Title Corporate

Situated at the heart of the European economy, the Lille region provides direct access to the 100 million consumers that make up the markets of Northwest Europe, within a radius of 300 km. Within easy reach of Europe’s major decision centers, and thanks to first-rate transportation systems and networks (motorways, high speed TGV trains, international airport, Channel Tunnel, sea ports, road-rail platforms), the Nord Pas-de-Calais region lies at the intersection between Paris, Brussels, London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

The region accounts for over 5% of total French GDP, and is the 3rd leading economic region in France (not including Ile-de-France). It is the 2nd leading region for exports. Outside the Ile-de-France region, the Nord-Pas-de-Calais is the 2nd leading industrial region in France and has several centers of industrial excellence (automotive, rail, logistics, agro-industries, healthcare-biotechnologies, etc.). These centers demonstrate its rich and diverse economy, and its high capacity for flexibility and innovation: over 124,673 companies are currently based in the Lille region.

Lille is the 3rd most important financial market in France. It offers investors an array of financial service providers that are able to cater to all business requirements: over 600 chartered accountants and auditors, and representatives the largest accounting firms in the region. It also has a diverse banking sector, with over 80 financial establishments and a regional stock exchange platform. It is the 2nd leading insurance center in France (company headquarters such as La Mondiale, Lloyd Continental, etc.).

Lille is a distribution center for major companies, and it is also Europe’s biggest home-shopping distribution platform, with the highest concentration of market leaders in Europe: La Redoute, 3 Suisses, Quelles France, etc.

Finally, as well as being France’s 2nd largest university campus and accounting for 11% of the total number of French engineers, the Nord_Pas-de-Calais region has 6 designated clusters that bring together private companies, research laboratories and universities: I-Trans, Nutrition-Santé-Longévité (Nutrition-Health-Longevity), Matériaux à Usage Domestique (Domestic materials), Aquatique (Aquatics), UP-Tex, Industry and commerce clusters.

These advantages form the basis of the region’s industrial and market strength, and its key position in Europe.

Nord-Pas-de-Calais was the 3rd leading region for inward FDI in 2006 (excluding the Ile-de-France), accounting for over 7% of the total number of jobs created (2,853 jobs). The region has a policy of welcoming foreign investment projects, and in 2006, it won major development projects in the call center (Bertelsmann, Creditsafe) and pharmaceutical sectors (GSK Biologicals), and the development of a new Ikea site at Hénin Beaumont.