Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama 2017/18 - Vichy Economie
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
Defining your territory
On 1 January this year Vichy Communauté was born from the natural fusion of Vichy Val d’Allier and the Community of
Communes of the Montagne Bourbonnaise.
Natural because of the common history which links our destiny, symbolised in the past by the famous old train which
went from Cusset to Laprugne. Natural also because of the strong and complementary links and bonds between the
plane of Val d’Allier and the hills of the Montagne Bourbonnaise. In Town, people living in the rural communes can take
advantage of the public services they need, as well as a direct access to culture, shops open 7 days a week, and a
market where they can sell their produce. In the countryside of the Montagne Bourbonnaise, the town dwellers benefit
from a natural and preserved environment, large open spaces where they can go walking, and an ideal territory for
outdoor sports and winter sports. Coherent and more complementary, our conurbation is now stronger to confront the
challenges of tomorrow and reinforce its advantages as part of the vast new Region Auvergne-Rhône Alpes, the second
largest Region in France and the sixth largest in Europe.
From now on we can take our principle development projects to a new level, whether they involve our economy, higher
education, or tourism. One of the main projects concerns the plan for our conurbation stretching out to 2025, which,
having been updated, will create and develop a new identity around the values of sport, health
and the preservation of quality of life. We will also remain aware of the need to accompany the
expansion of the businesses in our territory, as they are the major creators of growth, wealth and
employment. To achieve these goals, we will need all our energy. However, I know I can count on
the full support of the partners of Vichy Communauté and the business leaders and company
managers in our territory.
Claude Malhuret:
Mayor of Vichy
President of the Community of Local Communes of Vichy Communauté
Senator of the Allier Department
Vichy Communauté: a territory that is coherent
Vichy Communauté Développement – July 2017 www.vichy-economie.com
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
After months of discussions between local elected politicians and local authority services to create a new entity which
is naturally and economically balanced and stable, the new Community of Local Communes Vichy Communauté was
created on 1 January 2017. Its main objective is by 2025, to put in place an ambitious territorial project, but with a
conurbation remaining on a human scale. Vichy Communauté is the largest conurbation in the Department (County) of
the Allier in terms of population, with a territory now stretching from Billy in the north to Lavoine in the south, Saint-
2
Nicolas-des Biefs in the east and Cognat-Lyonne in the west. With a land area of only 5.9 km Vichy is the smallest
commune in the conurbation, however, its 25,800 inhabitants make it the town with the largest population.
In these privileged surroundings, urban and rural environments cultivate their common past to better pursue their
future together.
Major development projects
The 2nd section of the urban boulevard is in the completion stage with the last 800 metres being opened to traffic in
June this year. The roadworks will be completed by the end of the year, once the final street furniture is in place and
vegetation planted.
Named 'Avenue de la Liberté', the 1st section of the urban boulevard in the Vichy conurbation was opened at the end
of 2013, linking the Vichy Hospital Centre with the Cité scolaire Albert-Londres Campus in Cusset.
The south-west section of the ring-road from Saint-Yorre to the roundabout on the A719 was opened to traffic at the
beginning of 2016. The northern section, financed by the State, still has to be finalise and approved. The Region has
agreed to finance €2.4m of the €8m needed to cover preliminary studies and the acquisition of the land involved. The
final details of the project for the north-west Section of the ring road are in the process of being elaborated and the
Public Enquiry could be opened by the end of 2019. It should take a year for the Enquiry to make its decision after
which the works can commence. The creation of a direct connection to the 'Pont de l’Europe' will not only improve the
road link to the Montpertuis industrial site, but also improve access to Vichy's town centre. The areas which presently
suffer from the traffic
will see their
inconveniences
reduced as the east of
the urban centre will be
directly accessible via
the 'Avenue de la
Liberté'. In 2014 the
transformation of the
banks of the river on Development project for the river banks in Bellerive
the Vichy side of the
Allier was completed
and continues to be a popular success. The project for the development for the Bellerive side is now taking shape. As an
important part of the 2015-2025 territorial project for the Vichy conurbation, this improvement to the banks of the
River Allier, financed by Vichy Communauté, will be similar to that already completed on the right bank. As part of the
regional green path to discover the river Allier, the project involves the three meanders of the river at Abrest, Hauterive
and Bellerive. It concerns three kilometres of river bank on the left bank, from the camp sites at Abrest to the Bellerive
bridge, and will integrate the different cafés and restaurants along the way.
