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In an economic landscape where the covid pandemic has left real time bombs, some companies are still struggling. Commercial courts pronounce more and more liquidations, but they can also carry out rescues. “Special Envoy” met, at the exit of the Le Mans economic activity court, a relieved business manager.
Each week in the commercial court, in the camera of the audience rooms, the future of craftsmen, traders, SME bosses … is played out … Business failures have exploded in the past two years: +60%. In question, the economic crisis, but also the consequences of the Cavid pandemic. Five years later, some leaders are still trying to rely. For a year and a half, companies subsidies (the famous “whatever it costs”) had divided the number of bankruptcies by two; They resumed mechanically as soon as the aid is stopped, in greater numbers because the non -viable companies ultimately extinguished with delay.
So at the exit of the courtroom, the smiling faces like that of Guillaume Ménager are rare. This Sarthois who directs a dozen hairdressing salons is said “relieved” : he has just obtained a stay for his business. It is that the Commercial Court does not only pronounce liquidations: it can also represent the last chance of bosses in distress.
During the COVID, like nearly 700,000 entrepreneurs, Guillaume Ménager contracted a loan guaranteed by the State (PGE) to maintain his company afloat. And today he is one of those, many, who are struggling to reimburse him. After the pandemic, he did not necessarily find his customers: his hairdressing salons, all located in shopping centers, reopened later than the others, and the customers had left to have been done elsewhere …
With a turnover down 30%, the business manager had to draw from his savings, and even sell the house he had built for his son – insufficient sacrifices to pay the monthly payments of the PGE. Short of solutions, he then turned to the court, which spread his monthly payments over ten years instead of four. Today, Guillaume thinks he was able to draw the alarm bell in time.
Extract from “the last chance of the bosses in distress”, a report to see in “Special Envoy” on June 19, 2025.
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