News in Provence

Jacques SAADE, chairman of the CMA CGM

Tony — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:52:00 +429496729200

Jacques SAADE chairman of the CMA CGM Marseilles

is sceptic on the future of the Port

Jacques Saadé is the president of CMA CGM, third world shipping company; an example of growth in globalization. Jacques Saadé takes the family affair following the death of his father.

Warned investor, he bets on the beginning of economic boom in China before everyone (in early 90’S). Far from stopping in so good way Jacques Saadé buys to Bolloré the Delmas company, very well established on the African continent. Well done! The development of the Africa-Asia trade starts strongly.
Conscious of market’s realities, Jacques Saadé invests in E-business and negotiates a exclusive contract with IBM, thus providing great tracking tools to his customers, without increasing the costs.
Marseilles saw CMA CGM growing in the shade of the footbridge that haunts the quay of Arenc without taking the measurement of the presence stake of CMA CGM on Marseilles.
It is usual in Marseilles to enumerate the largest companies of the zone and saying, “yes in Marseilles to summarize there is Gemplus (it are in Gémenos), Lustucru, Avenir Telecom, Orangina (they are in Aix les Miles) and then... ah yes, the CMA, you know the building near the motorway, A55, that’s it... “
Marseilles thrived a long ago on the international exchanges development, and in particular, on the North Africa settlements. Globalization recalls Marseilles to its vocation of port, of Mediterranean hub, a “Asia - North Africa – Europe” exchanges platform.
There is something extraordinary in the development of CMA CGM. The group develops itself formidably well on the world trade expansion, the group is in Marseilles, and all occurs as if Marseilles existed independently of this development whereas it has a legitimate and major place there to take.
It would be necessary to list here corporatism and trade union meanness that prevent Marseilles benefiting from this formidable opportunity. I wouldn’t do it, it’s too depressing.
I think Marseilles should pay homage to Jacques Saadé and to all those who want to return to our city the place that it deserves in the inescapable development of the international exchanges.
I understand Jacques Saadé when he insists on the need for having a reliable port. Jacques Saadé is right when he insists on the need for Marseilles to have infrastructures fitting with the world competition. One will not make me believe that Marseilles is condemned to become a deviation on the world trade roads like said, with a form of spite Jacques Saadé in Le Monde (French newspaper).
Jacques Saadé is right, the port must live, and Marseilles will have a bright future.

More links in french about Jacques Saade and CMA-CGM:

Jacques SAADE biography
Jacques SAADE in "Les echos" newspaper
Jacques SAADE business
About Marseille
The future Jacques SAADE tower
Marseille news
More about the Jacques SAADE tower
Jacques SAADE in Martinique
CMA-CGM Jacques SAADE and the rail

Boutique en ligne d'objets de décoration basée à Marseille

JYD — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 18:23:00 +0200

Elle à pour nom "La chineuse" et vous permet de chiner tranquillement à partir de votre micro... Cette boutique en ligne d'objets de décoration vous propose des idées de décoration et de cadeaux pour votre maison.

Pour toutes les occasions: anniversaires, fête des mères, fête des pères, Saint Valentin ou encore Noël La Chineuse propose des objets de décoration et de cadeaux ethniques et exotiques. Les produits sont principalement d'influence asiatique ou égyptienne.

French Election in Provence :1st round results

Marc — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:59:00 +0200

As you may know, France, and Provence, are voting for presidential and legislative elections.

On April 23^rd 2007, it was the first round of the presidential election. Nicolas Sarkozy, the conservative party candidate and Ségolène Royal the socialist candidate, have “won” this round.

National result :

Candidate	Voters	%
Nicolas Sarkozy	1,1450,302	31,18%
Ségolène Royal	9,501,295	25,87%
F. Bayrou	6,820,914	18,57%
J-M. Le Pen	3,835,029	10,44%
Besancenot	1,498,835	4,08%

Source: Le Figaro

All others candidates, like Olivier Besancenot, candidate for the trotskist party LCR have not reached 5%

In Provence, results are quite the same as national ones.

Results of Bouches-du-RhôneVaucluse, and Alpes de Haute-Provence areas:

Aera	N. Sarkozy	S. Royal	F. Bayrou	J.-M. Le Pen	O. Besancenot
Bouches-du Rhone	34,24%	23,78%	15,05%	13,87%	3,46%
Vaucluse	32,63%	21,45%	15,45%	16,05%	3,53%
Alpes-Haute-Provence	29,98%	25,24%	16,59%	11,24%	4,25%

Source : Le Figaro

The conservative party and the nationalist one made bigger scores in the south of France. But Sarkozy beat Le Pen, and that’s good news. The Marseilles' mayor, Jean-Claude Gaudin (UMP party), has qualified this first round of “very important event”, as number 2 of the conservative party, we understand his satisfaction.

