When France ordered Amazon.com Inc. to stop deliveries of non-essential items in an attempt to protect workers, the Silicon Valley e-commerce giant responded by stopping all orders until at least Monday.
The company said the order to sell only essential food, hygiene and health items and to upgrade its health-safety procedures was too ambiguous. Critics accused Amazon of playing a game of pouty hardball. Prominent French comedian Nicolas Canteloup quipped: “We are closing five days to sulk.”
Amazon’s sales are surging, reflecting robust demand for groceries to video games and streaming movies to customers stuck at home during global lockdowns to slow the spread of Covid-19. But that’s required delivery drivers and warehouse workers to continue to report to work, and some have complained that they don’t feel safe. Amazon has fired three employees in the U.S. who criticized working conditions in its warehouses.
France, with a history of relatively strong protections for workers and powerful labor unions, has become a flash point. The country’s actions could set a precedent for governments around the world seeking to put potentially expensive restrictions on the company.
Amazon has defended itself, saying it’s already taken pains to keep workers safe. It argued the ruling was unclear. It also risked fines of 1 million euros ($1.1 million) a day if it wasn’t followed. The company is appealing.
“Despite the huge efforts we’ve poured into our fulfillment centers to preserve our workers’ safety, the court handed us an order that forces us to shut down temporarily,” Amazon France chief Frederic Duval said on RTL radio, one of several interviews he did on Thursday making the company’s case. “The labor unions action will have important consequences for people in France.”
Duval said he didn’t know when the company’s six distribution centers in the country would reopen. In an email to customers on Thursday, he said Amazon would attempt to fulfill French orders from warehouses outside of the country, a move that puts pressure on unions and the government as French employees sit idle.
The shutdown was the culmination of weeks of conflict with the government and unions. In March, French Labor Minister Muriel Penicaud said that while it was important to preserve the supply of “necessary goods,” Amazon’s worker safety standards were “insufficient.” Inspectors were sent to check on employee conditions.
Shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, Amazon sent a short email to some of its warehouses employees to warn them that the company had made the “difficult decision” to halt operations at the fulfillment centers. It told employees that they’d have to stay home, but would be given full pay, according to the message, which was seen by Bloomberg.
Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the memo.
It’s unclear whether Amazon will be able to rely on a state plan for compensating furloughed workers. An internal memo to employees seen by Bloomberg indicated that the company was planning to access the funds, but a spokeswoman said that it hasn’t been confirmed.
“Employees during this period must continue to receive their salary from Amazon, including temporary workers. They have committed to this but it is the law anyway,” Penicaud said in an interview on on LCI.
Amazon has 10,000 employees in France with 6,500 spread across its six warehouses, a spokeswoman for the company said in March. France is Amazon’s third-biggest market in Europe.
The company made a coherent business choice in shutting down its activities, said Edouard Nattee, a former Amazon employee who’s now chief executive officer of data analytics company Foxintelligence.
“From an operational and profitability point of view, Amazon can hardly isolate 8% of their sales -- the essential goods -- given the fact the items are dispatched randomly at its fulfillment centers,” he said.
France is also challenging from a sales perspective, where they’re struggling to gain ground on competitors, Nattee said.
“Globally, Amazon is a hit in this crisis, in Germany, the U.K. they perform tremendously. But in France it’s not as rosy, they are below their pre-confinement market share,” he said. “They’ve lost on delivery timing, their number-one competitive advantage to competition.”
Amazon’s sales have risen 11% in Germany, it’s biggest European market, 45% in the U.K. and 56% in Spain since March 2, according to a report from Foxintelligence. But in France, Amazon’s grown just 8% and hasn’t gained market share from local competitors, such as Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA-owned CDiscount or Fnac Darty SA, the report showed.
For Laurent Degousee of SUD, the labor union that lodged the lawsuit that led to the court order, “Amazon has not done nothing for employees, but they only did so under the pressure from workers, unions and the government. They piled up rules with no clear plan. This is not finished.”
by Helene Fouquet - Bloomberg - They hope France will lose cause else won't make sense to them.

