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Why choose France?

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World's 6th Largest Economy

With almost 63 million citizens and a surface area of 550,000 km², France is the 6th largest economy in the world, whose GDP reached approximately 1,800 billion euros in 2006. More than one million businesses have been set up over the past 5 years, which equates to 550 new companies every day. The 20,000 international companies that already operate in France benefit from the many advantages offered by the French economy.

In 2006, as in previous years, France was one of the leading destinations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). According to Bank of France figures, France attracted a total of 58.4 billion euros in FDI, placing it in 3rd position after the United States and the United Kingdom.

2.5 million companies

one million new companies created since 2002

France has a long tradition of industrial activity, and today, over 2.5 million companies operate in France. The success of major French companies can be summed up in one word: competitiveness. French competitiveness means striving for excellence, anticipating changing markets and driving efforts to be a market leader.

France has 20,000 subsidiaries of international companies in various business sectors. These subsidiaries employ close to 2 million people, a figure that has doubled in 10 years: 1 employee out of 7 (which is more than 14% of the total number of employees in the private sector) works for a subsidiary of an international company. This is more than in Germany, the United Kingdom or the United States.

1,800 billion

GDP totaling euros in 2006

These major French groups are famous around the globe: L’Oréal, the world’s leading cosmetics group; Saint-Gobain, the world’s leading producer of building materials; Danone, the world’s leading producer of fresh dairy products; and LVMH, number one in the luxury goods market. Other examples include Michelin, Air Liquide, Carrefour, Total and Dassault Aviation.

Long-term strategy has allowed these sectors of excellence to compete on an international scale. Sectors include the agro-food industry, which is the French economy’s leading sector, and the automotive, aerospace and telecom industries.

A dense network of small and medium-sized businesses has been built around these major companies. Many international entrepreneurs have chosen France to expand their business and benefit from the vitality of the French economy. These businesses profit from a proximity to the European market and to major industrial groups based in France. Over 450 automotive suppliers, for example, have offices or factories based around Citroën and Renault’s major production sites. As a result, they benefit from huge purchasing capacity.

The number of new companies is constantly increasing: around one million new companies have been created in France since 2002. Today, just a few euros and 8 days are needed to create a company in France.

A proven capacity for enterprise, an exceptional environment, world-class infrastructure, market size and qualified manpower ─ all of these factors create extremely favorable economic conditions, making France a business location that encourages growth and development.