Smiths Group has been pioneering progress and engineering a better future Social and Governance (ESG) is at the very centre of our purpose and we are committed to sustainability leadership Journalists can find useful resources such as our latest news Our investors and analysts can find latest and historical results and access shareholder services and corporate governance information French Customs lent their Smiths Detection mobile scanner to the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research to help investigate a Neolithic discovery With almost 80% of its land dedicated to farming and forestry the Grand Est region of north-eastern France ranks first for the country’s agricultural and agrifood industries Yet little is still known of the Neolithic people who first settled in the area and developed its early farming systems It is believed they arrived from the Near East in southern Europe in around 5,200 BC Having already evolved from their Stone Age forebears over the previous 1,000 years they brought with them relatively cultured lives characterised by permanent settlements While little of these early settlements remain their better-preserved burial grounds have the potential to advance our understanding of these people’s spiritual beliefs Around 160 hypogea – or complex underground tombs marked by more sophisticated architecture tools and other offerings indicative of the deceased’s status – have been discovered in France over the last couple of centuries just five had been properly studied and documented before being emptied a new Neolithic site discovered in Saint-Memmie (Marne) in 2019 naturally generated a great deal of interest A team led by the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) had found three pits containing human remains of all ages and a well-preserved hypogeum comprising an underground tomb with monuments as well as 50 skeletons there was still uncertainty about exactly who these people were: it was common practice for successive communities to reuse old burial grounds and four more recent Gallic burial grounds had also been discovered locally Analysis of decomposed flesh could reveal important new information Despite weeks of painstaking effort onsite some of the research area comprised compacted minerals (gangue) which was proving too dense to study in situ Any attempt to penetrate it onsite without understanding what was locked inside could easily damage any delicate and valuable remains relocating the materials to enable further detection work could also cause damage To help them develop the right action plan INRAP turned to French Customs to borrow their Smiths Detection HCVM all-in-one mobile-screening lorry for use as a temporary ‘lab’ at the dig’s car park Using high-energy X-ray and viZual technology for the discrimination of organic/inorganic material at 6 mega volts this system is normally used at border controls to detect narcotics It is powerful enough to penetrate more than 30cm of steel so made light work of the gangue to capture vital details about the mystery sample in a matter of minutes – which enabled the researchers to confirm that there were bones within the gangue This careful approach has meant that the archaeologists now have the rare opportunity to study potential Neolithic remains in detail they will be able to determine the number of individuals buried From this they hope to gain new insights into their societal makeup and even contribute to the general understanding of the Neolithic migration through Europe the discoveries in this important farming region of France look set to at last reveal some long-buried secrets about those who first settled in and shaped it >>>Click to find out more about our: HCVM Mobile X-Ray Systems Read our latest Engineering Explained insight on Smiths Interconnect's role in NASA’s Europa Clipper - to search for life on the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons Read our latest Engineering Explained insight piece on how our engineers are helping hydrogen to become a safe secure and profitable source of new energy Get the most important updates from Smiths emailed to you as they happen See our Privacy Statement for information on how we process data Chaussea notified the Autorité de la concurrence of its plan to acquire 128 stores operating under the La Halle brand The acquisition is in the context of the opening of a judicial reorganisation proceedings before the Commercial Court of Paris on behalf of the La Halle Group the Autorité de la concurrence exceptionally granted a derogation (see box) allowing Chaussea to proceed with the acquisition Chaussea operates stores which sell entry-level footwear for men The 128 stores of La Halle acquired in the context of this transaction are also active in the retail distribution of entry-level footwear for men Unlike for other products (consumer electronics1, toys2, books3 the Autorité deemed it appropriate to analyse the in-store sales and online sales separately among other things in view of the relatively small proportion of sales of footwear made online Chaussea and La Halle are two important players in the market for the retail distribution of entry-level footwear on which not only the major national footwear retailers operate (Besson their market shares will be between 20% and 30% even if only formal footwear is taken into account the Autorité examined whether the acquisition of this large number of footwear retail stores (La Halle) by Chaussea was likely to distort competition in the catchment areas where the stores of both chains are