Locked at home in self-isolation after testing positive with coronavirus in the middle of March, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky spent 12 hours a day on the phone running his businesses. He still found time to scour around for new investments as markets around the world tumbled.
The owner of Energeticky a Prumyslovy Holding AS, a $7.7 billion conglomerate with interests ranging from power plants to media, Kretinsky is coy about what he found, but insists there are promising assets worth a closer look. That’s a fitting approach for a man known for scooping up energy companies across Europe and investments in German wholesaler Metro AG and French retailer Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA.
“We see opportunities already now,” Kretinsky, who has since recovered from the virus, said in an emailed response to questions. “We are already investing as we simply believe that the current market is undervaluing certain very interesting and important companies.”
As the pandemic crushes businesses and industries with lockdowns and closures that sap revenue, east-European companies such as software and gaming enterprises and home-delivery retailers are emerging as the potential winners of the fast-changing economic environment. On the Warsaw stock exchange, game developer CD Projekt SA has become the most valuable company. Similarly, Croatia’s Infobip d.o.o. and Belgrade’s UiPath Inc. are looking at ways to expand even during the worst market downturn in decades.
“I think you will have some investors who will panic and it’s going to deter some investors, especially the myopic ones,” said Marian Bocek, the co-founder of London-registered asset manager IPM Group. “But the long-term investors see this as an opportunity. If you see it, this may be the biggest opportunity since the Internet boom of the 1990s.”
Kretinsky, 44, who began his investment career as a lawyer in a local private-equity group J&T two decades ago, is among a handful of central European billionaires whose wealth doesn’t originate in the privatization schemes of the 1990s. He did partner up, though, with Petr Kellner, the richest person in the European Union’s eastern wing, to start up his own firm about 11 years ago.
Since then, a debt-fueled acquisition spree turned EPH from a small Czech utility into one of the biggest power companies in central Europe and Kretinsky into a high-profile dealmaker who is now worth $1.6 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. EPH had revenue of 7 billion euros in 2018 and valued its assets in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Italy, the U.K., Hungary and Poland at about 13.3 billion euros.
Kretinsky’s portfolio includes Prague’s premier soccer team, Sparta, and the publishing house of Czech most-read tabloid Blesk. Together with partners, he also owns minority stakes German media company ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE and French newspaper Le Monde.
Kretinsky says all his investments are naturally affected by the global pandemic, although to a varying degree. Among businesses doing well is e-commerce, which is flooded by millions of online orders after lockdowns shut non-essential shops.
On the other hand, he said media businesses are suffering more and the industry should be eligible for some form of the state support. The core energy assets have been impacted to a “lesser extent, given the essential nature of our services,” Kretinsky said.

Rational Voice

Even in retail, the effects of the crisis differ. Metro wasn’t hit in the first few weeks, but closures of hotels, restaurants and bars in France, Italy and Spain will be “very painful.” On the other hand, Casino seems to have been buoyed as it provides vital services to the French society, he said.
As businesses and governments hunker down across Europe, Kretinsky sees the role of corporate leaders to bring a rational voice to the public debate. Any crisis is a good opportunity for costs savings and optimizations, but a moderate approach should now prevail, according to Kretinsky.
“Those who will not react enough will lose all or a lot, but those who will over-react will lose as well, potentially a lot,” said the billionaire, who counts the 17th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes among his favorite authors.
The length of the shutdowns will determine the impact on businesses and economies, he said, adding that there is also a potential psychological risk as fear-driven consumer behavior could bring “deep structural changes.”
Efforts to deploy the right solutions are being complicated by wrong public perception of the coronavirus risks, Kretinsky said. And while the pandemic is a serious problem, he sees the numbers showing that it isn’t a life-or-death threat for standard population with no important underlying health problems.
“The fight or war against the coronavirus is hence not a war to safe mankind or millions,” he said. “This is a war to prevent avoidable deaths.”
By Lenka Ponikelska and James M Gomez — With assistance by Alexander Sazonov - Bloomberg

Welcome to this post fellow redditors! With the Euro 2016 less than 6 months away, it is time to introduce the stadiums that will host the fixtures of this tournament. For each city, you will find an in-depth description of the stadium, a photo album and a link to the city guide made by UEFA. Let me know if I made some mistakes or oversights. I hope you enjoy the reading!
Nota Bene:

• All kick-off times of the fixtures are CET.
  
