Canada: for SMES, the mother lode of the new world

beyond The multinational companies, more and more companies are attracted by the prospect of greater north american market. Several SMES, such as Linagora, are part of the delegation accompanying Francois Hollande on an official visit to Canada.

Eliot Jacquin is an entrepreneur early. At age 25, he has already created two companies! In 2011, fresh from holding a master's degree in communication, he founded at Bordeaux, with his friend Julien Daubert, the digital agency 10h11 . Their bet: to bet on the datavisualisation. The visual representation of the data in the form of graphics, infographics, animations, videos, 2D, 3D is in full swing. They are particularly related to the finance sector and the institutes of survey, very fond of these services.

Eliot is also a "contractor " nomadic", as he likes to define himself. It was hardly their box, created in Aquitaine, the two friends embark on a world tour for a year, travelled in Europe, Indonesia and North America. In November 2013, Eliot finally lands his suitcase in the Belle Province and spear, with the société québécoise Ixmédias, a subsidiary called 04h11 , a wink to the time difference between Quebec and Bordeaux.

The adventure of Eliot is not unique. "More and more smaller French companies are today betting international in alliance with a local partner, which can prove to be a winning strategy", emphasizes Line Lagacé, vice-president of Québec international, an economic development agency regional that accompanies foreign investors on the ground in quebec. Currently, some twenty subsidiaries of French companies are implanted in the region of Quebec city.

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beyond the national capital, the attraction of Quebec does not disappoint with the French entrepreneurs: 70% of the subsidiaries hexagonal present in Canada are in the only French-speaking province. France is the second foreign investor, however, far behind the United States. But the relationship has intensified since a few years and the future free trade agreement between Canada and the european Union should logically increase the cooperation between the two countries. For a long time already, large companies lights are installed in the Belle Province: Alstom, L'oréal, Sanofi - Aventis or Vinci, to name a few of the most important. In areas as diverse as agri-food, pharmaceuticals, aeronautics, cosmetics, energy and the environment.

The groups in the CAC 40 are not the only ones to bet on Quebec. The family-owned company in the north Bonduelle , for example, has put the hand on Food Career, in 2007 to integrate the market, north american. The province also knows how to attract the young shoots promising new technologies. Witness, the specialist of the video game, Ubisoft : it now employs 3000 people in Quebec and just announced an extension of its facilities with an investment of 373 million dollars.

In the wake, BUF , one of the largest French studios digital visual effects for the film, revealed his project to Montreal, where it plans to create 80 jobs in the next three years. In tourism, Altiplano , a specialist in nearby recreation a native of the lyon region, has spent five million canadian dollars to the opening of the first park freestyle urban to Montreal, creating a twenty jobs fixed and over a hundred seasonal jobs. The company plans to launch in the next five years of the eight other parks of this kind in North America, including five in Canada.

And the list is far from exhaustive. Then minister of Economy, Pierre Moscovici, had put, at the inauguration, in Montreal, in September 2013, a new factory of Aerolia (manufacture of fuselage of airplanes), the ambitions of France in the northern development of the province, the famous "Plan Nord", aimed at exploiting the vast and rich territories beyond the 49th parallel.

aspirations

"The vast majority of companies in france that are implanted today in Quebec are SMES with international ambitions," says Frédéric Kaplan, head of the economic department at the regional embassy of France in Ottawa. Previously, SMES were developing in Europe but, today, in the face of the sluggish growth of the old continent, they are looking to North America, Canada and, more especially, with Quebec."

For the French, Montreal is clearly one of the economic capitals of Canada, with Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary."The province of Quebec déploieune policy very attractive to foreign investments, " adds Kaplan, in particular, for certain sectors, such as the video game, where the tax credits can cover 30% of salary costs. What does practice nor in France, nor in Europe."

Formalities

to this, add a significant tax benefit (26.9% tax rate in 2014, one of the most competitive in north America), tax credits, research and development, the banking sector is well regulated, unemployment, limited (around 7%), a property and a construction cost affordable, cheap energy, a skilled workforce, often bilingual and, of course, the proximity to the market american and mexican made easy since 1994 by the Nafta the free trade agreement north american. Not to forget an exchange rate in favour of the euro very competitive compared to the canadian dollar. The icing on the cake, the formalities of setting up a company are fast and inexpensive (depending on the legal form, the registration costs vary from 34 $ to 320 $ CDN, which is about 20 to 200 euros).

The company Linkbynet , which provides hosting solutions for ecommerce, has been sensitive to the sirens of quebec. In 2011, it has created in Montreal, a subsidiary dedicated to assist its customers already present in North America, such as Michelin or LVMH. He has done well since its installation, the company has grown from 2 to 50 employees and has just opened an office in Toronto, Ontario nearby. "We are also looking to establish a near future in the United States," says Julien Trassard, director of the quebec subsidiary. In 2013, our revenue was $ 1.4 million CDN, and we hope to double it in 2014. The secrets of this success are, in part, due to the low employers ' contributions on wages: an employee it costs 15 to 20% cheaper than in France."

In the computer industry, other companies have made the same bet. As well Linagora , which has benefited from the policy of the previous government in favour of free software, or OVH, which opened here a year, south of Montreal, the largest data center in the world (360 000 servers to run), in a former aluminium factory. The proximity of a hydroelectric dam played to the full in the choice of venue, to take advantage of green energy, and cheap.

However, despite the common language and the quality of life, gain a foothold in Quebec is not always without difficulty. The business culture is very much north american - a habit, consensus, quick decisions, hierarchy more flexible, and requires giving up certain tics, such as the réunionite acute or negative critique systematic... "The international, this is a great experience that compels us to listen more and talk less, but better!", summarizes Eliot Jacquin, of 04h11. He has obviously been able to adapt. He comes to sign his first big contract with Industrial Alliance, a company that provides services to four million Canadians, which is also present in the United States, a market in the target 04h11. The vein is not close to exhausting the...

For more information

Investment Quebec (supporting the international subsidiaries in Québec by offering financing, tax incentives, strategic information...).

Ubifrance-Québec Program (agreement franco-québécoise of industrial cooperation to promote partnerships between SMES in france and quebec).

Montreal international and Quebec International organizations (accompanying the foreign companies to gain a foothold in the Greater Montreal area and the Quebec city).

the French Chamber of commerce in Canada

If you're interested in entrepreneurship in Canada, rendez-vous in Paris, 7 November, at the Forum-Succeed in Canada for a French company, organized by the Chamber of commerce and industry of Paris and the embassy of Canada. Conference in the morning and individual interviews with experts in the afternoon.

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Undertake in Canada

Employment and business in Canada, the must-see sites With "Montreal Boulevard", a French-showcases the culture of quebec with A French recovery SoupeSoup, an iconic brand of Montreal Has read

Guide to business, Canada, editions Ubifrance. Guide Immigraffaires SAJE, quebec organization accompagnateur d'entrepreneurs.

If you're interested in entrepreneurship in Canada, rendez-vous in Paris, 7 November, at the Forum-Succeed in Canada for a French company, organized by the Chamber of commerce and industry of Paris and the embassy of Canada. Conference in the morning and individual interviews with experts in the afternoon.