In the future the development should become a major tourist centre with leisure activities including the old swimming
baths which will be renovated, the Carré d’As shopping centre, and linking the river to the centre of Bellerive with
pedestrian areas and cycle paths. The first phase of the work should start in the autumn of 2018.
A town centre for shopping
Shops and shopping have always been important activities in the conurbation, and Vichy's status as a spa town allows
the town's shops to be open on Sunday afternoons. Since the end of the 19th century, Vichy's town centre has
attracted a substantial number of customers from all over the region and even further, from the Saône et Loire, Loire,
Nièvre Departments. The works undertaken by the town have renovated the main shopping areas in the centre of Vichy
('rue Clémenceau', 'place de la gare' [station] and 'rue de Paris' in 2011, the square in front of the Church of Saint-Louis
and the adjacent streets in 2013, the 'passage de l’Amirauté' in 2014, etc.). During the period from September 2015 to
July 2016 it was the turn of the pavements, road surface and street lighting in the 'rue du Maréchal Foch' to benefit
from the same treatment of a makeover. The old part of Vichy the 'Vieux Vichy' is now better integrated into the heart
of the shopping area of the spa town. At the end of 2017, the 'rue Wilson' which is particularly popular with people
taking the spa waters, will also undergo a renewal.
Vichy Communauté Développement – July 2017 www.vichy-economie.com
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
Innovative companies in leading-edge sectors
Vichy Communauté is the second largest conurbation in the Auvergne in terms of population size and activities, with,
among others, industrial skills in plastics processing (CTL Packaging), metal working (Valmont the market leader for
street lamps), automobile production (Ligier, the world leader in no-licence vehicles), and agro-foodstuffs (Arrivé
Auvergne, Convivial). Without forgetting luxury leather goods (Fleurus Group, Sofama) and the Saint-Yorre and Vichy-
Célestins mineral waters.
The NSE group, whose registered office is in Nizerolles, is one of the top industrial
businesses which the Montagne Bourbonnaise has brought to Vichy Communauté.
François Lacoste who created the group in 1983, has proved that you can be
successful outside of France and still choose to be based in a rural zone NSE
specialises in the design, production and maintenance of electronic equipment. The
group has ten sites in France, five of which are in the Auvergne at Nizerolles,
Abrest, Aulnat, Riom and Varennes-sur-Allier. They now employ around 500 people
in France with another 300 working in their five international subsidiaries in
Hungary, Canada, Brazil, Morocco and India, which represent 36% of total sales.
NSE principally works with the civil aeronautics, defence, industry, railways and
computer sectors. Guillaume Laurin took over from François Lacoste as Chairman of the Board in February 2017, with
the ambition of increasing the company's Turnover, which stood at €62.7M in 2016, by developing the group's service
sector, particularly on the international market.
272: is the number of illuminated columns delivered by Valmont to Qatar in 2016. This
manufacturer, whose luminous masts colour the banks of the Allier in Vichy, was chosen
to provide street lighting for the eight kilometres of motorway serving Doha's new international airport. Valmont
France's factory based in Charmeil specialises in the production of metal masts for urban street lighting, signage,
telecommunications and energy transportation. These custom made products permit the company to remain
competitive.
€1.8M, is the total sales figure targeted by the company ACM, run by Richard Silvestre since 2014. « In the
Allier there are numerous SMEs with substantial development potential waiting to be acquired by new
shareholders. It's worth taking the risk! » This forty-year old entrepreneur has kept the 12 employees at the
Atelier Chastang Mécanique, specialising in the manufacture and renovation of machines for the leather goods
industry: in fact, the team was increased by four people. A patent for a leather dyeing machine has been
registered in France and Italy and is pending in Spain and Portugal where ACM intends to develop its
reputation.
160: is the number of new jobs targeted to be created by the company Percall at its
site in Vichy between 2016 and 2018. Since its Product Lifecycle Management centre
opened in Vichy in 2006, the Lyon based company has trained and hired 40 people,
working in collaboration with the local Job Centre (Pôle Emploi). Its activity concerns customers involved in leading
edge sectors such as aeronautics, car manufacturing, defence etc. With the development of the "intelligent factory"
connected products take on new functions and the demand from business continues to grow. PLM represents a
transverse management tool to cope with this situation.