• The names of the stadiums have been standardized for the Euro 2016 if their name is from a naming deal (this is the case for Bordeaux and Nice stadiums). The current names of the stadium can be found in brackets.
  
• All inauguration dates of the renovated stadiums are for the renovation for the Euro 2016 except for the Parc des Princes where the renovations were too minor to consider an inauguration date.
  

BORDEAUX

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Bordeaux (Matmut-Atlantique)
Location: Cours Jules-Ladoumègue, 33300 Bordeaux, France
Coordinates: 44° 53′ 49″ N 0° 33′ 48″ W
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 11/04/12
End of construction: 04/30/15
Cost: € 184m
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
Owner: City of Bordeaux
Tenants: FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Inauguration: 05/23/15 (Bordeaux - Montpellier, 2-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 42,000 (42,115)
Attendance record: 42,115 (ASM Clermont Auvergne - Stade toulousain, 18-14, 06/06/15)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: France – Serbia (2-1), 09/07/15
Other major sporting events: 2015 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 18.00: Wales v Slovakia
  
• 06/14/16, 18.00: Austria v Hungary
  
• 06/18/16, 15.00: Belgium v Ireland
  
• 06/21/16, 21.00: Croatia v Spain
  

Quarter-finals

• 07/02/16, 21.00: W41 v W43

Trivia: The Stade de Bordeaux is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of Girondins of Bordeaux, Stade Chaban-Delmas, that hosted the 1938 and 1998 World Cup. This stadium is the cheapest of the 4 new stadiums. It has been designed by Herzog & de Meuron, architects of the famous Allianz Arena, and features a "floating" roof supported by 900 stranchions. In september 2015, the stadium has been named "Matmut-Atlantique" for 10 years and a price of € 2m per year.

LENS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Location: Avenue Alfred-Maës, 62300 Lens, France
Coordinates: 50° 25′ 58″ N 2° 48′ 54″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: January 2014
End of renovation: July 2015
Cost: € 70m
Architect: Cardete et Huet
Owner: City of Lens
Tenants: Racing Club de Lens
Inauguration: 08/08/15 (Lens – Red Star, 1-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 35,000 (33,443)
Attendance record: 48,912 (Lens - Marseille, 2-1, 02/15/92)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: Euro 1984; 1998 World Cup (Laurent Blanc golden goal leads France to the Quarter-Finals)
Other major sporting events: 1999 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Matt Pokora and Magic System free concert for the RC Lens centenary (07/14/06); Johnny Hallyday (06/06/09)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 15.00: Albania v Switzeland
  
• 06/16/16, 15.00: England v Wales
  
• 06/21/16, 21.00: Czech Republic v Turkey
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 21.00: WD v 3B/E/F

Trivia: The stadium was build back in 1932 by unemployed workers that found explosives shells and grenades during the construction. The stadium can accommodate the whole population of Lens and will still have more than 2,000 empty seats. It has the particularity to be the only stadium in France that has its supporters kop in the side stand and not in the curve as usual. It has been the location of a scene in the movie "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis", leader of the all-time French box-office, where you can hear "Les Corons", famous song sung by Lens fans.

LILLE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Pierre-Mauroy
Location: 261 Boulevard de Tournai, 59650 Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France
Coordinates: 50° 36′ 43″ N 3° 07′ 50″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 03/29/10
End of construction: 07/15/12
Cost: € 282m
Architect: Valode & Pistre and Pierre Ferret
Owner: Eiffage Lille Stadium Arena
Tenants: LOSC Lille
Inauguration: 08/17/12 (Lille – Nancy, 1-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 50,000 (50,157)
Attendance record: 49,626 (France – Jamaica, 8-0, 06/08/14)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: France – Jamaica (8-0), 06/08/14
Other major sporting events: 2014 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals; 2014 Davis Cup Final (France – Switzerland, 1-3); EuroBasket 2015 knockout stage; 2017 World Men’s Handball Championship
Major concerts: Rihanna concert (07/20/13); Patrick Bruel concert (09/06/14); Johnny Hallyday concert (10/09/15)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 21.00: Germany v Ukraine
  
