can't stand this place anymore

[Digga]

Philippo said:

One area I would be extremely careful is taxation. I believe that France is still in denial with regard to it's financial difficulties, and tax bills are necessarily going to increase. So my advice is to be careful about bringing over too much in the way of assets, and obviously try and remain domiciled in the UK for tax purposes.

I think the (correct) solutions to France's difficulties will likely run further than mere taxation changes. Wholesale re-organisation of employment and business regulation is needed. There will likely need to be a degree of austerity in public finances too.

If this is not done, the outcome is economically dire.

If it is carried out, it is unlikely to be universally popular (cue roads full of burning tyres etc.) and politically challenging, even if these changes were implemented on the advice of, say, the IMF.

[Philippo]

Digga

I agree and wasn't for one minute suggesting that tax increases are the way out for France. Merely that until there is reform and they stop throwing money at everybody who protests, making ends meet can only be achieved by further increasing government borrowing or increasing both direct and indirect taxation. France is woefully behind the curve in terms of reform, both employment law wise and social.

Cheers

[Le Pop]

Philippo said:

...France is woefully behind the curve in terms of reform, both employment law wise and social.

Desperately needed but I despair of it ever happening....

[pincher]

Fatt McMissile said:

I think that's because the big French retailers don't operate in English speaking countries, and their products are naturally made and packaged for their markets. Carrefour for example operates in thirty-three countries, Leroy Merlin in twelve, few if any where English is the first language.

Throughout Brittany Leclerc and Intermarché supermarkets have large welcome signs in French, Breton and English, and Leroy Merlin staff who speak English wear union flag badges.

Steve

Edited by Fatt McMissile on Wednesday 22 July 15:36

Edited by Fatt McMissile on Wednesday 22 July 15:38

I have nothing to add to this thread other than to say that my first experience of Leroy Merlin was in Marbella when we stayed with our neighbours - I bloody love that place!!!! And I love the fact that they have a drive-through section and a proper bar in the car park

[pincher]

I even went back for a special visit while on a family holiday last year

Edited by pincher on Thursday 23 July 20:31

[Digga]

Le Pop said:

Philippo said:

...France is woefully behind the curve in terms of reform, both employment law wise and social.

Desperately needed but I despair of it ever happening....

I think Greece is a microcosm of similar issues; resistance to change, vested interests, the inextricability of the hard-left from political mainstream.

[Le Pop]

People who know this stuff say that there are between 5-6 million civil servants in France. Until that changes and labour laws are radically reformed it's just more of the same old same old.

[Digga]

Le Pop said:

People who know this stuff say that there are between 5-6 million civil servants in France. Until that changes and labour laws are radically reformed it's just more of the same old same old.

Quite. Lest I sound smug, the UK also has much to do in a similar regard. It does seem we were less deep in the mess and a little earlier and more decisive with the remedy, but nonetheless, we're still (in very simple terms) spending beyond sustainable means.

[MarshPhantom]

Driller said:

Fatt McMissile said:

I think that's because the big French retailers don't operate in English speaking countries

Why is that?

Easier to transport goods by road than ferry?

[Driller]

MarshPhantom said:

Driller said:

Fatt McMissile said:

I think that's because the big French retailers don't operate in English speaking countries

Why is that?

Easier to transport goods by road than ferry?

Lots of other companies seem to manage it judging by the number of lorries on your average ferry going to Dover.

[Russwhitehouse]

Saw an interesting documentary featuring a disillusioned German merchant banker a while back. It was basically his take on the way Europe is headed at present financially. He was completely adamant that unless wholesale and dramatic change is brought about in France, they will become the next Greece. The difference being that unlike Greece, the French economy is too big and too encumbered to prop up with bailouts. It will collapse and in so doing will take the rest of Europe with it. He stated categorically that it was not if but when and that collapse is inevitable. He was obviously someone who new his stuff and was an "insider", as such it made for some sobering viewing. As long as the French continue to bury their heads in the sand and refuse any form of change that will affect them personally, no matter how small that change may be, they will continue to head inexorably toward the precipice.
Sleep tight campers.

[rdjohn]

Driller said:

Lots of other companies seem to manage it judging by the number of lorries on your average ferry going to Dover.

Yes.....but, they have been to English speaking counties, you know, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain etc etc.

[rdjohn]

Russwhitehouse said:

Saw an interesting documentary featuring a disillusioned German merchant banker a while back. It was basically his take on the way Europe is headed at present financially. He was completely adamant that unless wholesale and dramatic change is brought about in France, they will become the next Greece. The difference being that unlike Greece, the French economy is too big and too encumbered to prop up with bailouts. It will collapse and in so doing will take the rest of Europe with it. He stated categorically that it was not if but when and that collapse is inevitable. He was obviously someone who new his stuff and was an "insider", as such it made for some sobering viewing. As long as the French continue to bury their heads in the sand and refuse any form of change that will affect them personally, no matter how small that change may be, they will continue to head inexorably toward the precipice.
Sleep tight campers.

