The Japan Times WORLD EYE REPORTS SWITZERLAND
©THE JAPAN TIMES	Thursday, August 2, 2001

A small nation in the world's big leagues Switzerland remains a robust economy despite a weakening international economic climate Against the backdrop of an uncertain and volatile world economy showing signs of economic slowdown, if not recession, the Swiss economy's performance is heartening.

Osec, the Swiss trade promotion board, has launched a multilingual Web site that aims to be a one-stop shop for commercial information: www.osec.ch For students keen on getting higher education in Switzerland, the Swiss embassy in the UK has set up an extremely useful site with a comprehensive directory of Swiss universities and a listing of available study grants: www.swissembassy.org.uk The website of the national newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung supplies on-line news on Switzerland and a weekly overview of what is happening in the domestic business and political community: www.nzz.ch Location: Switzerland is the official government agency catering to foreign companies that want to set up operations in Switzerland. www.locationswitzerland.ch It's Switzerland 101 for internet surfers who are not very familiar with this Alpine nation. This informal site also has a lot of inside information on the country, both vital and trivial: www.about.ch Presence Switzerland, an official agency in charge of promoting Switzerland, provides information on its economy, politics, society, culture and geography: www.switzerland-in-sight.ch eBox Visit these internet addresses for detailed information on Switzerland.

Switzerland's economy grew by 3.4 percent last year - more than at any time since 1990 - and although a slowdown is expected this year, the country's economic performance remains fundamentally robust. FULL STORY

The luxury of time Johann Rupert has built a high-end empire through business astuteness and a particular sense of fun World Eye Reports sat down to breakfast for a conversation with Johann Rupert, executive chairman of the Richemont Group - the world's second largest luxury goods company - at its Swiss base in Zug.

Executive Chairman Johann Rupert expounds on the impossibility of selling Ferraris with Fiat engines.

The publicly traded Swiss holding company is famously known for such prestigious brands as Cartier, Piaget, Montblanc, Baume & Mercier, Officine Panerai, Montegrappa, Alfred Dunhill, Hackett, Sulka and Van Cleef & Arpels, and more recently the LMH watchmakers group comprising IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A Lange & Sohne. The group even has a substantial investment in Shanghai Tang, the first Chinese brand that has a real possibility of becoming a global luxury marque.FULL STORY

Switzerland and the EU:
Maybe tomorrow...

Although Switzerland's most important trading partners are the European Union (EU) countries - 65 percent of exports and 80 percent of imports are with the EU countries - the Swiss recently rejected a proposal to start accession negotiations immediately. The rejection was overwhelming: 75.7 percent of voters rejected the idea and only 23.3 percent voted yes with a turn-out of 55.1 percent.

Previous votes on joining the EU show that opinions have been roughly divided by language groups - with French and Italian speakers being wholeheartedly in favor of membership while German speakers are more reserved. However, the latest vote was rejected even in some of the most pro-European areas of the country. FULL STORY

SMEs catch up with global giants

One of Switzerland's perceived weaknesses is that its corporate sector is dominated by a huge number of "old economy" companies. The Swiss market has some of the world's biggest companies in banking, insurance, consumer food and engineering.

Novartis, Roche, Nestle, ABB, UBS, Credit Suisse -- along with perhaps a dozen other Swiss multinationals -- are often regarded as the flagship companies of Switzerland. FULL STORY

Swiss leadership in energy, trading and IT / Power tools in Liechtenstein Swiss base for Europe's crosscurrents An old hand makes a new start The best partner for their customers Focus on Liechtenstein Semiconductor maker confident of continued growth

Luxury, high-end, and economy in Switzerland / Japanese companies in Helvetia In step with the digital revolution Japanese financial services find a home in the land of bankers Conquering Europe's thrifty consumers

Textiles and writing instruments / Swiss icons: watchmakers and Army knives Success is woven with quality and creativity Gucci turns its sights on watches Adding pages to the book of watchmaking Cutting a path to the Japanese market The future is luxury

Global and niche giants / Innovative diversification Swiss Alpine meadow melts in your mouth Global food giant looks to Japanese growth Now you can also sleep under the Golden Arches Zurich: bustling crossroads of world-class business, culture and entertainment

Info GDP growth: 3.4 percent (2000); 1.3 percent (1995-1999 average) GDP per capita: US$36,143 (at 1999 market exchange rate) Inflation: 1.6 percent (2000 average) Major exports % of total Motor vehicles 10.7% Metal and metal products 7.7% Agricultural and forestry products 7.1% Leading export markets (rank) % of total Germany (1 ) 29.1% US (2) 12.8% Britain (5) 5.7% Japan (6) 4.2% Leading import suppliers (rank) % of total Germany (1)29.1 France (2)10.2 Italy (3) 9.2 US (4) 7.4 Britain (5) 5.8 Box Machinery and electronics 27.3% France (3) 8.7% Italy (4) 7.7% Japan (9) 2.8 Official name: Switzerland or Confoederatio Helvetica Population: 7.20 mil. (2000) Population growth: 0.4% (average, 1995-99) Land area: 41,288 sq km Currency: Swiss franc (CHF) Exchange rate: US$1=1.79 Chemicals and pharma -ceuticals 26.4% Instruments, watches and jewelry 15.1% Metal and metal products 8.0% Precious metals and stones 5.9% Source: Swiss Federal Statistics Office and OSEC CHF (June 2001 average); US$1=1.69 CHF (2000 average) GDP: US$215.24 billion Major imports % of total Machinery and electronics 22.7% Chemicals and pharma -ceuticals 15.7%

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