• 06/15/16, 15.00: Russia v Slovakia
  
• 06/19/16, 21.00: Switzerland v France
  
• 06/22/16, 21.00: Italy v Ireland
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 18.00: WC v 3A/B/F

Quarter-finals

• 07/01/16, 21.00: W38 v W42

Trivia: The Stade Pierrre-Mauroy is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016. It is the only stadium in France to have a retractable roof that can be closed or opened in half an hour. It also has a retractable pitch and can be used as a sporting arena. This stadium holds the attendance record for an European basketball game (26,922, Spain - France, 09/17/15) and for a Davis cup game (27,432, France - Switzerland, 11/21/14). The owner of the stadium also own the Millau Viaduct (world's tallest bridge structure and highest bridge in Europe) and the Channel Tunnel.

LYON

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Lyon (Parc OL)
Location: Chemin du Montout, 69150 Décines-Charpieu, France
Coordinates: 45° 46′ 01″ N 4° 58′ 52″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 10/22/12
End of construction: 01/06/16
Cost: € 405m
Architect: Populus
Owner: OL Groupe
Tenants: Olympique Lyonnais
Inauguration: 01/09/16 (Lyon – Troyes, 4-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 59,000 (59,500)
Attendance record: 55,169 (Lyon – Troyes, 4-1, 01/09/16)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 2019 Women’s World Cup
Other major sporting events: 2016 Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals (Rugby)
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/13/16, 21.00: Belgium v Italy
  
• 06/16/16, 18.00: Ukraine v Northern Ireland
  
• 06/19/16, 21.00: Romania v Albania
  
• 06/22/16, 18.00: Hungary v Portugal
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 15.00: WA v 3C/D/E

Semi-finals

• 07/06/16, 21.00: W45 v W46

Trivia: The Stade de Lyon is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of Olympique Lyonnais, Stade de Gerland, that hosted the Euro 1984 and the 1998 World Cup. It is owned by Lyon and the only one of the 10 Euro 2016 stadiums to be owned by the football club that play in it. The stadium will be candidate to host the Europa League final in 2018.

MARSEILLE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Vélodrome
Location: 3, boulevard Michelet, 13008 Marseille, France
Coordinates: 43° 16′ 11″ N 5° 23′ 45″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: March 2011
End of renovation: June 2014
Cost: € 267m
Architect: SCAU
Owner: City of Marseille
Tenants: Olympique de Marseille
Inauguration: 10/19/14 (Marseille – Toulouse, 2-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 67,000 (67,394)
Attendance record: 65,148 (Marseille – PSG, 2-3, 04/05/15)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup (Dennis Bergkamp famous last minute goal against Argentina); Euro 1960; Euro 1984 (France vs Portugal epic semi-final)
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 Rugby Challenge Cup final; 2011 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (4 times); Pink Floyd (07/12/89); U2 (07/14/93); The Rolling Stones (06/20/90 & 07/05/03); The Police (06/03/08); AC/DC (06/09/09); Paul McCartney (06/05/15)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 21.00: England v Russia
  
• 06/15/16, 21.00: France v Albania
  
• 06/18/16, 18.00: Iceland v Hungary
  
• 06/21/16, 18.00: Ukraine v Poland
  

Quarter-finals

• 06/30/16, 21.00: W37 v W39

Semi-finals

• 07/07/16, 21.00: W47 v W48

Trivia: The Stade Vélodrome is named after the cycling track surrounding the pitch when it first opened in 1937. The stadium has hosted many sporting events during its history such as tennis, field hockey, boxing, motorsports, handball, boules, greyhound tracks, baseball, US football and cycling. It is the only stadium, beside the Parc des Princes, to have hosted the 5 international football tourmanents in France (1938 and 1998 World Cup, Euro 1960, 1984, 2016). Before the renovation, the stadium was roofless and opened to the elements and to the "Mistral", a famous wind blowing in the southeastern France.

