Tired of fog? Try the frogs!’ Brexit with Humor?
French capitalize on an old nickname… in a clever campaign to lure banks and companies to Paris…
Frogs and Roast Beef?
The British have been poking fun at the French for eating frog’s legs since the 16th century by calling them “frog-eaters,” now commonly shortened to just “frogs.” And the French have called the Brits “les rosbifs”.
Calling someone a “roast beef” may seem strange, although in its way not much stranger than calling someone a “frog”. The historical explanations for all this are even stranger and date back to medieval times.
On October 17, the French administrative department of Hauts-de-Seine, which includes Paris’s La Défense corporate sector, launched a campaign in France and the United Kingdom to promote La Défense and attract foreign companies looking to relocate after the Brexit decision.
The result has had people chuckling on both sides of the channel. Voilà….
Behind the Campaign
French officials from the business district said the campaign is aimed at highlighting La Défense, France’s capital financial powerhouse, which it said offered lower rentals than London and good public transport.
In anticipation of London based banks, finance sector industries, and companies looking to relocate and establish domiciles in the EU post Brexit, the greater Paris region has begun a major upgrade and modernization effort and making the argument for Paris as an attractive new home.
See Primexis article on this news : www.primexis.eu/la_defense_modernisation_push/
Although this may not fully qualify as finance news as we usually report on at Primexis…. We wanted to share some post Brexit news that actually has everyone smiling!
Didier Hemion
Partner,
International Business Services
