The card and identification market is expanding fast in France, with many home-grown businesses offering unique expertise in the field of smart-card technology. The sector is also attracting many international players, who are investing in R&D and production facilities. Near Field Communication (NFC), which is the technology used for contactless identification and transactions, has experienced rapid growth across the sector in 2010-2011. France has recently experienced developments that make it a key player in the contactless-identification and contactless-transaction sectors. The CARTES and IDentification trade show was held at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre (in the French capital) from 15 to 17 November 2011. It focused on the contactless card-and-payment industry, the Internet of Things (which is the term used to describe the virtual representation of identifiable objects by the internet), machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, as well as the development of identification technologies. In May 2011, the French government issued a €20-million call for projects that support the deployment of NFC mobile services. From 20 to 30 contactless mobile-telephony projects offering information and payment transactions to be rolled out in several major French cities will be awarded funding. According to EUROSMART, the international trade association that represents the smart-card industry, global use of smart secure devices amounted to almost 6.1-million units of contactless smart cards in 2011. These devices were used in telecommunications (4.6 million of which were in microprocessor cards), in financial and payment services (1 million), and in passports, identity and health-care cards (0.22 million). The rest was split between a variety of applications, notably in transport (such as tickets and tolls) and pay television. French companies with recognised expertise in the smart-card security sector include INSIDE Secure, which is based in Aix-en-Provence (south-eastern France), but is also a member of the TES (Secure Electronic Transactions) cluster of excellence in Caen (Normandy): INSIDE Secure has acquired ATMEL’s Secure Microcontroller Solution (SMS) division. Gemalto is another established player in the industry, and is based in Sophia Antipolis (in south-eastern France). TAZ-TAG, for its part, is headquartered in Rennes (Brittany), and has entered into a partnership agreement with Quand Medical, a specialist in medical information based in Toronto (Canada). In the field of identification technology, Bluelinea, a manufacturer of medical devices, is preparing for the 2011 launch of an electronic bracelet to monitor Alzheimer’s patients in their homes. In this field, more generally, the ability to monitor any item, cargo, vehicle, animal or person requiring special surveillance will call for the detection infrastructure to be installed at compulsory passage points. Furthermore, ethical considerations that arise from monitoring and identifying people and goods will need to be assessed. Other applications could quickly become widespread, concerning, for example, till procedures (in relation to bar-code scanning, for instance) and toll points (using RFID scanners). Similarly, there are widespread applications in ticketing — from urban-transport systems and the parking of vehicles to the management of bookings at theatres and other day-to-day transactions. Foreign investors have been quick to seize opportunities in the French identification market by making use of tax incentives that support research-and-development projects wherever possible. These incentives include France’s research tax credit. Among the international companies having invested in France in this sector, SATO of Japan provides radio-frequency identification (RFID) solutions from its Lille site (in northern France), while Markem-Imaje, a US-based specialist in coding and identification, has established a site close to the Secure Communication Solutions (SCS) cluster of excellence in Valbonne Sophia Antipolis. For its part, German company Deister Electronic is a leading player in RFID solutions in Paris and its region. Another example is Maroc Traitement de Transactions (M2T), which has also established a site in the Paris region, with the help of IFA and the Paris Region Economic Development Agency (PREDA). Innovation clusters that specialise in traceability, such as Novalog in St-Étienne-du-Rouvray (in north-eastern France) and SYSTEMATIC (based in Paris and its region), are also home to many foreign companies. In October 2011, the NFC Forum, a consortium of manufacturers responsible for defining NFC standards, updated the so-called Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol (SNEP) specifications for peer-to-peer sharing, therefore setting out a common data format that can be used across all NFC devices. SNEP enables two NFC-equipped telephones to exchange data simply by making the two handsets touch each other. This function can be put to a wide variety of uses: for exchanging business cards, gathering special offers for use at a later time, contacting and following people on social networks, exchanging small amounts of money or travel tickets, and so on. About Invest in France Agency Invest in France Agency (IFA) is France’s national agency responsible for promoting and facilitating international investment in France. IFA also co-ordinates a range of initiatives in order to promote France’s economic attractiveness and stimulate inward investment. The IFA network operates worldwide, with offices within France as well as in North and South America, in Europe, in the Middle East, and in the rest of Asia. In France, IFA works in partnership with regional development agencies to offer international investors outstanding business opportunities and customised services. For further information, please go to: www.investinfrance.org  