NICE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Nice (Allianz Riviera)
Location: Boulevard des Jardiniers, 06200 Nice, France
Coordinates: 43° 42′ 18″ N 7° 11′ 33″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 08/06/11
End of construction: September 2013
Cost: € 245m
Architect: Jean-Michel Wilmotte
Owner: City of Nice
Tenants: OGC Nice
Inauguration: 09/22/13 (Nice – Valenciennes, 4-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 35,000 (35,624)
Attendance record: 35,200 (France – Paraguay, 1-1, 06/01/14)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: France – Paraguay (1-1), 06/01/14; France – Armenia (4-0), 10/08/15
Other major sporting events: RC Toulon rugby matches (6 in total)
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 18.00: Poland v Northern Ireland
  
• 06/17/16, 21.00: Spain v Turkey
  
• 06/22/16, 21.00: Sweden v Belgium
  

Round of 16

• 06/27/16, 21.00: RB v RF

Trivia: The Stade de Nice is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of OGC Nice, Stade du Ray. The National Sports Museum is located in the stadium and was opened in 2014 after being moved out from Paris. The stadium has been named "Allianz Riviera" for 9 years and a price of € 1.8m per year. It is environmentally friendly with more than 4,000 solar panels and its own geothermal installation for heating drawing over three times its own energy requirements. The stadium also uses rain water channelled from the stadium roof into four collection reservoirs for pitch watering.

PARIS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Parc des Princes
Location: 24, rue du Commandant-Guilbaud, 75016 Paris, France
Coordinates: 48° 50′ 29″ N 2° 15′ 11″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: May 2013
End of renovation: 2015
Cost: € 75m
Architect: Tom Sheehan
Owner: City of Paris
Tenants: Paris Saint-Germain
Inauguration: 05/25/72 (France – USSR, 1-3)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 45,000 (48,527)
Attendance record: 50,370 (France – Wales, 31-12, 02/18/89)
Pitch: Hybrid grass DESSO GrassMaster
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup; Euro 1960; Euro 1984 (Luis Arconada famous mistake in the final against France); 3 European Cup finals (Real Madrid – Reims, 4-3, 06/13/1953; Bayern Munich – Leeds United, 2-0, 05/28/1975; Liverpool – Real Madrid, 1-0, 05/27/1981; 2 Cup Winners’ Cup finals (Anderlecht – Austria Vienna, 4-0, 05/03/1978; Arsenal – Real Zaragoza, 1-2, 05/10/1995); 1 UEFA Cup final (Lazio – Internazionale, 0-3, 05/06/1998)
Other major sporting events: 1991 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (7 times); Michael Jackson (4 times); The Rolling Stones (3 times); Red Hot Chili Peppers (06/15/04 & 07/06/07); U2 (09/06/97); David Bowie (06/14/97); Metallica (06/23/04); Iron Maiden (06/25/05); Robbie Williams (06/27/06); Muse (06/23/07); Genesis (06/30/07); Bruce Springsteen (06/27/08); Mika (07/04/08); Coldplay (09/07/09); Green Day (06/26/10)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 15.00: Turkey v Croatia
  
• 06/15/16, 18.00: Romania v Switzeland
  
• 06/18/16, 21.00: Portugal v Austria
  
• 06/21/16, 18.00: Northern Ireland v Germany
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 18.00: WB v 3A/C/D

Trivia: The Parc des Princes used to host the national cup finals and be the national team stadium before the construction of the Stade de France. It also hosted 54 Tour de France finish. The stadium of the Stade Français (Parisian rugby team), Stade Jean Bouin, is right next to the Parc des Princes less than 100 meters away. The Paris ring road goes under the Parc des Princes and the Stade Jean Bouin through the Parc des Princes tunnel. The Parc des Princes pitch has been awarded "Best Ligue 1 Natural Pitch" the last 2 years thanks to Jonathan Calderwood, former Aston Villa's groundsmanager. After the Euro 2016, the Parc des Princes will be extented to a 60,000 capacity.

