Alcatel Chairman Aims At US Revenues Of $10 Billion "Soon"
Dow Jones Online News, 11/22/2000 06:08
PARIS -(Dow Jones)- French telecommunications equipment supplier Alcatel SA (ALA) is looking to double its annual revenues in the U.S. to $10 billion "rather soon," but declined to specify when, Alcatel Chairman Serge Tchuruk said Wednesday.
Speaking a a press conference after receiving an "Manager Of The Year" award from French magazine Le Nouvel Economiste, Tchuruk said that Alcatel currently achieves annual revenues of around $5 billion in the U.S.
The group's growth rate in the U.S. is faster than the 20% to 25% generally achieved by the rest of the group, Tchuruk said.
He confirmed Alcatel's revenue growth target of 25% for next year.
Alcatel "has given one of the most optimistic forecasts for next year, but we have our reasons to do this. At (Alcatel), the U.S. grows faster than the rest of the group," Tchuruk said.
Tchuruk also said that he isn't satisfied with Alcatel's 25% stake in defense and civilian electronics group Thomson CSF (F.CSF).
"It's too much or not enough. It's a transitory stage toward a final destination," Tchuruk said, declining to give further details.
When asked whether a merger between Thomson CSF and a U.S. group was possible, he said that "transatlantic relationships haven't reached the stage where companies can merge," although joint subsidiaries could be created.
Alcatel's Tchuruk was competing with France Telecom's (FTE) Michel Bon, Thomson Multimedia's (THM) Thierry Breton, BNP-Paribas' (F.BNP) Michel Pebereau, and L'Oreal's (F.ORE) Lindsay Owen-Jones to be Le Nouvel Economiste's "Manager Of The Year."
Last year, the magazine had chosen TotalFinaElf's (TOT) Thierry Desmarest.
-By Valerie Venck, Dow Jones Newswires; 331-4017-1740 valerie.venck@dowjones.com
(This story was originally published by Dow Jones Newswires)
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