It is a work that we more and more countries

You are one year one of the patterns of the CAC 40. Has this changed your life

I saw this as a continuation of my career. It has been twenty-two years that I entered in Essilor and the transition was prepared for a long time. For several years, I was associated with the strategy, decisions. Today, Xavier Fontanet, who I have the honour to succeed, anime Board and governance to administrators. I support everything that is operational.

So, nothing moves

If! Essilor is changing. The Group has built in over one hundred and sixty years a deep culture, but the world changes very rapidly and we adapt. The Executive Committee of Essilor has thus expanded and internationalized earlier this year. Today, half of its members are Indian, Canadian and American. It is representative of the future of Essilor. We will also put in place a management team based on a tripod, with the appointment this week of two Deputy Executive Directors. Paul du Saillant, after twenty years in the Air Liquide group, joined us two years ago, will support activities and European research and development, quality, then all the industrial part of the group. Laurent Vacherot, he will add to the financial responsibility of Latin America, information systems, equipment and instruments. Will remain attached me directly responsible directions of our deployment in the Asia-Pacific, North America, human resources, Legal Affairs and marketing.

The challenge is to follow the explosion of the emerging countries

The development of high-growth countries is obviously a major phenomenon. Traditional countries, Europe, the United States led the world economy for decades. Today, China, the India, the Brazil, Africa, are changing the balances. A successful strategy must rely on the mass represent the dynamism of the countries and the mature countries high growth.

And this movement also affects the glasses

Absolutely. Today 4 billion people around the world including the view needs to be corrected. Approximately 1.6 billion of them wear glasses or lenses, but 2.4 billion do not, for reasons of accessibility and means most of the time. Our future customers are. They are the ones that feed the strong growth in demand in emerging countries.

What does this mean for Essilor

This potential gives us the serenity for the future. Need to do the good things, good strategies for the long-term, without precipitation or excess. At the same time, it is necessary to rebalance the strategies. Today, our sales are made primarily in mature countries, then what are the emerging countries who derive the growth. India, China, Latin America, Africa, the Association of Southeast Asian nations (Asean), weigh only 11 of our sales in value, while they represent two thirds of the world demand volume. Therefore, to ensure that our weight in the first does not prevent us to take full advantage of the existing growth in the latter.

Therefore, a reversal of strategy

No, evolution. Traditionally, we have built our high-end strategy in mature countries. It must obviously be maintain a policy of development in these countries, which represent the majority of sales in value. Otherwise, the staff wondered: "and I." Has for me, an employee of a plant in France, or Germany "At the same time it must increase our presence in China, India, in Latin America, to meet the immense needs for vision. Today, the dream in the eyes of Indians and Chinese.

What strategy lead to the "old country"

We started to evolve our economic model of the product to the service. For example, most markets rise in range, most opticians delegate mounting of lenses in spectacle frames to their suppliers. It is a work that we more and more countries. Instead of delivering a single glass, we climb the glasses and we provide a pair of glasses.

With the crisis, how reacted consumers in mature countries

The market did not all collapsed. Some clients have somewhat delayed their purchases, but no range downhill. When you purchased once a Crizal anti-reflective glass, you measure all the benefits and you repeat an anti-reflective glass next time, even if it is the crisis. Overall, there is now a slow rebound in mature markets.

And in the emerging countries

The major developing countries weigh in more volume and will continue to rise by 20 to 25 per year for many years, taking into account the needs.