120, is the number of works
generated from the meetings of
authors and illustrators via the
platform Whisperies, a start-up co-founded in 2014 by
Adeline Fradet, originally from the Paris region, who decided to
settle in Vichy to develop her project. « The region is a good
place to be an entrepreneur. Here we found people who really
invest their time and energy into their territory and this
dynamism is very communicative. » Destined to provide Adeline Fradet (red trousers) and Richard Silvestre (in the pale
suit in the centre) were included in the list of businesses
children's stories, this collaborative website of digital books has rewarded at the 2017 Trophies for Commercial Performance
recently obtained private funding to develop its commercial Awards organised by the DCF (French Commercial Managers
activity, increasing staff from three to eight people to increase its market in France and develop international business.
Network)
Vichy Communauté Développement – July 2017 www.vichy-economie.com
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
340, is the number of people employed in its production site in the Vichy-Rhue industrial zone by
Cosmétique Active Production (L’Oreal), producing mostly Vichy cosmetics. A further forty or so
employees work at their distribution centre at Creuzier-le-Neuf, delivering their products to over
40 countries.
Economic synergies, sharing resources
After the Agency Vichy Communauté Développement, the
conurbation's economic development agency, in May 2016, it is
now the turn of the Chambre des Métiers (Trade Guild Chamber)
and the Chambre d’Agriculture (Chamber of Agriculture), to move
to new premises in Vichy at the Chambre de Commerce et
d’Industrie, 5-15 rue Montaret.
This « business » centre provides a clearer focus of the support for
business and entrepreneurs, and a natural synergy for the
institutions involved, all working to develop the territory. A one-stop-shop business information and advice service for
business managers and project promoters.
Furthermore, a whole range of training courses are available on-site including: IEQT - the European Institute for Total
Quality Management; the Centre de formation hôtelière - Hotel Personnel Training Centre; the Centre d’étude de
langues - Language School; the Académie du PLM - Product Lifecycle Management centre. The site also hosts a Centre
inter-professionnel de bilan de compétences (CIBC) – Inter-professional personal skills assessment centre.
Even though it is several thousand years old, Vichy's vocation as a spa centre
continues to develop. Today it is a pioneer in terms of health and prevention.
Presided by Jérôme Phelipeau (PDG/CEO of the Compagnie de Vichy), the aim of
this innovative Cluster of Excellence is to promote joint, collaborative projects
between SMES, Micro Companies and private and public research institutions,
such as universities, laboratories, hospital services etc. : Nutrition, beauty care, as
well as geothermal and renewable energy, without forgetting tourism concentrating on « Fitness and Well-being »
« that is where there are many activities which are susceptible to increase the performance of our businesses, and there
is no shortage of innovative projects! We need to concentrate on leading-edge indications and information, creating
new products and new processes based on spa water properties which have been scientifically validated. »
Although the number of people sent by the social security to take the
spa waters (curistes) has increased by 4.4% last season (8,259 people),
the increase is 20.9%, being 20,398 people, for private stays and
seminars under the « Santé-Beauté-Forme / Health-Beauty-Fitness »
programmes. The international reputation of Vichy, still the queen of
the spa towns, never ceases to grow. The town is one of the eleven «
Major European Spa Towns » which together are presenting their
candidature to be UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Their candidature
will be presented in January 2018, with the verdict expected during
the summer in 2019. The American magazine Forbes has already
placed Vichy at the top of the list of well-known spa towns, and in
April 2017 stated that the Vichy Célestins Spa Hôtel was « one of the
most attractive addresses in the world ».
Vichy Communauté Développement – July 2017 www.vichy-economie.com
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
A territory which is good for your body and good for your mind and spirit!
Encouraged by its expertise in the areas of Health-Beauty-
Fitness, in 1993 the conurbation created a specialised
enterprise park, the Bioparc Vichy-Hauterive. Built in the
commune of Hauterive on 13 hectares of land provided
with all the necessary services, the Bioparc has a further
forty hectares of land for future growth. Fifteen companies
are already active on-site. During summer 2017 JCE
Biotechnology (medical equipment) completed a 2,300m²
building in support of its development on the site. The
Toulouse based company Genibio, specialising in
probiotics, has recently taken over the control and analysis activities that the company Setubio previously undertook at
the Bioparc. Genibio now benefits from the know-how of the existing laboratory on-site to stabilise the products it has
reduced to powder, whereas, Setubio has joined the Naturopôle at Saint-Bonnet de Rochefort, to concentrate on
research in active pharmaceutical ingredients derived from local biodiversity.
