City of Annecy, Haute Savoie
In its latest quarterly report on economic development in Haute-Savoie, the Chamber of Commerce (ICC) paints a picture of a struggling region. Some sectors show a drop in activity, while other sectors have been able to maintain business at an unchanged level. Trade figures show the extent of the problems as imports have dropped by 7.6% and exports are down by 0.3%, while imports from Switzerland have been severely dented as figures show a decline of about 36%.
This figure is in contrast to the hypermarkets and supermarkets that are performing well and have reported growth of almost 5%. Though the report doesn’t indicate how these figures are related, it seems fair to conclude that as the exchange rate has made Swiss products a lot more expensive for French customers, French groceries and other articles in the retail sector are relatively cheap and therefore attractive to the Genevois.
The same reasoning could be used when it comes to the ski season, which is reportedly the best since the 2000/2001 season. Hotels report occupancy rates approaching 90% (hotels 88%, dormitory accommodation 86% furnished 81% and Guesthouses 81%) while ski areas have also revealed good results.
Source: TdG