simultaneously present The Autorité found that in almost all areas consumers will continue to benefit from alternative offerings to those of the new entity which are equivalent in terms of price and product range These competing stores - which include the Besson but also major food stores and regional chains specialising in the sale of entry-level footwear such as Chauss34 in the Hérault department and Pointure Plus in the Gironde department - are still sufficient in number to prevent the new entity from being inclined to increase the price of the products sold or to lower the quality of the products sold in its stores the Autorité nevertheless identified risks to competition in the catchment areas of the La Halle stores located in Dole (39) the acquisition was likely to reduce competitive pressure and could lead to price rises or a reduction in the diversity of the offering in particular in view of the high combined market share of the parties To address these competition-related concerns Chaussea has undertaken to sell one Chaussea or La Halle store in each of these areas These commitments will ensure that a sufficient level of competition is maintained and that the interests of consumers are safeguarded in the relevant markets The acquiring party presented will need to be approved by the Autorité which will ensure that they are able to provide a credible alternative in footwear retail distribution in each of the areas in question The stores affected by the divestiture are the following: * Became Chaussea following a ruling by the Commercial Court of Paris on 8 July 2020 The divestitures of the stores that are the subject of the commitments is intended to safeguard adequate local competitive dynamism.The aim is to allow a competitor to take over the stores and its activities in order to safeguard competition in the area in question thereby ensuring that consumers have a diversified offering in terms of prices and products it must be ensured that the stores are taken over under proper conditions of viability If the effective conclusion of a merger is subject to approval from the Autorité de la concurrence the Autorité may issue a derogation enabling them to finalise part or all of the transaction without waiting for the approval decision in order to allow the business activities to continue the granting of such a derogation is exceptional a derogation may be granted where takeover bids have been submitted for companies in liquidation or in insolvency proceedings the granting of a derogation by the Autorité is without prejudice to the final decision taken at the end of the investigation This is the 7th decision issued by the Autorité in the clothing and footwear sector since 2020: [1] See Decision 16-DCC-111 of 27 July 2016 regarding the acquisition of sole control of Darty by Fnac/ see press release of 18 July 2016 [2] See Decision 19-DCC-65 of 17 April 2019 regarding the acquisition of joint control of the company Luderix International by Jellej Jouets alongside the undivided ownership resulting from the estate of Mr Stéphane Mulliez/ see press release of 19 April 2019 [3] See Decision 17-DCC-186 of 10 November 2017 regarding the acquisition of sole control of Gibert Jeune by Gibert Joseph/ see press release of 15 November 2017 Vous ne pouvez pas accéder à cette page pour le moment nous vous invitons à nous contacter en nous transmettant l'identifiant ci-dessous This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Archaeologists working on a vast Neolithic site in northeast France have uncovered what they say is the last piece of the puzzle - traces of a permanent settlement The settlement was unearthed at the vast Neolithic site of Marais de Saint-Gond giving rare insights into its social organisation 150 years after the first flints were discovered "This is the last piece of the jigsaw we were missing," said Remi Martineau a researcher at France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) who located the village with his team this summer In Marais de Saint-Gond in northeastern France 15 large flint mines have already been identified on 450 hectares as well as 135 hypogeum-constructed underground chambers.  ten polishers for axes and fields cultivated by controlled burns have also been located since flints were first discovered a century and a half ago.  This new discovery makes it possible to pass a milestone in the understanding of "the economic societal and territorial organisation of the Neolithic" adding that there is "no equivalent" in all of Europe.  The village was discovered when a ditch for the installation of a palisade was identified in the commune Val-des-Marais around 136 kilometres from Paris The prehistoric enclosure was circling a hill enclosing an estimated area of one hectare according to the archaeological evaluations.  near a large rubbish pit some 20 metres in diameter "The site was completely structured," said Martineau.  "The foundations of our society are already there." These successive discoveries are the result of a research programme started 20 years ago the University of Bourgogne Franche-Comte and the culture ministry involved 50 people including researchers from France and abroad They have also unearthed a tiny oval object made of mother-of-pearl - a true "museum piece" It is pierced with two holes in the centre and is a likely ancestor of the button which dates to 3,400 to 3,300 years ago.  researchers hope that the rest of the site will be equally well-preserved if more excavations are conducted in the future.  please register for free or log in to your account.