(www.bioparc.com)
For over twenty years the Bioparc Vichy-Hauterive has acted as the shop-window of
the industrial and service sector of the Health-Beauty-Fitness and Biomedical sectors in
the conurbation. Always capable of evolving in line with the innovative companies and
projects it supports, the Bioparc is part of the Arbios network alongside the Naturopôle
Nutrition Santé and the Biopôle Clermont-Limagne.
2
Representing 70 companies, 1,700 jobs, with 25,000 m of well-equipped rental
premises, this network of three enterprise parks entirely dedicated to hosting and supporting the development of the
bio-industry, is located in an ecosystem recognised for its excellence in terms of health and agriculture.
(www.arbios.org)
Fitness care treatments are subject to strong
demand across the country, particularly as the
population gets older and life expectancy gets
longer. The need for physiotherapists has,
therefore, increased. It is in this context that the
foundation stone was laid on 12 May 2017 of the
new Institut de Formation de Masso-
Kinésithérapie (IFMK)-Physiotherapy School, as
part of the renovation and development of the
'Docks de Blois' area in Vichy. Private developers
are investing €15 million to rehabilitate this 14 hectare abandoned industrial site. In September 2018 the site will be
able to welcome 400 students, instead of the 230 at the present school, as well as an intergenerational residence and a
shopping centre.
The 'Docks de Blois' area is also not too far away from the Lardy University Centre. Vichy Communauté is one of the
rare conurbations having chosen to be responsible for higher education in its territory, including the 5 faculties with 11
courses (from Baccalaureate +1 to Bac +5) run by Clermont Auvergne University. Each year more than 700 students
benefit from the privileged site of the Campus Albert Londres Academic and Technology Centre in Vichy in the parks
bordering the Allier river. They share the site with Shared Health Studies First Year (PACES) students in medicine,
dentistry and midwifery, as well as international students at the Cavilam-Alliance Française language school.
International reputation: The CAVILAM has been teaching French to non-French students
for over 50 years. More than 130,000 students from more than 140 countries have enrolled
in a course with 60% boarding with families in Vichy. The establishment joined the
international network of 'Alliances Françaises' in 2012. Today in France the Cavilam is one of
the most important centres for teaching French to foreign students, and is one of the top ten
such institutions in the world. Each year nearly 4,000 people, whether students, French
teachers, or professionals sent by their companies, come to Vichy.
Vichy Communauté Développement – July 2017 www.vichy-economie.com
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
The presence of the CAVILAM-Alliance Française has encouraged Vichy Communauté to
respond to a call for tender from the Region in September 2016. « The dynamic of
Francophone Synergies constitutes a formidable occasion to explore the possibility of an
approach which combines speaking French and economics. » Assistant General Manager
of the Social Life and University Centre, Isabelle Terrasse endeavours to « put the
spotlight on the dynamic forces in the territory through public and private initiatives using Francophonie as a lever. As a
small player in the sector, Vichy wants to bring together the Universities of Clermont-Auvergne and Lyon 3 (Cf. The
International Institute of Francophonie-2IF) around this thematic. At the meeting on 3 October 2017, Vichy
Communauté, supported by the Development Agency, intend to prove, using examples, that the Francophonie presents
an opportunity for our territories and could be a market driver for economic development. »
Because tourism also includes business, the Vichy DestiNations brand launched in 2012
by the Tourist Office (TO) to promote the town, is now targeting the business market. The
6th edition of its free magazine came out in June 2017 in its usual general public
version (70,000 copies), but this time it came with a version reserved for business
professionals, Vichy DestiNations Business (15,000 copies). A website dedicated to
congresses will be online at the beginning of 2018.
Since July the TO offers visitors special glasses to enter two emblematic sites in the spa
town, the Palais des congrès and the Opera. The 360° views are to encourage visitors to
prolong their digital discoveries by visiting the real thing! Vichy organises around 360
events linked to tourism each year, and as such is one of the top destinations in terms of congresses and other
professional seminars.
