The GuideREADERSHIP SURVEY

ADVERTISING AND READERSHIP RESEARCH SURVEY ’10FOR THE ESSENTIAL UK GUIDE TO SOUTH-WEST FRANCE

600,000+ BRITISH IN FRANCEADVERTISING AND READERSHIP RESEARCH SURVEY ’10

INTRODUCTION

KEYThe key below indicates the research sources used over the next few pages to illustrate The Guide survey.

AN: Abbey National surveyBIS: Barclays International surveyBU: Bordeaux University researchDRE: Direction Régional EquipementDT: Daily Telegraph ArchivesFNA: French Estate Agents FederationFPN: French Property News reportHLS: Holiday Lettings Co. surveyINSEE: French National Statistics Offi ceNDF: Notaires de France databaseONS: Offi ce of National StatisticsOPP: Overseas Property Pro. surveyST: Sunday Times ArchivesTG: Independe nt survey interviews conducted by The Guide.

The Sun’s famous 1992 headline is still valid today in voicing the disillusionment that drives so many

Britons to seek new lives abroad. Where do they go and what especially are the attractions of La Belle France?

Offi cial French fi gures put the number of Britons living or working in France at 600,000. It’s an outfl ow that seems likely to grow: according to a recent BBC survey, 13% of us are hoping to emigrate there “in the near future”, double the fi gure of three years ago.

The French census of 2004 revealed that there were 100,000 Britons living permanently in France. The Notaires de France database shows 30,000+ British people now buy property in France each year, often selling their home in England to buy ruins mortgage-free and painstak-ingly doing them up. In addition to the resident British, some half a million more own holidays homes there or sojourn for more than 6 weeks a year. Wave after wave of “rosbifs” crossing the Channel in search of the good life of cheaper wine, more affordable houses and a bet-ter climate have boosted the number of Britons living in France by almost 50 per cent in only fi ve years.

Where do they all go? This study helps to clarify exactly where they are choosing to invest their money. Dordogne remains the most popular area for the settlers

“... Will the last person to leave Britain please switch out the lights.”

but substantial British communities are found in the Lot, Brittany and Provence. The sunny southern region of Langue-doc-Roussillon is also in great demand both in terms of property purchase and holiday destination. But less than 5% of these new residents speak French with anything resembling fl uency. Read on...

“In the league table of the best countries to live, Britain is 37th. The country judged to offer the fi nest quality of life

in the world is France.” DT

WHERE?

● WHILE the annual volume of French property purchases has stabalised in recent years, grow-ing from 736,000 to 750,000 between 2000 and 2004, the number of purchases by foreign buyers in the same period has increased by 50 per cent, from 35,000 transactions to 53,000. ONS

● NEARLY 60 per cent of foreign property buyers in France are from the UK. NDF

● THEY mainly buy in rural departments with low populations, in the southern half of France. NDF

● NEARLY 70 per cent of [British] planning to buy a home in France want to live in the country-side, with Aquitaine in the south-west and the Languedoc-Roussillon further south by far the most popular areas. Both these areas have more than 20,000 permanent British residents – a fi gure which is likely to swell to around 100,000 when holiday homes are taken into account. BU

● RYANAIR now fl y to the 5 Languedoc airports from 43 destinations, with a capacity of around 7m seats per year. ONS

● THE demand for second homes in France has seen property prices increase signifi cantly, for example by up to 28% in Languedoc Roussillon and 15% in Aquitaine. BIS

● FOR buy-to-let investors, Languedoc cities trump those of Provence every time. FNA

● 28,000 or 10 per cent of Languedoc’s holiday homes belong to non-French owners (the national average is 7.9 per cent). In certain areas, second home ownership by non-French nationals is as high as 35 per cent (in the Uzège area of the Gard department), 33 per cent (around Barjac, in the Gard), or 20 – 25 per cent (rural areas of the Hérault and Gard). DRE

● WITH millions of visitors to the region last year, the second-home, rental or investment markets are unlikely to disappear due to the strong underpinning by the tourism industry and local demand. AN

● 7.3 million British holidaymakers choose France each year. ST

Where the British buy property in France

NDF

CreuseDordogneLot

CharenteLanguedoc RoussillonOther

“The Languedoc offers quality Med. coast & sun, plus nearby skiing”OPP

“Languedoc is one of THE best served French

regions in terms of low cost, direct fl ights to the UK”OPP

WHO & WHY?

