the town of Saint-Léger-de-Peyre. Its general director reviewed all the key figures from the last financial year, and gave major directions for the years to come.

1. Turnover

For 2023, Selo's turnover amounts to exactly 9,970,396 euros. "This’is a good result for two reasons",rejoiced Roger Crueyze, the general director of the Société d’mixed economy of Lozère (Selo), during its general meeting, this Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in the barn of the Gévaudan wolf park, in Saint-Léger-de-Peyre. "First, we are finally exceeding the turnover of 2019, the last reference year before Covid-19, he continues . That year, it was 9 708 000 €. Second, we are perfectly within our budget."

67.5% of this total of 9 970 396 € comes from the tourist activities of the Selo: wolf and bison parks of Margeride, spa resorts of Chaldette and Bagnols-les-Bains, operation of outdoor resorts (Mas de la Barque, Mont Lozère and the Bouviers), holiday villages, Château de la Caze and restaurants. The remaining 32.5% comes from professional support and community support.

The Gévaudan wolf park, one of the jewels of the Selo. Free Midi – CELIAN GUIGNARD

A new Tourist Unit is planned for the Margeride bison, in order to continue to develop the site. Midi Libre – THIERRY LEVESQUE

Roger Crueyze announces the color for 2024: "We are ambitious. The idea is quite simply to increase our turnover by one million euros. It’s a great challenge and we will do everything to meet it."

2. Operating result

"The operating result stands at 776 043 €, announces the general director of Selo. It’s a great performance. We have a slight regression of 23,000 euros. The main expenses are: payroll, 3,855,670,euro; purchases, 2 658 362 € ; taxes, 451 025 €, of which 278 802 € corporate taxes."

Roger Crueyze clarified these figures in front of an imposing audience:"La Selo is one of the main employers in the department. We have 113 employees, with an average age of 37 years. Furthermore, it is important to emphasize the 5,000 purchasing lines per year at Selo. We are an important player, in number and volume, for businesses. Without forgetting that we pay rubly on the nail. I can only congratulate our accounting department. We are obliged to respect public orders, but in 90% of cases, it is Lozère companies which are selected."

3. The financial result

The financial result of Selo is – 509 163 €. "This’is normal. We have the interest on loans, analyzes the former banker. We had taken out loans guaranteed by the State(PGE). We had taken for 2 425 000 € from five banks. We have 1 182 407 &euro left; to be repaid."

4. The result 2023

The result for 2023 is 744 502 €. "More than this figure, it’is the variation of +26.18 %, welcomes Roger Crueyze. It’s a personal satisfaction and for the teams. We had an excellent year in 2023."

5. The 2023 balance sheet

The liability balance sheet is 40 510 036 € : equity, 15 823 433 & euro; ; provisions, 1 046 884 € ; debts, 23 639 719 € (including 18,495,368 euros in the medium term). The active balance sheet is also 40 510 036 € : fixed assets, 24 241 990 €  ;; circulating assets, 16 268 046 (including 10 956 268 in cash). "We can say that the Selo is solid and balanced. She can look to the future with peace of mind."

6. Future investments

A course has been set until 2030. This provides for new investments, such as the creation of four new dens (immersion housing, Editor's note) among the wolves of Gévaudan, 14& nbsp;million euros for the four-season resorts or even 2.5 million euros for the thermal residence in Bagnols-les-Bains. Furthermore, on the recommendation of the prefect, a new tourist unit (UTN) should be created for the bison of Margeride, in order to allow urbanization of this site concerned by the Mountain law.

Significant investments are still planned at the spa resort of Bagnols-les-Bains.

Partnerships with the CSEs of France Télévisions and RATP

The Selo marketing department has been strengthened. Its objective: to bring more and more people to Lozère and to the establishments managed by the department's mixed economy company. The social and economic committees of companies (CSE) were, for example, targeted. "There are 36 000 CSEs in France, which represents 11 000 000 people, details Roger Crueyze, the general director of Selo. We had 22 partnerships in 2023. Now, we have 67 and prestigious ones, like France Télévisions or RATP."

7. Zoom on accommodation

The desire of the Selo board of directors is always to support housing in Lozère, while the department has 32% second homes and 10% of unoccupied housing. The 152 municipalities of the department were contacted. Twenty-three expressed their interest. A favorable opinion was given for six projects, such as in Rimeize and Saint-Germain-du-Teil which hope for the construction of housing estates. However, construction costs and bank rates have skyrocketed in recent years. "The economic balance of all projects is called into question. We will only be able to achieve this if we have balanced financial support, warns Roger Crueyze.

To do this, Philippe Castanet, prefect of Lozère, was asked. The latter, present during the general meeting of the Selo, responded to the general director without failing to scratch another actor in housing policy: "I hope that we will take care of the accommodation. I will see how the State can support it. It’s not as simple as tourism, for which there are dedicated funds. However, I do not forget that the Region has a housing policy. I hope that she will not only publish articles in the press but that she will also come around the table. I am aware that in Lozère, the help of the State is decisive, but I would like there to be several of us."

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