On average, Vichy Opera House is more than 80% full for each
performance. Each year they propose « a programme which is
both demanding and eclectic split into two seasons, with more
music in the summer and more theatre in the winter. Diane
Polya-Zeitline has been the Artistic Director at the Opera since
1990, and will leave at the end of 2017. « The Vichy Opera House
will continue with a splendid future, supported by a team of
fifteen employees. » Other than the participants in the
performances (artists, technicians, dressers, etc.), who generate
on average each year 1,500 overnight stays, more and more
spectators are coming from outside of Vichy using a short stay
« package » adapted to cultural tourism and organised by thy TO
with ten hotels offering special rates for certain performances. You can also take advantage of the Opera Weekends
organised by the Vichy Thermal Spa Hotel, and combine pleasures of the body with pleasures of the mind and spirit.
Visitors continue to come in large numbers to the conurbation, whether for work or for pleasure. They are attracted by
popular events and other festivities, such as the Les Flamboyantes mediaeval festival which has been held in Cusset for
the last three years; or Impérial Park which in April 2017 held its 10th edition celebrating Napoleon III in Vichy; or
Portrait(s) which for the last 5 years has exhibited photo-portraits in the open air along the River Allier and in other
parts of Vichy from June to September.
The PAL is the number one tourist attraction in the Auvergne, and the 4th in the new Region, with
391,000 visitors in 2016. The theme park has a steady growth of 3.3% in entrance numbers each
year, which is a confirmation of its dynamism. Located at Dompierre-sur-Besbre (03), the PAL
opened its new Alligator Park in 2017. The construction of Yukon Quad, a one-kilometre-long
roller-coaster began during the summer in 2017. This attraction is the largest investment the park
has made since its creation in 1973. To relieve congestion in certain areas it is being built in the zoo side of the
park. Since 2013 the PAL has provided accommodation with 31 lodges on stilts. For 2019 they intend to increase their
capacity with a new hotel based on the concept of a « camp in the heart of the savannah ».
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A sports economy platform which is practically Olympic...
In Vichy Communauté, the privileged
living environment and the attention
paid to one's health, is enhanced by
keeping in shape through the
practice of a sport. The inhabitants,
as well as sports men and women
from all levels who come to Vichy to
continue or perfect their training or
participate in events organised by
the town, benefit from the sports
The IRONMAN attracts 15,000 spectators and participants from 48 countries.
equipment and installations
provided which cover 26 of the 28
Summer Olympic Sports. Today Vichy is recognised as one of the most important sports destinations in France.
Given the existing sports infrastructures available, and the capacity for accommodation, the conurbation wants to
make sport a catalyst for developing tourism and the local economy, taking advantage of the synergies with the existing
activities involved in « Health-Beauty-Fitness » and thermalism.
Whether it is the French Rowing Championships (youth and veteran), the French Masters Swimming Open
championships, or an episode of the Ironman Tour, all these major sporting events attract large numbers of spectators.
All sporting activities combined generate around €50 million of gross income.
Furthermore, the Montagne Bourbonnaise is an excellent destination for outdoor recreational sports. The sports
economy centre which is in the process of being put together, will work in tandem with the CREPS Vichy Auvergne
Sports Resources, Expertise and Performance Centre, whose campus hosts internships and courses (32,270 overnight
stays in 2016). The CREPS Vichy Auvergne prepares more than 700 students each year for the Diploma of Sports
Teacher. Next door is the Omnisports Centre 120 hectare sports park along the Allier river. The CREPS is also a centre
for handi-sports and health through physical activity, and, since 2016 is home to the Sport-Health-Well-being national
resources centre.
The compact nature of this global sports centre in the heart of the conurbation on the left bank of the Allier River, is
such that within a radius of 1.5km are the CREPS, the Omnisports Centre, the Swimming Stadium, a Racecourse with
300 meetings each year, and an 18-hole golf course and tennis club. Making a centre for sporting activities which is as
coherent as it is attractive. « This is a major project for the Vichy Communauté conurbation, aiming for a high national
ranking as a centre of sporting excellence and good health. This project should reinforce the conurbation's visibility
within the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Region, which is the largest in terms of sports clubs and sports equipment, with 2
million active sports licence-holders. Obviously the economic potential of the project is very important for our
conurbation. » Jean-Sébastien Laloy is the conurbation's Vice President in charge of sport. He sees this project as an
« opportunity to renovate the Omnisports Centre, where certain sports installations have become obsolete and need
modernising to current standards, as well as investing in specialised equipment corresponding to new requirements, in
total at an estimated cost of €29 million. » Vichy Communauté has allocated 19.05% of its 2017 budget to sport. The
study and analysis of the
conurbation's existing sports
facilities and future strategic
positioning, presented in March,
reinforces the attractiveness of
creating a Sports Performance
Centre which would cater for
amateurs as well as elite sports
men and women, as both
categories are interested in
improving their performance and
The Omnisports Centre covers 120 ha benefiting from specialised tools
to achieve their individual objectives. The Centre could be based within the CREPS structure.
