France, a vast Eldorado for Belgian businesses

The manager of the Franco-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce reveals several facets of this market.

Interviewing Patricia de Backer, Director of the Franco-Belgo-Luxembourgish Chamber of Commerce, is an exercise in itself: to avoid false assumptions about doing business in and with France.

There is no need to take a global approach: the country may be large, but it is easily divided into four parts, without counting the Île-de-France. One of these regions, the Hauts-de-France (whose capital is Lille), has a population of six million: the perfect starting point to begin exploring France.

A word of introduction about the Chamber?

Patricia de Backer: The Chamber was founded 120 years ago. At the time, its role was to help Flemish textile workers to get the “right papers” when they crossed the border. The Chamber then renamed itself to Business Club, and in the early 90s, it finally became a fully developed structure with a full-time president and director. I am only the second person to hold this position.

Currently, we work with three employees. Recently, the Chamber also welcomed the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Within a few weeks, five companies from Luxembourg joined the Chamber. This year alone, we have welcomed 40 new members out of 450, an enormous increase.

What developments in France may be of interest to Belgian companies?

PDB: After the Covid crisis, the market is getting back on track. The country is more open than before to new products and investments, which generates tremendous opportunities for Belgians. As Belgian and Luxembourg companies frequently offer innovative products or services, they are more than welcome in the French market. Take, for example, solar panels, a sector in which Belgium excels. In addition to being ahead of everyone else, Belgian companies are using new techniques, such as solar panel rental. I now see more B2B than B2C. Du jamais vu!

Don’t get me wrong: there are still substantial cultural differences between France and Belgium. At the Chamber, we help you overcome these obstacles.

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Is Belgium easy to promote in France?

PDB : I’d like to put the question another way: “how to attract Belgian companies to the French market”? The answer is: it’s relatively easy. However, I have to keep reminding economic players of the major cultural differences. Given the size and proximity of their neighbour, Belgians think that “it must effectively be the same as here”. On the contrary.

You may think it’s funny, but showing up at a first business meeting in jeans and reaching out with a simple “salut, tu vas bien?” simply doesn’t work here. In France, the cultural aspect is at least as important as the legal aspect. I have to keep reminding people that you don’t start an introduction email with “cher.e”. Not knowing these labels, which are a guarantee of seriousness for the French, can make unaware Belgian entrepreneurs lose all their credibility…

Concretely, what services do you provide?

PDB: We provide a wide range of services. In addition to advice (legal, tax, administrative) and the organisation of B2B meetings (a laborious but especially gratifying task), we also set up ” tailor-made ” events and seminars. Our Business Centre also provides the following three services

  • Rental of meeting rooms
  • Coworking space (included in membership)
  • Domiciliation of companies in our Business Centre and logistical support with the activities of Belgian and Luxembourgish companies

Our members can also benefit from a small parking lot and a breakfast or a lunch, a very appreciated final touch.

Can you give me an example of a company you have recently helped?

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PDB : Through our business domiciliation service, we helped the company TDM.LOG. A few years ago, this company purchased the old 3Suisses buildings in Tournai. From there, we send the catalogues – in the meantime completely customised – of, for example, Blancheporte or other brands. But then came Covid. The logistics company quickly succeeded in reconverting itself into a distributor of protective masks.

In Belgium, TDM.LOG could compete for tenders without any problem. But in France, the market was closed to them because they were not a fully-fledged French company. We were quickly able to solve their problem by advising them to create a company under French law with the rental of a permanent office on our premises.

PDB: Another company: MoneyOak (a relatively new Brussels company) evolving in a niche market, assists companies in obtaining tax relief thanks to their software patents. They are active in Belgium, France, Spain and Poland.

Our Chamber offers them visibility via 30′ webinars and posts on social networks, and they can also benefit from connections with our members eligible for the IP Box scheme that are relevant to them.

Thus our Chamber helps the company to establish its product in the market.

Patricia De Backer

Since 2007, Patricia De Backer has been managing the Franco-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Lille. Patricia grew up on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands but has been working and living in France for over 20 years. Under her leadership, the Lille office has grown steadily each year. Patricia is also the manager of Franco Belgian Service SARL, a French company that hosts the headquarters of Belgian and Luxembourg companies in France and assists them with logistical support. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce.

The Chambre de commerce franco-belgo-luxembourgeoise is one of the 30 Belgian-Luxembourg Chambers of Commerce (BLCCA) accredited by the Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce. They help promote bilateral trade between Belgium, Luxembourg and the country in which they are established. The Chambers are made up of entrepreneurs who know what it is like to run a business abroad. They provide a sounding board and support and help entrepreneurs with practical matters to explore new markets abroad.

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