● FRENCH property fairs in Britain were once 65% geared towards holiday homes; now the balance has tipped in favour of people seeking a perma-nent move. BIS

● IT is to be noted that approximately one third of British buyers purchase property as a main home or intend to permanently settle in France in the short term. Many are retired or soon-to-be re-tired. The others try to start up a business or fi nd employment in fi elds such as the building trade, real estate, bed and breakfast accommodation and sometimes farming. NDF

● THE survey reveals that 60 per cent of these property purchasers are aged 45-64, and mainly looking to move abroad for retirement. ONS

● THE average age of British people buying a house was 52 years old, a little older than other nationalities, but this was put down to purchas-ers selling up in the UK - although it was noted the age range of buyers was from 30 to 75 years old. NDF

● THE traditional British retired professionals living down the sweep of the west of France and across to the Côte d’Azur and Alps are now being joined by couples in their 30s and 40s. NDF

● IT is clear that the appeal of selling a property to a British buyer is likely to be strong, as they are willing to pay more with average prices being €228,380, against a national French fi gure of €189,249. NDF

● 2,750 British people planning to move to France in the next three years [were surveyed]. Rather than being attracted by fresh daily croissants, communal pétanque, or other aspects of French rural living, almost all expressed a desire to return to a country where old-fashioned British values prevailed. BU

● EQUITY release has reached record levels in the UK in 2003 at around £57bn due to the rapid growth in UK property prices. Much of this has been used to buy cheaper European property outright with the cost of an average house in France now £124,000. BIS

● THANKS to sustained efforts by Septimanie Export (Languedoc’s export trade body) and the Langue-doc regional tourist board, Languedoc’s profi le has been signifi cantly raised in the UK. OPP

● FRANCE is still the world’s top tourist destination (The Economist, Aug. 2006) with Languedoc now the 4th most popular destination in France. DRE

Purchase price & rental rate

FNA

Average purchase price in euros per square metreAverage rental rate in euros per square metre

“British nationals possess altogether £5.6bn of real estate in France. As a result, they are more involved in municipalities

and local matters.” INSEE

● WHILE we expect immigrants to Britain to integrate, we feel no such responsibility ourselves when we move abroad. Indeed, Britons often don’t actually consider themselves as immigrants, so much as “ex-pats”. In France, Britons have been credited with bringing new life to depopulated rural areas. DT

● IN the Languedoc Roussillon heating is only needed for about fi ve months a year, from mid November through to mid April - a stag-gering difference from the north east of England where the heating often has to stay on throughout the year. ST

● ON average most Brits held onto their French home for around nine years. They have been taking advantage of the major price increases over the past 7 years to make sizeable capital gains.However, in most cases, they buy other properties – many of them in the same department – and start over with another purchase/renovation operation. BIS

● SEARCHES for properties in the South of France have increased on RightmoveOverseas with Languedoc-Roussillon an emerging hotspot as investors and holidaymakers look for areas which rep-resent a traditionally French way of life and offer easy access from the UK through airports such as Perpignan and Montpellier. HLS

“According to an ICM poll published in October 2006,

one English out of fi ve would have liked to have been born

in France.” ONS

● THE housing boom in the UK has given people access to huge chunks of equity from their homes bringing a second home in Europe, where house prices are cheaper, within the reach of record numbers of British people. When you add into the equation cheaper airfares to more destinations, it is easy to see how cash rich Britons are driving up property prices. BIS

● GOOD news for French estate agents is the fact that the number of

Britons buying homes overseas has risen by more than 60 per cent over a period of some fi ve years. ONS

● IN France, British acquisitions have grown in a spectacular way. The British are by far the biggest property buyers in France, with nearly 6 foreign acquisitions out of 10. They are generally not at-tracted to large cities. The British like space, nature and tranquil-lity. They favour a certain quality of life. Most of them tell us that they have a stressful, hard-working life in England. NDF

● THE average value of the property acquired by overseas owners was higher than that owned by the French. Foreign owners paid an average €161,000 for an apartment and €170,000 for a house, compared to French budgets of €121,000 and €148,000 respec-tively for the same kind of property.

“In the two years since 2004, the number of people who

own a second home overseas has grown by 250,000

to 800,000” ONS

● THE Languedoc region has continued to buck the French property price slow-down with consistent annual price increases of over 10% (as reported by property specialist Creme de Languedoc) for houses and apartments. As these increases are starting from a lower base than the more famous neighbouring Provence, investors can still pick up a great property for considerably less than a UK equivalent. AN

● IN Ireland, you could have a house of three rooms for €320.000 ,

in France a middle class house near a Loire castle with fi ve rooms, garages, stables and gardens would cost €318.000 . FPN

● RAIL links to the region are second-to-none. Paris to Montpel-lier via the iconic TGV will take less than four hours. The track has been earmarked to be up-graded between Montpellier and Perpignan (opening 2012) and the TGV link onto Barcelona is due to open in Feb 2009, cutting journey times from Perpignan to just 50 mins. AN