This project is a natural progression of the « Health-Beauty-Fitness» and thermal spa vocation of the territory. A budget
of €40 million should be made available for investments, including the eventual conversion of the old swimming pool in
Bellerive, and the creation and establishment of complementary activities around the Darragon Sports Stadium. A
Sports Activity Zone will be registered in the statutes of the conurbation. The operational phase should begin in 2018
and end in 2025.
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
Sharing resources
In conformance with the NOTRe Law (Nouvelle Organisation Territoriale de la République-New Territorial Organisation
of the Republic) which attributes the competence for « tourism » to associations of urban districts, on 1 April 2017 the
Tourist Offices at Billy, Cusset and the Montagne Bourbonnaise merged into an Inter-Municipality Tourist Office (ITO).
In essence the offices and their opening times will not change and will continue to operate normally in their communes.
The specific status of the Tourist and Thermalism Office in Vichy and its particular missions will be redefined prior to it
joining the ITO in 2018.
The Vichy Communauté Artistic Conservatory was created on 1 January 2017 after the merger of the music schools in
Bellerive-sur-Allier, Cusset, Saint-Yorre and Vichy. With nearly 1,200 students being taught by around fifty teachers and
covering 30 different instruments, this new multi-site conservatory will keep its existing locations in Saint-Yorre and
Bellerive-sur-Allier. The sites in Vichy and Cusset should be grouped together at the end of 2019 in a building located on
the urban boulevard which is being converted for the purpose.
In December 2016 the Pôle emploi Job Centres in Vichy and Cusset merged and changed address
to '650 Avenue de la Liberté' in Vichy. The new agency provides a service to accompany job
seekers which is better adapted to both their needs and the needs of potential employers.
A Metropolis in the West to balance out the Region
Clermont Communauté became the metropolis Clermont
Auvergne Métropole when it changed into an urban
community of local communes on 1 January 2017. When it
officially obtains the status of a metropolis, it will join the
other 15 metropolises already existing in France. The 21
communes which make up the conurbation have already
transferred certain of their responsibilities, which are now
undertaken by Clermont Auvergne Métropole.
The metropolis in Lyon, which is the driving force in the
new organisation, relies on two conurbations to balance
out the region: in the West the capital of the Auvergne,
Clermont-Ferrand, and in the east the capital of the
Dauphiné, Grenoble.
In this context the Clermont conurbation has a major role
to play and must ensure its development at the heart of
the new regional dynamic.
1
With a redefined status and clear responsibilities (Cf. the MAPTAM Law) in advance of the NOTRe Law, the metropolis
prefers a strategic approach for the territories. Getting involved with international promotion by virtue of its optimised
visibility, the metropolis is in a better position to efficiently work in favour of economic development and innovation.
This increased role of the ex-capital of the region of the Auvergne is accompanied by a necessary strengthening of its
mission to be the driving force for the territories in the metropolis in the western part of the Region Auvergne-Rhône-
Alpes, represented by the Clermont-Vichy-Auvergne metropolitan centre. Created in 2013 the centre brings together
ten associations of urban districts between Vichy and Brioude, including the 3 initiators of metropolitan cooperation:
Clermont Auvergne Métropole, Riom-Communauté and Vichy-Communauté.
The metropolitan centre is a place for dialogue and exchanging ideas between associations of urban districts. It must,
therefore, be taken into account in the contract of metropolitan cooperation between the institutional metropolis of
Clermont Auvergne Métropole and the territories around it. It could then serve as a base for reflection on an eventual
enlargement of the institutional metropolis which will be discussed during the next elected term starting in 2020.
1
Metropolises are made up of conurbations with populations greater than 400,000.
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The Allier, a local tier of government which remains a
facilitator
343,062 inhabitants / covering 7,340.1 km² / 130,000 people in employment /
4,500 students
The Allier can boast having several strong economic sectors across the whole of the territory, made up of 15,500
businesses (commercial activities not including agriculture) and three complementary urban centres, being Vichy,
Moulns and Montluçon.
