Day: 26 September 2017

IMSEE, Monaco’s Statistical Office, has reported that a sharp decline in imports in the second quarter of 2017, down by 44 million euros, combined with a smaller fall in exports, down 27 million euros, has resulted in a decline in the trade deficit.

Sales, excluding financial and insurance activities, were up (+ 6.7 percent) compared to the same period in 2016 thanks to the good results in wholesale trade and construction.

The number of jobs in Monaco is increasing, with additional jobs being created in all sectors apart from retail (21 fewer jobs). The number of employers and the number of hours worked has also shown an increase.

Although the overall balance remains positive, the pace of start-ups has slowed, while that of businesses closing has increased.

The real estate sector experienced a difficult first half, although it remains at a high level, IMSEE said. While the number of sales was virtually stable, the number of resales fell sharply.

New vehicle registrations continue to rise to their highest historical level for the first half of the year. Parking use is also rising. The cumulative results from the beginning of the year for air traffic (helicopters) remain in decline, penalised by the figures of the first quarter.

READ MORE: IMSEE Director, Lionel Galfré: not just another statistic

Sunseeker International, Britain’s biggest boat builder, has announced the appointment of Michael Straughan as Chief Operating Officer.

Michael joins Sunseeker from Bentley Motors Ltd, where he was Member of the Board for Manufacturing and brings with him a wealth of experience in premium luxury manufacture, Sunseeker said.  Having lead the operations of some major production facilities both in the UK and abroad, Michael has provided key direction and substantial improvements for several major brands across multiple and complex product offerings and so will provide Sunseeker with further operational expertise and an uncompromising focus on quality.

Phil Popham, CEO of Sunseeker, said: “We are delighted to welcome Michael to the executive team. It is a testament to the strength of the Sunseeker business today that we are able to attract his calibre of professional with a proven track record of directing successful manufacturing operations within the premium luxury sector.

“Michael will provide us with some crucial operational expertise as we enter an exciting phase of growth and ensure we can increase our production capacity efficiently while maintaining and improving our exceptional product quality. I am really looking forward to working with him and the rest of the team to deliver some bold new product plans that will see us further strengthen Sunseeker’s position as one of the world’s leading yacht builders.”

Michael added: “Sunseeker is a fantastic brand with an incredible reputation around the world for exciting, high quality products and I am delighted to be joining them.  The plans for the business will see this strengthen further still with significant investment planned across facilities and products, so this truly is an exciting time to be joining the business.  I am very excited to be given the opportunity to be a part of the future growth of this iconic brand.”

READ MORE: Five topics, 11 experts on superyachts

During Monaco Week Sydney, held to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Monaco and Australia, the Embassy of Monaco and the Honorary Consulate in Sydney jointly organised an exhibition on the topic of the Prince Albert II Foundation.

The exhibition, which opened on September 19, aimed to raise awareness among the Australian public of the Prince Albert II Foundation and its activities, and was held over a week on the campus of the University of New South Wales.

At its inauguration, HE Ms Catherine Fautrier, Ambassador of Monaco in Australia, and Professor Tim Flannery, a member of the Board of the Albert II Foundation, presented the scope of the Foundation’s work, which includes a collaboration between the Principality and Australia for a number of years on topics relating to the protection of the environment.

The Prince Albert II Foundation and the Monaco Scientific Center are providing their support and expertise to the TARA PACIFIC expedition, which studies the impact of climate change on the oceans and marine biodiversity.

In the field of environmental protection, the “Monaco Explorations” campaign, recently launched in the Principality, will also study the interactions between species and the impact of man on marine biodiversity. The YERSIN is due to cruise off Australia at the end of 2018.

READ MORE: Yersin passes Rock of Gibraltar

Although Monaco enjoyed 57-percent possession in the fast-moving UEFA Champions League game on Tuesday night, it was Porto’s Aboubakar who was the star of the match, opening the scoring for the visitors in the 31st minute and coming back for a second in the 69th. He was replaced by Jesus Corona in the 71st.

Insult was added to injury when Layun scored for Porto in the 90th minute, taking the score to 3-0 for the visitors.

Playing at home, Monaco had gone into the UEFA Champions League group stage game as clear favourites, facing a Porto team that had lost 3-1 at home to Besiktas in its previous Champions League outing on September 13, but Monaco’s players were unable to find a rhythm and were simply outclassed by the visitors.

Monaco had suffered a heavy defeat to Nice in a French league game, losing 4-1 just a few weeks ago, but have so far averaged three goals per game in Ligue 1, and coach Jardim had hoped the bad times were over.

Monaco’s captain, Radamel Falcao, is the top goalscorer in any major European league with 11 goals from seven games. Interestingly, Falcao played for Porto in the Europa League final in 2011, scoring the only goal in the final.

Falcao’s failure to find the back of the visitors’ net on Tuesday must give Monaco serious pause for thought.

READ MORE: AS Monaco back on good form

ACH (Airbus Corporate Helicopters), Airbus’ private and business helicopter brand, will put on a tour de force with a range of helicopters during the Monaco Yacht Show, the world’s greatest super yacht event that runs at Port Hercule this week until September 30.

Clients will be able to visit ACH, alongside sister brand Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ), at the Monaco Yacht Club regatta deck where they will be presented with Airbus’ vision for business aviation: a tailored solution supported by a personalised 24/7 worldwide service enabling global and point-to-point travel, the company said.

In addition, the company will be launching the ACH Yacht Interface App, a tool dedicated to supporting yacht designers and shipbuilders to integrate ACH aircraft into their yacht projects.

Frederic Lemos, head of ACH said, “Based on a long heritage of engineering excellence developing private and business aviation solutions, today ACH is poised to deliver across this diverse but exclusive market and meet the high expectations and on demand travel requirements.  In addition to its use as a flying tender, ACH aircraft offer enhanced emergency, leisure, business and exploration opportunities”.

Launched earlier this year at EBACE, Europe’s premier business aviation event, ACH claims to offer discerning businesses and ultra-high net worth individuals a personalised, tailored ownership experience, dedicated to catering to a wide range of customers, from those who can now afford to pursue their ambition of flying, to those for whom the helicopter is a tool or private luxury means of transport.

READ MORE: Game Changers at Monaco Yacht Show