SAINT-DENIS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de France
Location: ZAC du Cornillon Nord, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
Coordinates: 48° 55′ 28″ N 2° 21′ 36″ E
Status: Already build
Start of construction: 05/02/95
End of construction: 11/30/97
Cost: € 364m
Architect: Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Michel Regembal, Claude Costantini
Owner: French State
Tenants: The France national football team, The France national rugby team
Inauguration: 01/28/98 (France – Spain, 1-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 80,000 (81,338)
Attendance record: 80,430 (South Africa – England, 15-6, 10/20/07)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: 1998 World Cup (Lilian Thuram 2 only goals in NT career qualify France for the final; Zinedine Zidane brace leads France to their first World Cup trophy); 2003 Confederations Cup; 2 UEFA Champion’s League finals (Real Madrid – Valencia, 3-0, 05/24/00; Barcelona – Arsenal, 2-1, 05/17/06); 2 World Cup qualifiers playoffs (France – Ireland, 1-1, 11/18/09; France – Ukraine, 3-0, 11/19/13)
Other major sporting events: 1999 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 H-Cup final; 2003 World Championships in Athletics
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (9 times); The Rolling Stones (5 times); AC/DC (5 times); U2 (5 times); Muse (4 times); Black Eyed Peas (3 times); Madonna (3 times); Beyoncé & Jay-Z (twice); Bruce Springsteen (twice); Paul McCartney (twice); David Guetta (twice); Depeche Mode (twice); The Police (twice); Prince (06/30/11); Céline Dion (twice); Metallica (05/12/12); Red Hot Chili Peppers (06/30/12); Coldplay (09/02/12); Lady Gaga (09/22/12); Rihanna (06/08/13); Eminem (08/22/13); Roger Waters (09/21/13)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/10/16, 21.00: France v Romania
  
• 06/13/16, 18.00: Ireland v Sweden
  
• 06/16/16, 21.00: Germany v Poland
  
• 06/22/16, 18.00: Iceland v Austria
  

Round of 16

• 06/27/16, 18.00: WE v RD

Quarter-finals

• 07/03/16, 21.00: W40 v W44

Final

• 07/10/16, 21.00: W49 v W50

Trivia: The Stadium was build for the 1998 World Cup and is the biggest stadium in France by capacity. It is the only stadium in the world to have ever hosted a World Cup football and a World Cup rugby final. It has movable seating that can be retracted to uncover part of the athletics track. The locker rooms were designed with the help of Michel Platini. The stadium has been used by Lille and Lens to host Ligue 1 games while their stadiums were being renovated or build. The Stade de France can resist winds up to 145 kph and a software simulating crowd dynamics was used during its conception.

SAINT-ETIENNE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
Location: 14, rue Paul et Pierre Guichard, 42028 Saint-Étienne, France
Coordinates: 45° 27′ 39″ N 4° 23′ 25″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: May 2011
End of renovation: December 2014
Cost: € 58m
Architect: Chaix & Morel et Associés
Owner: City of Saint-Etienne
Tenants: AS Saint-Etienne
Inauguration: 03/08/15 (Saint-Etienne – Lorient, 2-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 42,000 (42,000)
Attendance record: 47,747 (Saint-Etienne – Lille, 1-0, 05/11/85)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: Euro 1984 (Michel Platini perfect hat-trick against Yugoslavia); 1998 World Cup (Michael Owen famous goal against Argentina); 2003 Confederations Cup
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: Bruce Springsteen (06/25/85); Johnny Hallyday (07/22/03); The Police (06/10/08)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/14/16, 21.00: Portugal v Iceland
  
• 06/17/16, 18.00: Czech Republic v Croatia
  
• 06/20/16, 21.00: Slovakia v England
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 15.00: RA v RC

Trivia: The Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is named after the founder of the Casino retail chain. The nickname of the stadium is "Le Chaudron" (the Cauldron) due its reputation for the atmosphere. The stadium was build on old mine tunnels next to a steel factory and in the early days of the stadium, fumes from the factory's chimneys were known to drif across the pitch. The "Musée des Verts" located in one of the stadium's stand and showing the history of the Saint-Etienne club is the first museum in France dedicated to a football club. The museum exhibits the famous square posts that deny Saint-Etienne 2 goals (Dominique Bathenay long shot; Jacques Santini header) in the 1976 European Cup final against Bayern München in Glasgow.