A few representative companies: Bosch, Sagem (electronics and communications), Dunlop, Socopa viandes (meat
products), PSA Peugeot Citroën, Satel (telemarketing), NSE, Ateliers Louis Vuitton, CAP-L’Oréal, Wavin (plastic pipes),
CTL Packaging, …
Sectors of excellence in key figures
The Department is still responsible for organising social assistance, personal autonomy and territorial solidarity. The
Departmental Council (county council) still retains the possibility of financing certain projects for communes or groups
of communes, and elaborates jointly with central government a departmental development programme to improve
access to services, particularly in those areas where it is poor, for example in rural areas.
In terms of major projects, the RCEA-Route Centre-Europe Atlantique, which cuts across the Allier for 92 kilometres,
was the subject of a public interest decree on 27 April 2017 giving it the status of a motorway/autoroute, which allows
it to be totally 2x2 lanes. This change is programmed for 2021.
Putting Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on the podium of European Regions
7.8 million inhabitants / covering 70,700 km² / 3.2 million people in employment /
300,000 students
At the end of 2016 the regional elected government adopted the regional economic development, innovation and
internationalisation plan (SRDEII). Its aim is for the region to assert itself as a major force in Europe. Auvergne-Rhône-
Alpes is already in a good position in France with GDP at €243 billion in 2013, only behind the Ile-de-France region, but
being the 1st French region in terms of numbers of industrial jobs. The region is the 7th most important in Europe, and
intends to improve this ranking. Its territory benefits from a number of major national research centres, 14
competitiveness clusters, and 18 business clusters, and ranks 2nd in France for the number of patents filed, and offers
considerable potential for innovation.
Vichy Communauté Développement – July 2017 www.vichy-economie.com
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Vichy Communauté Economic Panorama - 2017/18
Taking into consideration the economic importance of
agriculture and tourism, they too are included in the SRDEII.
The tourist industry is a growth engine for the Auvergne-
Rhône-Alpes. In 2016 €19.7 billion was spent by French and
international tourists in the region, being 8% of the Regional
GDP. The industry employed 167,900 people, being 5.5% of
the regional workforce, and benefited from €1.6 billion of
private investment. Tourism has also seen its budget
increased by 7% in the SRDEII, with €700,000 made available
to support its development and reinforce its attractiveness.
Comprehensive business support
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region is revamping its support for business.
From 1 September 2017, «Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises » will be the new economic development agency to
support businesses and improve the employment situation. The new agency will be run jointly by Laurent Wauquiez,
the President of the Region, and Jean-Dominique Senard, the President of the Michelin Group. This alliance of public
and private strengths illustrates the reality on the ground. The agency's mission is to reinforce the attractiveness of the
region, help businesses develop their exports, and develop the economy, innovation, training and employment.
In order to respond to the needs of businesses in their environment, the agency intends to put in place a territorial way
of functioning through conventions with the Departments, Metropolises and the EPCI (public establishments for inter-
municipal cooperation). The Allier office of the Agence Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Entreprises has replaced the Comité
d’Expansion Economique de l’Allier (CEEA -Economic Expansion Committee), and brings together various actors in the
economy already present in the territory: the CEEA, le Comité Départemental de promotion des Produits d’Allier
(CDPA- the Departmental Committee for promoting products produced in the Allier) and the Service Orientation Sociale
Artisans et Commerçants de l’Allier (SOSAC-Service for Social Orientation for Artisans and Shopkeepers).
With an expected explosion in demand for thermal spa activities, the market for 'well-being' should more than double
over the next 10 years in Europe and around the World. In 2017, 8.3 million more 'well-being' tourists are expected in
France... The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region has a strong position in the sectors of preventive health care and well-
being, and has made thermalism a priority in its policy for tourism, with the aim of being the most frequented thermal
spa region in France. With a budget of €20 million, the 2016/2020 Regional Plan for Thermalism supports thermal spa
resorts with their development projects. Vichy is one such resort being supported by the plan in 2017.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes now has all the necessary tools to successfully develop its economy. All the different activity
sectors have been taken into account in a territory which is ready to support their projects.
Texts : Véronique Durupt (VD Redac)
Photographs, illustrations :
Vichy Communauté Développement, Les 4 Vents, Vichy Célestins Spa Hôtel, OT Vichy, Photovideodrone.com, Cabinet d’études Axe Saône, Groupe CDR, Thierry Sourbier
Vichy Communauté Développement – July 2017 www.vichy-economie.com
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