Jacques SAADE, Marseilles

Tony — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:52:00 +429496729200

Jacques SAADE

Jacques Saadé is the chairman of CMA-CGM, a group that he carried out to the third world place in shipping.
The man is discrete. His father, Rodolphe Saadé, disappeared whereas Jacques was 21.
Young heir, Jacques Saadé following to successive purchases and intuitions on the world trade evolution, built a worldwide group in shipping.
CMA CGM is specialised in the maritime transport. In the early nineties Jacques Saadé had a presentiment of the economic boom to come in China. CMA took positions in China, somewhat wait and see at the beginning, its positioning quickly became the engine of the group growth.
After the purchase of CMA the group deploys its know-how on the majority of the seas of the world. CMA CGM invests regularly in the modernization of the fleet, Jacques Saadé recently ordered several ships with a capacity higher than 12000 EVP.
Having always to the spirit to provide the best service to his customers and at the best cost, Jacques Saadé assembled a single partnership with the giant of data processing IBM. The group also takes positions in the African ports, thanks to a partnership negotiated with Bolloré at the time of the purchase of Delmas.
One lends intentions to CMA CGM in the rail, the group besides recently took a participation of 8% in a Chinese company which envisages to invest 1,5 billion $ in the construction of several platforms of freight. In an interview in January 2007 with the daily newspaper La Tirbune Jacques Saadé declared "the railroad constitutes the only future for the transport of freight on long distances".
CMA CGM also assembled a partnership with Véolia in combined transport. Disappointed by the bad service of French rail freight (SNCF), the purpose of CMA CGM – Veolia alliance is to provide a combined service of transport with maritime and rail freight.
Two company were created for that, one controlled (51%) by a subsidiary company of CMA CGM will be in charge of the maritime offer, and the other, mainly (51%) held by Véolia will propose an offer of container transport by rail on Europe. The objective is to multiply by four or five the container rail traffic.
Jacques Saadé, talented ship-owner is famous for his intuition and his firmness in the business. But before all he is a Lebanese lover. During the Israeli attack on Lebanon in summer 2006, news TV was constantly on at the tenth floor of CMA CGM building in Marseilles. In an interview given to Challenge in summer 2006, Jacques Saadé does not hide his distress: "Lebanon was erasing the consequences of the war and to be rebuilt, with a beautiful face. The Lebanese one again awake by measuring again their brittleness, their minority." He rises against the Israeli behaviour and worries for its country. During the blocus he didn’t hesitate to call Dominique Perben (French Ministry of transports) and proposed to him to place at its disposal a whole boat to convey for free the humanitarian aid. August 17, the Cape Camarat entered the port of Beirut with 1700 tons of freight, food, drugs and power generating units. Jacques Saadé told to Challenge (French magazine) he was ready to give this boat for free at only one condition: "Free but at one condition, nonnegotiable: that the ship is discharged in Beirut even, nowhere else. Question of principle " Finally Jacques Saadé worries about the long-term consequences of the destruction; the escape of young Lebanese which just started to be reinstalled in Lebanon.
But nothing stops Jacques Saadé, he recently inaugurated the building site of the future CMA CGM tower, 147 m in height, the largest building of Marseilles. One awaits the continuation...

Nouveau DVD: "La route des vins de Provence".

JYD — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 19:37:00 +0200

La Provence, c'est le pays des poètes et du raffinement chanté par les félibres. Son vignoble regnarde vers la mer et porte en lui ses origines phocéennes

Les éditions Montparnasse viennent de sortir le volume 6 de leur série sur les vins. Il s'agit ici du volume "Les vins de Provence".

La Provence, c'est le pays des poètes et du raffinement chanté par les félibres. Son vignoble regarde vers la mer et porte en lui ses origines phocéennes : grecs et romains y ont cultivé la vigne et produit le vin. Aujourd'hui, amoureux de cette terre bénie, de nouveaux venus ont pris racine, ils associent l'art et la viticulture et cultivènt le mouvèdre, le grenache, le cinsault ou la syrah... "La route des vins" : une vivante encyclopédie mondiale des vins. Une invitation à voyager agréablement en Provence...

Pour commander le DVD