95c | ISSUE 12 | JULY 2012
PUBLISHERS OF
News and What’s On for Côtes d’Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan
Brittany Ferries set to cut UK services by SAMANTHA DAVID
Dylan to headline Brittany’s Glasto Page 6
Monaco prince on trail of Breton ancestors Page 3
BRITTANY Ferries is considering axing some of its out-of-season cross-Channel routes in the wake of four years of financial difficulties at the cross-Channel ferry operator. Passengers will be following the developments closely this summer, after the firm announced it needed to become more competitive. It is also looking at suspending some staff benefits. Despite rising annual turnover and highly profitable lines between Spain and the UK, rising fuel costs have hit the company hard, as has the weakness of the euro against the pound. The company also points to the economic situation in the UK – Brittany Ferries announced a net loss of €18m in 2011. The aim is to cut operating costs by ensuring that each sailing is better filled, and to cut staff costs by reorganising working hours. Announcing the move, management said that it was imperative to adapt the company’s economic model in the face of the ongoing euro crisis, and competition from other companies which are not “constrained by the same employment laws” and are not exposed to variations of the sterling-euro exchange rate. Î Turn to page 2
‘World’s biggest port’ in Brest
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