PARIS, Nov 20 (Reuters) - A Paris suburb hopes a blues
festival will help persuade U.S. investors to put money into the
redevelopment of a local PSA Peugeot Citroen car
factory that is due to be closed.
Aulnay-sous-Bois Mayor Gerard Segura plans to show a
delegation of entrepreneurs from Louisiana and U.S. embassy
representatives around during the "Aulnay All Blues" festival on
Wednesday in a bid to find new uses for the Peugeot site.
The music festival runs until Saturday and includes
performances from New Orleans musician David Batiste, playing
alongside sons Russell, Jamal, Ryan and Damon.
"Such are the coincidences of history, but the links formed
first with Chicago and now with New Orleans will perhaps enable
us to combine an economic initiative with a cultural one,"
Segura said by phone.
The French automaker plans to shut the Aulnay plant in 2014,
which employs 3,300 full-time workers, as it reorganises
under-used domestic production capacity to help reverse mounting
losses.
Unions have pledged to fight the closure, while local
officials have warned of a social disaster in an area that
already suffers from high unemployment and crime. Peugeot has
promised to seek new investors for the site.