● CARCASSONNE Chamber of Commerce announced that they are working with Ryanair to increase the number of destinations by at least two new routes and bring the passenger level to a staggering 600,000 by 2007. DRE

“With its wealth of historic towns, varied natural beauty, and great food and wine, this

region in south-west France is a real delight” DT

● THE government has been pumping millions of invesment euros into the region’s transport infrastructure not only making it easier for locals to reach the sunny Languedoc, but other Europeans too. Languedoc is served by fi ve regional airports with a further fi ve a short drive away (most of which have direct fl ights served by budget airlines from many Europeans cities). AN

● LANGUEDOC Roussillon is consistently voted THE place retirees want to move to, Montpellier in Languedoc is currently the fastest growing city in Europe and Hérault has just come 2nd in a detailed poll of the most desirable departments of France to live in. AN

● THE number of British inhabitants in France has increased twofold during the last 5 years reaching 100,000 in 2004. Besides, 500,000 Britons spend at least 6 weeks in France each year. ONS

● ORIGINALLY most British immigrants to France were well-to-do retired people. Nowadays, entire middle-class families with children come to France. They move mostly to the rural regions in the centre of the French hexagon or the south-west. Many of these newcomers set up and develop a business, or work in trade and industry. Some are also employed in tourism dedicated to British customers or work for their homeland at home via the internet. ONS

“ If you’re moving to France, you will need a guide” TG

● BRITISH buyers prefer homes on the coast. They spend on average up to £244,586 ( 365,000) for property in the low hills along the coastline of the Languedoc Roussillon, according to a new study from national French lender, Credit Foncier de France. FPN

● BRITISH buyers are increasingly infl uential in France, as they make up more than 50% of the overseas property market, which last year was worth more than £4billion ( 6billion). EMS

● MORE UK pensioners were retiring to France, because of its sun and excellent standard of healthcare, said Credit Foncier, and with more baby boomers approaching retirement age, the numbers were expected to increase even more. FPN

● GROWING numbers of younger Britons with families are making the department their new home because of the quality of life it offers (the survey classed the Hérault as France’s third best place for families to live) INSEE

● A cross-Channel poll carried out by ICM in Britain and BVA institute in France showed that whereas 76% of the Brits declare liking the French countryside and way of life, less than one in ten feels an affi nity with the French. DT

● IT is estimated that some two million Britons telecommute, many of whom are small business owners operating from France. This growing band of overseas entrepreneurs is among the one in 10 Britons who live abroad, according to a survey by the Institute for Public Policy Research. DT

● THERE can be disadvantages of working remotely, in a foreign country. While it might be good to soak up the sun, you could easily fi nd yourself getting out of the loop without some form of regular contact. ST

NUMBERS OF BRITONS IN FRANCE*

Total Inc. part-time Pensioners % male % female

200,000 261,000 33,869 n/a n/a

BREAKDOWN BY AGE %0-14 15-24 25-44 45-64 64+

8.1 10.1 33.8 35.4 12.5

*Total and including part-time fi gures are estimates only. ©BBC

“I like the lifestyle here – and the weather.” TG

The British buy more expensive

property with their purchasing power NDF

“It is a growing trend, and I think it will only get bigger” TG

“Living and working abroad is particularly attractive” TG

“What you must not do is lose contact with people” TG

The original emigres came because they really loved France DT

It differs from area to area but you are getting more working

people DT

Expect rental prices to refl ect the popularity and status of the area HLS

We all

“Many people run businesses

that also serve UK markets” TG

“You might need local

expertise who speak English

as well” TG

“You have to make sure you keep contact with local trends and

issues” TG

Only 5% speak French with anything resembling fl uency ST

“They are looking for a tight knit community”

TG

Many try to start up a

business or fi nd employment

NDF

British buyers: they come from

almost everywalk of life NDF

It is easy to see how cash rich Britons are driving

up property prices BIS

need The Guide

CONCLUSION

Offi cial French fi gures put the number of Britons living or working in France at

600,000. The Notaires de France database shows 30,000 British people now buy property in France each year, often selling their home in England to buy ruins mortgage-free and painstakingly doing them up. In addition to the resident British, some half a million more own holidays homes in France or spend more than 6 weeks there a year. Wave after wave of “rosbifs” crossing the Channel in search of the good life of cheaper wine, more affordable houses and a better climate have boosted the number of Britons living in France by almost 50 per cent in only fi ve years. Their favourite areas? The south-west of France: Limousin, Aquitaine and the Languedoc Roussillon...

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