TOULOUSE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stadium de Toulouse
Location: Île du Ramier, 1, bis allées Gabriel Biénès, 31028 Toulouse, France
Coordinates: 43° 35′ 00″ N 1° 26′ 03″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: April 2013
End of renovation: December 2015
Cost: € 46m
Architect: Cardete et Huet
Owner: City of Toulouse
Tenants: Toulouse FC
Inauguration: 01/16/16 (Toulouse – PSG)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 33,000 (33,300)
Attendance record: 40,000 (Toulouse – Sete, 0-0, 05/20/51)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup (Romania beat England 2-1 in the group stage); BONUS: Diego Maradona hits the post in the penalty shootout and qualifies Toulouse for the Second Round of the 1986-1987 UEFA Cup
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Michael Jackson (09/16/92)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/13/16, 15.00: Spain v Czech Republic
  
• 06/17/16, 15.00: Italy v Sweden
  
• 06/20/16, 21.00: Russia v Wales
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 21.00: WF v RE

Trivia: The Stadium de Toulouse in located on an island in the center of City on the Garonne river. Since november 2009, the East stand is named "Brice Taton", a Toulouse fan that died in Belgrade in september 2009 from his injuries caused by Partizan hooligans. The stadium is only one kilometer away to the AZF factory, ac hemical plant, that suffered a major explosion in september 2001 damaging the stadium. 6 months of repairs costing nearly € 600K were needed to fix the stadium.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-25/the-economy-is-booming-so-why-can-t-u-s-grocers-hike-prices

Grocery chains have long awaited the right conditions to charge more for their products, and a broad view of the U.S. would suggest this is their moment: Unemployment is near historic lows, consumer confidence is high and inflation is inching upward.
But companies are finding they’re losing the power to hike prices. That’s because Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. are engaged in a battle to the death on consumer spending, while low-cost chains Aldi and Lidl pressure brick-and-mortar companies. At the same time, shoppers are becoming less loyal to legacy brand names than ever before -- meaning they’ll go generic instead of paying up for labels.
“Retailers took advantage of lower food costs to push down prices, and customers became acclimated to that environment,” said Jennifer Bartashus, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “Now that inflation is returning, not only is competition in play, but customers are no longer used to seeing marginal price increases come through.”
The forces at play are illustrated by General Mills Inc., which has acknowledged that attempted price hikes for its Progresso soup and Yoplait yogurt ultimately hurt sales. The misstep exacerbated a slump in those key businesses, as shoppers migrated to other brands. Nestle SA has also experienced difficulties in getting price increases to stick.
It’s not just big food. Consumer companies are finding they’re being pinched by the same forces. Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc’s hygiene and home division, which sells brands such as Lysol spray and Air Wick air fresheners, showed solid volume gains in the most recent quarter, but suffered because of lower prices, sending its shares plummeting. Kimberly-Clark Corp., maker of Huggies and Kleenex, reported flat or lower prices across its categories in its latest quarterly results.
In the U.K., Tesco Plc and its competitors have started to push up prices to compensate for the post-Brexit weakening of the pound -- but it hasn’t been able to fully pass on higher costs to shoppers. In France, competition has prevented Carrefour SA and Casino Guichard Perrachon SA from implementing price hikes.

The article also mentions about Aldi and Lidi expanding into the US. I also remember a Hormel engineer talking about the pressure to cut costs in the manufacturing area, and the challenges that go along with it.
With the news of PM being hit hard by stagnating e-cig sales, RIP my $VDC (and Unilever) holdings.

The season is finally here and u/Exells took the initiative to start a guide for people who aren't as familiar with Ligue 1 as they are with other leagues. Over the next week or so, we will continue to post team previews in no specific order and I might start doing more than one per day. If you have volunteered to write a review, but haven't sent it in yet, please do, otherwise I might be doing a hatchet job via wikipedia on some of the lesser known teams if i have time.
On a side note: You can't believe how long it took me to find out that I hadn't submitted this one!

