At La Bruffière, in Vendée, the winter was less harsh than expected, and not only on the thermometer. “We were very worried in September, but the situation on the energy market has eased considerably”, explains Eric Jacquemont, CEO of Defontaine. This industrial company, which works for aeronautics, wind power or automobiles, has deployed “ huge » efforts to be sober: in a few months, its electricity consumption has fallen by 10%, that of gas by 29%, making it possible to limit the increase in the bill. But Mr. Jacquemont, no more than other business leaders, does not say he is out of the woods. “Thanks to the mild weather, we were able to pass this winter milestone. But we have to keep working on our energy consumptionsays the leader. As for absorbing the additional costs, that’s another story. Profitability begins to weaken. »
Because if the time bomb that constituted energy prices is moving away, other lights are now flashing on the dashboard of companies. “The situation is very variableadmits Alexandre Montay, general delegate of the Movement of medium-sized companies (METI). It depends in particular on the way in which each has negotiated its energy supply contract. Out of a thousand METI member companies, around 50 signed their electricity contract when prices were at their highest. » These find themselves in inextricable situations, such as the agri-food manufacturer who has to pay a bill of one million euros every months to run his factory.
The others, who have managed to renegotiate contracts on more acceptable terms, are trying to pass on some of this in their selling prices. According to a survey carried out in January by the Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry among 1,438 companies, the rise in energy prices will have an impact ” important ” for 46% of them, and even ” Very important “ for 41%. More than one in two managers believe that in the medium term, their business is in danger. To overcome these difficulties, nearly half of them have already increased their selling prices – at the same time as they have initiated an energy saving plan, or even reduced the executive’s remuneration. And it’s not over: 39% of business leaders believe that they will raise their prices in 2023 and a large third of them plan to postpone investments.
A real austerity plan
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