They innovate

Located on rue d'Ypres, a small street in Wambrechies, the company is unassuming and hardly noticeable. A discreet plaque attached to the front of the building is the only indication that this is the main office of Elise, a local company that provides environmental services. 60 people, including collectors, sorters and administrative staff as well as the company founder, sort through office documents at four warehouses.

Founded by Paul van Doorn in the Netherlands in 2004, TradeTracker International over the last 10 years has become the European leader of affiliate marketing.

From her native Valenciennes to Paris and Rotterdam, urban architect Isabelle Menu has seen quite a bit of country. Since 2006, her bags have remained in Roubaix, northern France, where she has been building up her agency with her husband Luc Saison. An encounter with a woman who models steel, glass and concrete in the image of a territory in full expansion.

In 2014 my enterprise will launch a new activity requiring the recruitment of a range of different profiles. The success of this project depends first and foremost on these new talents, who will be the driving force behind our future activity. How can I reach and attract them to participate in the development of my enterprise?

Due to the difficulty to get into contact with customer support, the growing automation of customer service, outsourced or even non-existent customer relationship centres, what can be done? In light of the concern of many consumers who no longer know how or who to speak to, two young local entrepreneurs set up Critizr, an electronic platform that enables consumers and points of sale to communicate.

The famous northern chain of bookshops, Furet du Nord, is counting on the printed page, despite problems in the publishing industry. The company is healthy and continuing to expand in Ile-de-France, opening two new stores in shopping centres in the Paris suburbs.