AS Saint-Étienne

Write up by: ptexy
Logo
General
ASSE, or L’Association Sportive de Saint Étienne Loire, was founded in 1919 and has since then become the most successful club in the history of French football, with ten Ligue 1 titles, six French cup titles, one League Cup, and five Trophées des Champions. Their trophy cabinet dwarves even that of Paris or Marseille, as ‘Les Verts’ dominated the French football scene throughout the 60s and 70s.
The City
‘Sainté’ play in the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard, and boast one of the most impressive atmospheres in Ligue 1, as the city of Saint-Étienne is truly football-crazy. The team is the crown jewel and pride of their city, the capital of the Loire region, located in eastern France, only 50 kilometres away from their fierce rivals, Lyon. It is the 14th most populous city in France, and it is a beautiful town either to visit or live in.
History
ASSE was founded in 1919 by a group of grocery-story workers, yes, grocery-store workers, who worked for the Supermarket chain ‘Groupe Casino’, hence, the green colour of the club, as it was the colour of the Groupe Casino grocery store. Eight years later, Pierre Guichard took over the club to merge it with a local club, Stade Forézien Universitaire, and renamed the team ‘Association Sportive Stéphanoise’, as ‘Stéphanois(e)’ is the adjective for something from Saint-Étienne. It was only in the early 30’s that the club turned professional and changed its name to its current form. The Stéphanois club comfortably installed itself in the elite of French and European football throughout the 20th Century, even getting to the final of the European Cup in 1976, only to lose against Bayern Munich. Although Sainté dominated the match, they hit the crossbar continually. These infamous crossbars are now exposed in the ASSE museum for all fans to see, curse and cry at. Saint Étienne have produced and developed many notable players, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kurt Zouma, Michel Platini, Laurent Blanc, Blaise Matuidi, Dimitri Payet, Kevin Mirallas, all once wore proudly the green of Saint-Étienne.
Last Season
Last season, Saint-Étienne did neither disappoint nor enthrall their loyal fanbase, finishing in sixth place just below LOSC Lille at 58 points. Manager Christophe Galtier brought the possibility of another Europa League campaign to Les Verts after their knockout last season in the group stage. This season, though the summer transfer window is not over yet, Saint Étienne have lost a couple of key players. Maupay, Tabanou, Cohade, Clerc, Bahebeck, Diomandé, Assou-Ekotto, and Brison have left the club; that’s eight important players. So far, only Cheick Mbengue from Toulouse and Bryan Dabo from Montpellier have joined the club, which is not very reassuring so far. I expect Saint-Étienne to have a season much like the last with a few late arrivals towards the end of transfer window to strengthen their roster, along with Beric and Tannane coming back from injury and Paul Baysse coming back from loan. Now, it’s up to Galtier and the boys in green to prove me wrong.
Expected XI
Sainté could line up as follows next season in a 4-3-3:

 Ruffier Théophile-Catherine, Perrin, Pogba (Paul’s brother!), Polomat– Pajot, Dabo, Lemoine Tannane, Beric, Hamouma 

Their bench could look like this:
Soderlund, Roux, Cohade, Moulin, Baysse, Monnet-Paquet, Clément.
Player to watch
Stéphane Ruffier
Ruffier arrived from Monaco in 2011 and has become one of the best keepers in the league, even being called up to the France squad several times since 2010 and being nominated three times in a row for best keeper of Ligue 1. Now that his worst enemy and serial humiliator, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has left the league, Ruffier should have an even better season in 16/17.
Why you should follow ASSE
If you love teams with a lot of history and an explosive fanbase and you enjoy a crazy atmosphere at your home games, Saint-Étienne is the club for you. If you’re a Liverpool fan, I could see you liking Les Verts, both very successful clubs historically, but not so much recently. Plus, Pogba’s brother plays for them, so they must have something going for them, right? Also, if you really hate Lyon, or know a Lyon fan that gets on your nerves, Saint-Étienne, is definitely the club for you. I hope green brings out your eyes! (Also their jerseys are designed by Le Coq Sportif, and are always really sweet).
Why should Messi go to ASSE
Why should Messi go to Saint-Étienne? Because his favourite colour is red, which is the complimentary colour to green, which is Saint-Étienne’s colour. I’ve already contacted the Sun, they’re running this on their front page next week as ‘Messi to Saint-Étienne: done deal”. You’re welcome.
Why would ASSE be relegated?
Why would the club be relegated to Domino’s™ Ligue 2? Well, realistically, they won’t, unless there is some kind of major disaster á la 15/16 Marseille. The team sheet isn’t Champions League worthy but it still have the potential to be at the foot of the French podium with the right play style and management. With Christophe Galtier as their manager, the club is in good hands.