Den franske bagerkæde Brioche Dorée har for nogle måneder siden åbnet en butik i de nye Torvehaller på Israels Plads i København og det er gået så godt, at kædeejeren Vincent Le Duff nu har besluttet at åbne op til femten nye butikker i Danmark. Brioche Dorée søger derfor nu 2-3 nye franchisetagere. For yderligere information om franchisekonceptet er du meget velkommen til at kontakte: Vincent LE DUFF, vleduff@groupeleduff.com

Reed Expositions France will host Franchise Expo Paris 2012 from 18 to 21 March of next year, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in the French capital. The UK will be the event’s guest of honour, with a large British Pavilion. The trade show will welcome 450 exhibitors from 75 business sectors representing 20 countries, as well as a range of franchise-industry experts. In 2012, the Franchise Expo Paris trade show will further strengthen its international reputation, with an expected 2,500 visitors from 83 countries, and international brands representing 17% of the total number of exhibitors. The United Kingdom will be the guest of honour at Franchise Expo Paris 2012, with a large British pavilion at the entrance, supported by the British Franchise Association. A delegation of British visitors will attend the trade show to receive training in franchising and master franchising. There will also be a significant presence from Brazil, Canada, Italy and Spain, as well as representatives from Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey, and the United States. Every year, Franchise Expo Paris showcases over 110 new and innovative concepts and areas of activity, ranging from the most traditional sectors to the most unexpected, including organic products, fashion and theme-based catering. Following a highly successful event in 2011, which was attended by 32,000 visitors, Franchise Expo Paris will again assert its position as the foremost annual international meeting in franchise-branch creation, in March 2012. Not only are potential franchise candidates growing in numbers, but franchise concepts themselves are evolving and developing through the emergence of new trends.  Franchise Expo Paris 2012 will focus on innovation in the fast-food industry, and what part it can play in modifying fast-food menus. This sector is forced to constantly seek new areas of growth in order to attract new customers and to incite loyalty from existing customers. Ever-faster service; the growing importance of organic products; the setting-up of ordering booths that allow for table service; and concepts that integrate mobility into the customer service – all these are examples of concepts being explored and innovations being implemented in the sector. There are over a dozen franchise concepts being launched every year on the French market alone. As a result, new franchise players are present in most of the niche markets, including smoothies, fruit juices and fast food using traditional recipes, to name but a few. Franchise Expo Paris 2012 will act as a meeting place for all those involved in the franchise sector. The trade show will provide mentoring throughout the four days, offering individual solutions to entrepreneurs in its coaching area, as well as a programme of conferences on key issues in company and franchise creation. There will also be a School of Franchise giving free daily courses, along with tailor-made tours of the trade show. Additionally, a Business Creators Village will advise all those wishing to start their own business. Franchise Expo Paris 2012 will offer a series of business meetings, intended for investors and entrepreneurs wishing to develop their knowledge via both franchising and master franchising. About Reed Expositions France Reed Expositions France organises 60 trade shows in 19 different sectors throughout France. The company is organising Franchise Expo Paris 2012, which will take place from the 18 to 21 March 2012, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, in Paris (France). Franchise Expo Paris is the foremost meeting venue for the franchise industry in Europe, putting business creators and merchants in touch with over 450 brands from all over the globe. For the past 30 years, the trade show has been aiding the expansion of networks internationally, and helping thousands of entrepreneurs to achieve their business-creation goals. In order to help entrepreneurs succeed in their projects, Franchise Expo Paris gathers an array of key professionals that are able to support, advise as well as inform the entrepreneurs, and help them secure the funding they need. France Expo Paris offers access to the franchise sector’s well-known brands, as well as concepts that are growing in new markets. It is thanks to this that entrepreneurs are in a position to compare all aspects involved in the world of franchise, enter the brand-playing field, and join the networks that best suit their goals. For further information about the trade show, please go to: www.franchiseparis.com

