Times are tough when you operate ski lifts and amusement parks.
The Compagnie des Alpes will put around 3,900 people on short-time work, due to the closure of its activities during the Christmas holidays.
This is what its CEO Dominique Marcel said in an interview with Les Échos on Sunday.
"2,500 people", mainly seasonal workers, will be put on partial unemployment due to the closure of ski lifts in ski resorts, said Dominique Marcel.
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The extension of the closure of leisure parks such as Parc Astérix or Futuroscope, managed by the Compagnie des Alpes, will lead to partial unemployment for “nearly 1,400 people” also, he explained.
Dominique Marcel considers the two decisions "incomprehensible".
Check our website for the latest updates ▶ ️ https://t.co/80NvC4mcAm pic.twitter.com/lTt5JqPkrY
- ParcAsterix (@ParcAsterix) November 26, 2020
On ski resorts, the industry had “negotiated an extremely rigorous“ resort ”protocol” to avoid such a situation, he says.
"The industry is meeting the Prime Minister on Monday, and we are still fighting", according to Dominique Marcel.
A 28% drop in turnover
As for the leisure parks, "we demonstrated this summer that we could work with a limited capacity and a rigorous sanitary protocol", he indicates.
The turnover of Compagnie des Alpes has already suffered a "shortfall" of 240 million euros for its fiscal year ended September 30, "a decrease of 28%" in annual turnover, underlines- he still does.
Asked this Sunday on France 3, the Minister of Labor Élisabeth Borne invited ski resort professionals to hire seasonal workers.
"If the start of the season cannot be done normally, then the State will take charge of the remuneration of these employees through the partial activity", she adds, assuring that the government wishes "to preserve as much as possible the winter sports season ”and that the“ resorts reopen as quickly as possible ”.
☃️❄️ "Hire!"
says @Elisabeth_Borne to ski resort professionals.
⛷️🏂 The Minister of Labor and Employment specifies that the State will cover partial unemployment.
📺 @letellier_ftv @ France3tv #DimPol pic.twitter.com/2853xkLiuz
- DimancheEnPolitique (@DimPolitique) November 29, 2020
At 65, he has been the CEO of Compagnie des Alpes since March 2009 and will soon leave the post of CEO to keep only that of Chairman.
This transition is planned for the expiration of his current mandate, in March, but "it is not excluded that I will still remain CEO a little after March", he said.
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The listed company, in which Caisse des Dépôts holds nearly 40% of the capital, is the world leader in ski area operations with 11 resorts.
It also has leisure destinations (Futuroscope, Parc Astérix, Grévin).