Invest in France Agency taiwan Office

Frank Eloy, Member of the Board of Management SaarLB

What does the SaarLB do?  What are its main fields of business?

The SaarLB is based in Saarbrücken and has established itself as the Franco-German bank for small to medium-sized enterprises.  Our commercial focus is on doing business with these enterprises, financing commercial and industrial real estate and managing the accounts of wealthy clients.  Our business activities are complemented by the financing of predominantly regional public-law budgets and the financing of projects in the field of renewable energies.  For companies from Germany wishing to implement investment projects in France we can offer a wide range of comprehensive solutions. At present our clients include as many as 30 German firms operating in France.  Our competences lie in our very good knowledge of the French market, our longstanding experience with French business culture and the bilingual skills of our employees.

How has the SaarLB set itself up in France?  

France is on our doorstep and Franco-German business relations can look back upon a very long tradition.  To be successful in the French market one has to be "on the spot" – that's the fundamental principle on which we do business. The SaarLB therefore pursues the strategy of being where our customers are.  By reason of the geographical proximity to the Saarland, our customers are located primarily in the regions of Lorraine and Alsace and the Franche-Comté.  In 2004 we established an agency in Metz, and by 2007 this agency had become a branch – the SaarLB France. At the same time we were granted a full banking licence by the Banque de France, which permits us to transact all banking business in just the same way as a French bank. At the beginning of 2008, we opened our sales office – "Centre d'affaires Entreprises" – in Strasbourg, from where we serve our customers in Alsace and the Franche-Comté.  Since May 2008, we have been operating a "Centre d'affaires Financement immobilier".  All told we have a staff of 18 employees in France and 18 employees in Saarbrücken who are responsible just for our business with France.

What advantages do you enjoy in France?

In France we work both for German and for French clients.  We offer German clients in France the same service we offer our clients here in Germany. That is to say, all the services and products they can get from their German bank are available from us in France as well.  That's a very big advantage for any German firm doing business in France.  Added to this is the fact that we are located in close proximity to our clients, which means that they are personally acquainted with the bank employees who take the decisions over the financing of their projects.  Our French clients appreciate us above all for our "Prussian virtues" of competence, reliability and speed.

You also finance projects in the field of renewable energies. Are the French now showing greater environmental awareness?

With its environmental summit of 2007 – the "Grenelle de l'environnement" – and its adopted package of measures for the promotion of sustainable energies, the French government certainly pointed the way forward.  Since then, this branch of industry is has been on an upward turn.  Wind energy, for example, is booming and we are already financing numerous projects in this field.  We are very familiar with the market and collaborate with all the leading German manufacturers and planners. They are way ahead of the French in terms of know-how and experience and this stands them in very good stead for business in the French market.

You support German investors in their business activities in France, which means that you must learn a lot about working conditions there.  Do you have a recipe for a successful approach to French business culture?

Basically I would say that one should not "barge" one's way into the French market.  And no one will get ahead by forcing their French partners into a German mould. Personal contacts are also very important in France. This may take some time, but it is worth the effort. Perhaps one can say in general that a German company wishing to be successful in France must adapt to French business practices.  This will create the basis for good collaboration and hence successful business.  France has many opportunities to offer.  One must simply know how and when to grasp and utilize them. Openness, flexibility and an understanding of French mentality are certainly an advantage.

What are your business prospects in France? What are your objectives for the future?

Now that we have established ourselves in the markets of Lorraine and Alsace, we are already focusing our sights on other dynamic economic regions in France, such as Nord-Pas-de-Calais, with its capital city Lille, and Rhône-Alpes, with its capital city Lyon.  Much is happening in these regions, and numerous companies are settling there. More than 40% of investments are foreign, half of them from Germany, which means enormous potential for us.

See other related information:

• SaarLB