Dear Members & Friends,

We hope you are well. 

March has been an significant month for UK-France business relations. The president of your Chamber had the honour to be invited by the President of the French République, Monsieur Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to a roundtable, which brought together key investors from both sides of the Channel in important sectors for the future of both countries. Both governments committed to work in collaboration on energy security, industrial decarbonisation, clean technology and the broader transition to net zero. 

This year will also be marked by our 150th Anniversary Celebration, if you would like to know more or doing public relations and being a partner, please call us at +33 01 53 30 81 32

We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you at our next events.

Kind regards,

Catherine Le Yaouanc
General Manager

BECOME A PRIVILEGED PARTNER OF OUR 150th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION !

This year will be an opportunity to bring together all our members and partners around several events, including our traditional Summer Garden Party which will be held on 29 June at the Residence and under the patronage of Dame Menna Rawlings, Her Majesty's Ambassador to France.

Knowing the importance of your activities and investments between France and the UK, we would be delighted to associate you with the various events that will mark the Chamber's anniversary throughout the year.  

Feel free to contact jerome.testut@francobritishchamber.com to know more about our different levels of partnership!

WELCOME TO JEROME TESTUT,
New Head of Communications, Marketing and Partnerships

On 1st March, we were delighted to welcome our new new Head of Communications, Marketing and Partnerships, Jérôme Testut.

Jerome started his career at Paris EUROPLACE, where he was in charge of promoting the Paris financial market internationally (North America, Asia, Middle East). He then spent almost 10 years in Los Angeles, USA, where he participated in the development of the image and reputation of two French scale-ups on the American continent. Back in Europe, Jérôme is delighted to join the Chamber and to contribute to the development of Franco-British business relations.

Welcome on Board !

ECONOMY TO SHRINK IN 2023 BEFORE REBOUNDING

According to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) forecasts, the economy will not return to its pre-pandemic size until the final quarter of 2024.

The rate of UK inflation is expected to continue slowing throughout 2023, hitting 5% by Q4.

The economy will shrink in 2023, by much less than previously expected, but the recovery will remain weak with predicted growth for 2024 revised down.  

SPRING BUDGET PRESENTED BY
THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, JEREMY HUNT

Spring Budget addresses the economic priorities that the Prime Minister announced earlier this year, namely halving inflation, growing the economy and reducing public debt.

INFLATION INCREASE PUTS FIRMS UNDER SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE

Responding to the latest ONS inflation data, David Bharier, Head of Research at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 

“An unexpected rise in the CPI rate to 10.4% indicates that the UK economy is still in the midst of a stubborn peak. The main drivers of inflation – restaurants and hotels, food, and clothing – confirm the pressure we see on the hospitality and retail sectors. The longer this goes on, the greater the impact on businesses and consumers as much higher prices become the norm."

ADOPTION OF WINDSOR FRAMEWORK

Responding to news of the ratification of the Windsor Framework, William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

“The joint EU and UK decision to give formal effect to the Windsor Agreement is another important step in improving trading conditions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“For the BCC, the priority is now making sure the new customs and paperwork arrangements, plus the trusted trader schemes, work smoothly for businesses either side of the Irish Sea."

FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND ROOFTOP URBAN FARM ATOP PARISIAN DATA CENTRE

The British Reid Brewin Architects (RBA) has announced the completion of a ground-breaking project that uses waste energy from data centres to power a rooftop ‘urban farm’ on the outskirts of Paris.

RBA’s design for the Equinix PA10 data centre, located in Saint Denis, is the first of its kind in France. Central to the client’s sustainability commitment was the desire to reuse waste heat from the data centre, and to create a usable area that would promote health and wellbeing. 

JBPRM is a results-based industrial marketing agency delivering value-for-money business growth services. As an elite group of specialist consultants, we offer affordable services to both start-up and small businesses without compromising service quality.

Contact : Jonathan BRINDLEY
jonathan.brindley@jbprm.co.uk

Whether it is a question of building a management team, a pivotal moment, a reorganization, a change of scale, a merger/acquisition, or even managing a decline in activity, the Powerflow team brings together the business and human dimensions to support the success of your projects.

Contact : Catherine ÉTÉVÉ
catherine.eteve@powerflow.fr

Capital Europe Consultants est un spécialiste de l'organisation d'événements professionnels internationaux. Notre objectif est de coopérer avec les organisations internationales pour promouvoir les programmes de développement en leur fournissant des services rentables, flexibles et de grande qualité pour l'organisation d'événements internationaux.

Contact : Elena JAIANI-CHAMBERS
Chambers@capeur.uk

Founded in 1987, Kohn & Associés is active in the fields of real estate, public law, business law, intellectual property and new technologies.

Contact : Anne-Catherine FONTAINE
ac.fontaine@kohn-avocats.com

JBPRM offer a total solution for businesses looking to enter or develop the UK process, power and energy sectors.

They deliver a complete business development and digital marketing service, and can provide a virtual UK sales and marketing office for French companies who do not want to commit to a UK office until opportunties and sales have been identified.

We will visit for a free day at your French office to discuss your business and how we can take you into the UK process, power, and energy sector.

Contact: Jonathan Brindley
jonathan.brindley@jbprm.co.uk