My friend is a banker in Paris and he gets quite excited by what his combined pensions should when he retires, but then he always adds "if the country does not go pear-shaped first". I think I was reading a blog from Robert Peston on the Greece deal and even he said that if the EU and IMF cannot get it right for Greece, how will they cope when it's France.

I think a lot of French people realise that things cannot continue the way they are, but the trouble is that no one will vote for reform. They just want it to go back to like it was under Chirac and Mitterrand. Meanwhile hundreds of small companies go bust on a weekly basis and no one seems to give a damm.

[thefrog]

Driller said:

Why is that?

They don't have presence in the UK because there is competition there already (B&Q, Tesco, etc...), simple economics. They are however installed in other countries where they can be profitable.

When they have their own brand products created, they have no need to have english documentation (or swahili, norwegian, etc...) because their products aren't destined for english speaking countries.

[AmitG]

Thanks everyone for their responses to my question, some really helpful advice there

[Fatt McMissile]

You'll like this folks!

http://www.bit.ly/1DGqkAM

Steve

edit: hopefully now clickable...

Edited by Fatt McMissile on Sunday 26th July 10:48

[Mr. Magoo]

I read this with interest as I am in the twilight of career and thinking more and more about the alternative life running a smallholding/gite/glamping destination in France.

I know France well and my spoken French gets me by, using it doesn't frighten me. I have never worked in France and a lot of the sentiment here is pretty deflating.

Has anyone here had experience of running a holiday destination? Like an estate with Gites for example? I would like to know any regrets or some first hand advice?

Although I like the romance of transforming a farmstead I think I would rather buy a going concern and improve from there mainly due to the horror stories of getting the build work done and the fact it would just be me and the dog.

Cheers

[magooagain]

Mr. Magoo said:

I read this with interest as I am in the twilight of career and thinking more and more about the alternative life running a smallholding/gite/glamping destination in France.

I know France well and my spoken French gets me by, using it doesn't frighten me. I have never worked in France and a lot of the sentiment here is pretty deflating.

Has anyone here had experience of running a holiday destination? Like an estate with Gites for example? I would like to know any regrets or some first hand advice?

Although I like the romance of transforming a farmstead I think I would rather buy a going concern and improve from there mainly due to the horror stories of getting the build work done and the fact it would just be me and the dog.

Cheers

RDJohn will be the man to give you good advice on running a gite complex I think. Also if you do a search in homes and do it yourself there is a guy called Nick that has done wonders to an old prune farm in the Dordogne. Can't remember the thread title though.
As for living and working here my experience is positive. I have been trading as a plasterer/builder for 13 years. Although only a one man band. Work has been tight at times and the odd bit of paperwork agro but no different than the UK really.

You will find plenty of gite and b&b places for sale here mainly Brit owned. Tread carefully though.

[smifffymoto]

Small holdings don't really exist in France,you're a farm or nothing.To be a farm you need a specific land area but you don't actually need to have the land just grow stuff and multiply by the coefficient. Pigs in Dordogne are 0.666 and cut flowers grown in the open are 15.
In Dordogne you need 15 hectares to be classed as an farmer so if you had 15 Hectares put just to pigs you would be short but you only need 1 Hectare of flowers.

Gites are done to death and you will struggle to make ends meet.
I've done the campsite thing,very long hours in a very short season unless you buy something vey special which will in turn cost alt in the first place.


France is great for retirement but bobbins to make a heap of money.

[rdjohn]

We have run 3 holiday rentals in the Loire Valley for the last 10 years. We built houses and the business from new and now have about 70% returners.

There is a heap load of competition, so like any sound business you need to have a USP. There are so many converted barns and outbuildings targeting nobody in particular, that the market is very overcrowded.

We early-retired here, but have pensions and properties in the UK. If we relied solely on rental income here, we would be living hand-to-mouth after Social charges and Taxes are paid. Most farmers here (mainly wine) seem to live hand-to-mouth.

I am not saying that it is a paying hobby either. We really enjoy returning guests coming back and every week throws up something different and so that makes a great transition from UK working life into proper retirement.

The next challenge for us is to move more towards full retirement over the next two years.

I would also suggest that you think about what you will do during the long winter months when you have no guests and inclement weather. Cracking that issue was key to our continued enjoyment here, it really is a fantastic and relaxed way of living. France has to be the one country where you really can afford to eat like a king.

If you want any advice with regards to renting, by all means PM me. My website is listen in my profile.