France’s online market has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2010, e-commerce alone accounted for €31 billion of the €36.2 billion made in France’s remote sales. In the first half of 2011, turnover for all e-commerce websites combined reached €17.5 billion, up 20% year-on-year from 2010. France now has 90,000 retail websites, including 20,000 new sites created in 2010. In the first quarter of 2011, the iCE 40 index (which is made up of the top 40 e-commerce sites in France) showed a year-on-year growth of 11%. The e-commerce sector currently employs almost 60,000 people, directly or indirectly, in France. For foreign companies, France is a top-tier market for e-commerce. An excellent example that demonstrates this is American company Amazon, which built a warehouse and distribution logistics centre in Montélimar (in the Rhône-Alpes region of South East France), in 2010. This centre has created almost 500 jobs and is the second Amazon centre to be built in France. The first was the Amazon site that created 200 jobs and is situated in Saran, just outside Orléans, (in central France). The sector is divided into two categories with sites that offer e-commerce characteristics on one hand, such as eBay (which had 9.1 million unique visitors per month in the first quarter of 2011), PriceMinister (7.8 million visitors), which was recently bought out by Japanese company Rakuten, and Living Social France, a daily consumer-deals site that acquired French company Dealissime in 2011. On the other hand, there are sites that specialise in mail-order sales like Amazon (which had 9.1 million unique visitors per month in quarter one of 2011); La Redoute (6.5 million visitors); 3 Suisses (5.3 million visitors); la Fnac (6.9 million visitors); Voyages-Sncf (6.9 million visitors); and, finally, Carrefour (6.4 million visitors). This data is according to Mediamétrie//Netratings, a company that analyses internet-audience data in France. In 2012, e-commerce is due to accumulate sales of €45 billion, giving it an economic weight that is on a par with telecommunications and aerospace, according to the Fédération du e-commerce et de la vente à distance (FEVAD, France’s e-Commerce and Remote Sales Federation), which represents businesses in the sector. In the future, retail sales of intangible products will cover downloadable audio-visual goods and paperless online services, primarily in banking and insurance. The key strategy of Industries du Commerce, the retail and marketing innovation cluster (in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of northern France), is to innovate in retail, including electronics. Recently approved projects, and so concepts on which the cluster is now working, include Smart Store (a virtual, 3D shopping-centre application for smartphones) and the C3DS project (which is designed to improve the sensory perception of textiles so that consumers can virtually try out products displayed in 3D). Other French innovation clusters like Cap Digital (in the region of Paris) or TES, (the E-Secure Transactions cluster in Caen, in Normandy, North West France) are also helping to expand innovation in the e-commerce sector. The next step for retail-related technology in France could produce virtual shopping centres with hundreds of manufacturers, much like a trend that has already taken root in the United States. The success of the e-commerce industry in France is thanks to a number of factors, including the country’s legal and regulatory framework, which provides broad consumer protection, such as spam prevention, along with its strong privacy policies. The French government also initiated an anti-cyber-counterfeiting charter that was signed in 2009 by brand representatives and many e-commerce platforms. Moreover, security for online payments in France has been increased considerably. About Invest in France Agency Invest in France Agency (IFA) is France’s national agency responsible for promoting and facilitating international investment in France. IFA also co-ordinates a range of initiatives in order to promote France’s economic attractiveness and stimulate inward investment. The IFA network operates worldwide, with offices within France as well as in North and South America, in Europe, in the Middle East, and in the rest of Asia. In France, IFA works in partnership with regional development agencies to offer international investors outstanding business opportunities and customised services. For further information, please go to: www.investinfrance.org

Et kendt fransk postordrefirma, der forhandler lækkert modetøj til damer, herrer og børn, søger samarbejdspartnere i Danmark inden for postordrebehandling, lagerstyring, distribution, e-marketing m.m. Potentielle samarbejdspartnere kan evt. køre en parallelvirksomhed ved siden af evt. eget postordrefirma. For yderligere informationer, venligst kontakt : Anthony Bates Eksportrådgiver Tlf: 33 37 61 83 Email: anthony.bates@ubifrance.fr

Fransk fabrikant af kvalitetsprodukter inden for lædervarer søger importør/agent i Danmark Agent søges til distribution af økologisk vin fra Alsace af høj kvalitet : Kendt fransk spiritusmærke søger snarest muligt en agent til at dække det danske marked For yderligere informationer, venligst kontakt : Seckin Yerli Eksportrådgiver Tlf: 33 376 185 Email: seckin.yerli@ubifrance.fr

Den franske Ambassades Handelsafdeling-UBIFRANCE har i samarbejde med Nordic Travel Retail Group arrangeret et eksportfremstød for franske leverandører af kvalitetsprodukter til det danske duty-free og travel retail marked i København den 22. juni 2010. Arrangementets første del blev afholdt på DFDS’ Oslo-båd, hvor de franske producenter præsenterede deres spændende varer og mødte DFDS’ indkøbere. Arrangementets anden del fortsatte i Nordatlantens Pakhus’ rustikke lokaler, hvor de franske firmaer fik individuelle B2B-møder med blandt andet Peter Justesen, der er den førende leverandør for det diplomatiske korps i hele verden samt Scandlines, der har Nordens største grænsehandelscenter i Puttgarden. For yderligere informationer, venligst kontakt : Seckin Yerli Eksportrådgiver Tlf: 33 376 185 Email: seckin.yerli@ubifrance.fr