As the legislative elections approach, certain bosses of brands well known to the French are speaking out. Entrepreneurs from Hauts-de-France, including the Mulliez family association, owner of Auchan, Leroy Merlin and Decathlon, called on Monday June 24 for the French to support candidates in the legislative elections “who carry messages of confidence, of cooperation and responsibility”, in order to guarantee the “stability” of the country’s economy. “The risks generated by the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7, 2024 are considerable,” write these entrepreneurs in an article sent to AFP. However, “to develop and create wealth, a company needs stability, to have faith in the future”.
“We call on citizens to support candidates who carry messages of trust, cooperation and responsibility”, they add, deploring the “political alliances of circumstance” which say “want to strengthen French sovereignty” while announcing “in their paradoxical programs overloading businesses” in the country.
If they do not name the parties at the origin of their concern, they cite proposals which they consider problematic, such as “the lowering of the retirement age, the indexation of salaries to inflation”, the ” blocking the prices of basic necessities”, “the exit from free trade treaties, the taxation of capital” or even “the implementation of very restrictive migration policies”.
Among the National Rally’s proposals: removal of land law, tightening of family reunification criteria, offense of illegal stay with a fine, and transformation of State Medical Aid for foreigners in an irregular situation into “emergency aid”. vital.”
The Mulliez: a rich family from the North
The AFM, the main signatory of the platform, is a family galaxy of nearly 900 cousins, at the head of 130 brands, including Auchan, but also Decathlon, Leroy Merlin, Saint-Maclou, Jules, Kiabi, Pizza Paï and Electro Dépôt . The annual turnover of their companies, which also include Flunch, Weldom and Boulanger, reaches 100 billion euros, for 650,000 jobs around the world. With 20 billion euros, this family from the North was placed in eighth position among the greatest French fortunes in 2023, according to Challenges.
In Hauts-de-France, almost one in two ballots (42.4%) was for Jordan Bardella during the last European elections. Voters in the five departments gave nearly 50% to the RN, ensuring the largest share of its national score.
However, number 1 of the National Rally does not provide overall funding for his government program. The RN thus promises to reduce VAT on energy products to 5.5%, compared to the current 20%. And secondly to “suspend” VAT on around a hundred essential products, “in the event of high inflation”.
According to the president of the RN, this measure would cost seven billion euros by the end of the year (2024), then around 12 billion per year. Concerning salaries, Jordan Bardella offers companies “a win-win system” allowing them “to increase salaries by 10% without employer contributions, for five years, and up to three times the minimum wage”.