Supporting business
Objectives :
- Support start-ups and take-overs,
- Develop business sector awareness of environmental priorities and issues.
Priority :
- Offer tailored help for self-made entrepreneurs and buyers.
Highlights in 2009 :
- Société Générale and the EIB (European Investment Bank) signed a € 300 million credit line to finance the creation of SMEs in January 2009*,
- Accounts were opened for close to 19 000 start-ups that were set up less than 1 year ago, i.e. 63% of professional accounts opened in 2009*.
Supporting start-ups in France
More than 580 000 companies were created in France in 2009 (+75% on 2008). This strong increase that began in January 2009 is directly linked to France's new social security and tax regime for small entrepreneurs (régime de l’auto entrepreneur) (55% of new businesses)*.At present, 37% of start-ups are the result of job seekers setting up on their own. With an average of 1,6 jobs per company created, over 500 000 jobs are generated each year. Société Générale's goal is to become a genuine partner for very small business and has had a market share of 10% for several years now*.
Providing start-ups with a specialist network to support their business boosts their chances of survival by 20%, with success rates depending on each network (3-year survival rate of 66% in France. Source: APCE - December 2009). Société Générale's aim is to use these networks and promote them among its numerous start-up clients. Over the years, the bank has forged privileged links with :
- CCI Entreprendre en France*: created in 1995 by France’s chamber of commerce and industry and the banking profession; its advisors provide advice and concrete help to start-ups and deal with over 50,000 projects each year,
- France Initiative *, an association that works alongside local authorities, institutional investors and businesses in promoting new start-ups. Its network is made up of 246 "local initiative platforms" spread throughout France which mobilize local economic resources in sponsoring and funding start-ups (loans on trust with no guarantee or interest),
- Réseau des Boutiques de Gestion*, an association whose aim is to support the creation and long-term success of businesses and jobs. The network currently has 400 reception points, 750 voluntary workers and 920 start-up advisors,
- ADIE: an association for the right to economic initiative which assists those marginalized from the labour market and traditional banking system in creating their own company and employment,
- Fondation de la 2ème chance*, a public interest foundation which sponsors and subsidises those in professional or social difficulty in setting up their own business.
Thanks to these partnerships, Société Générale is able to contribute to the development of credit and micro credit in France and pursue its ambition to corner a large part of the market of new entrepreneurs (start-ups and take-overs).
Conferences and training
Since the end of 2007, Société Générale has organised a series of regional conferences for people looking to set up new businesses and their support networks. So far, 38 free-of-charge regional conferences (talks and training) in France have been attended by more than 3 000 project owners of all ages and from all backgrounds, and enabled local start-up support networks to promote the help they can provide both upstream and downstream of the process*. Conferences on new business start-ups and take-overs will also be organised across France in 2010.What is more, Société Générale has also contributed to two guides that were given out to participants: "100 conseils de Pro pour créer son entreprise" (100 tips from professionals on setting up your own business) and "100 conseils de Pro pour reprendre une entreprise" (100 tips from professionals on taking over an existing business). The bank also publishes a quarterly e-newsletter to which 7 000 people have already subscribed*.
Financing future entrepreneurs
Société Générale is France's No. 1 non-mutual bank in the distribution of start-up loans with a 9,3% market share.
Moreover, the Group fully intends to continue to play a major role in the business start-up and take-over market in 2010, through the welcome and advice it provides for all projects, and by working in close collaboration with the different support networks. It is also committed to assisting its professional clients with the sale of their businesses.Its ambition is to play a decisive role in helping entrepreneurs who were given a recognised status at the end of 2008 in getting their businesses off the ground. The bank is permanently on hand to advise and assist them with their projects and has a promotional offer for their professional bank accounts. Because its goal is to be become involved as far upstream as possible in the start-up process, notably by assisting young people from the moment they begin their apprenticeships, Société Générale provides trainees with a craft apprentice loan to finance their projects while they study. The bank also works with the association "Meilleurs Ouvriers de France" to promote apprenticeship via a nationwide contest, “Un des meilleurs apprentis de France” (One of the best apprentices in France) to find the top apprentices soon to be fully-fledged members of France’s various craft industries.
Finally, the bank has taken part in the main start-up trade fairs for several years now (Salon de la micro-entreprise, Franchise Expo, Salon des entrepreneurs in Paris, Lyon and Nantes, etc.), where it provides advice and assistance on a substantial number of potential projects each year.
Integrating the environment in real estate leasing
In April 2008, Société Générale's leasing subsidiary, Sogébail, and CertiVéa (a subsidiary of the French scientific and technical centre, CSTB) signed a partnership to contribute their respective expertise in supporting and assisting SMEs in integrating environmental criteria.
Sustainable construction requires specific work and resources as early as the design stage of a project and often means higher construction costs. To help remove some of these obstacles and in partnership with CertiVéA, Sogébail offers SMEs :
- Financing at preferential rates for new constructions that comply with French environmental quality standard, NF Bâtiments Tertiaires – Démarche HQE®,
- Special rates on fire and construction insurance on the projects being financed.
* verified by Ernst & Young
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