In spite of the current unpredictable business and political climate, foreign investors are attracted to Europe, though the mood remains cautious. One thing’s for certain, investors who wish to grow their presence in Europe need to choose their business location wisely. The Pays De La Loire region in the West of France is building quite a name for itself, attracting business for all the right reasons, according to a spokesman from The Invest in Western France agency.Why are UK companies looking to the Pays de la Loire? Spokesman said, “Strong potential markets with high levels of recruitment possibilities, special grants at accessible operational costs, maritime direct lines to the north and western part of Africa – this is why many UK companies are investing in this region, including GKN Driveline, Colart Painting, Vecteur Plus as well as more than 500 other foreign investors.”

What does internationalisation mean for the region?

With 56 per cent of investors planning to expand their activities in Europe by 2019, the fundamental question is where is the best location to put down your commercial roots?The spokesman added, “The internationalisation of the French economy last year showed that all national records could be broken and the Pays de la Loire region was no exception, having experienced a powerful growth phase, both demographically and socio-economically.”Pays de la Loire’s 450 kilometers of coastline is varied and diverse, featuring long sandy beaches, quiet bays, lively fishing ports and charming seaside resorts. This region is not only visually charming, it has also seen significant development in both the number of foreign companies setting up there and direct investment in local companies from abroad.The major assets of the Pays de la Loire are its orientation on agricultural-food processing with a strong background in metal and mechanics industries. It also maintains the highest number of manufacturing plants created for any region of France each year.

The attraction of relocating to Pays de la Loire

The highly skilled labour force is a big attraction, and, excluding Paris, the Pays de la Loire province has the highest employment figures in France, with 66 per cent of the working age population employed, making it the fifth wealthiest region in the country.The attractive policy of international co-operation with Europe and other continents holds huge business appeal, and hosting events like the yearly 24h Le Mans car race or the Grand Depart of the 2018 Tour de France keeps Pays de la Loire in the public eye.Historically this region in western France has always been industry motivated and last year over 50 per cent of foreign investment in Pays de la Loire was related to industrial production and business service. However, the marine, manufacturing, renewable energies, agro-food, health and ICT industries are also all now ripe for investment.Pays de la Loire has intentionally positioned itself at the forefront of the growing wave of ICT, and is home to top-quality networks, companies and knowhow. Numerous tech companies including NEC Computers, MPO and Euro Connect have already established themselves in the area, and the Ocean Energy Europe 2017 Conference & Exhibition in Nantes in October highlights the regions commitment to boosting innovation in ocean energy.The tourism sector is also booming, welcoming approximately 18 million tourists annually; with accommodation and visitor spend in Pays de la Loire among the best tourism revenue collected in France.The Invest in Western France spokesman added, “Approximately the same size as Belgium, Pays de la Loire is located on the Atlantic Ocean between Brittany, Paris and Bordeaux, crossed by the Loire River. Only 1 hour from Paris and opened to worldwide markets thanks to its maritime seacoast and major seaport of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire.”

Benefits from the surrounding areas

The region encompasses various cities and towns including Nantes, Angers, Le Mans, Laval, and La Roche-sur-Yon, and the area is buoyed by the energetic urban dynamism that they each offer.The capital, Nantes, allows access to all major European hubs from the Nantes Atlantique Airport, the leading airport in western France with two million passengers annually. The region is also home to Nantes-Saint-Nazaire Port, the largest European port on the French Atlantic coast with connections to more than 380 ports on five continents and the TGV, the high-speed train.The city has changed from a provincial town to a buzzing metropolis, a modern hub with excellent infrastructure and is well prepared for foreign investment. Nantes was one of nine cities identified by the French government as fertile ground for digital start-ups under a national scheme, the French Tech initiative, and digital tech in Nantes Saint-Nazaire includes large corporations and innovative start-ups, with the fastest growth in tech jobs in France.The marine renewable energy sector is also very active, gearing up to welcome two offshore wind farms in 2018 which have been developed by GE-Asltom. Nantes was recently ranked the best place to work in France and the second best city for expats, further boosting the FDI scene. Other benefits are the quality of life it offers including gastronomy, wines, beaches, castles and more.

Main industries in Pays de la Loire

The region has a dense and diversified industrial footprint, its core industries are:

• French capital for Marine Renewable Energies
• Ship manufacturing, the region is home to the worlds biggest cruise liners (Queen Mary II, Harmony of the Seas, Le France, Le Normandie and others)
• The automotive industry (third largest hub in France)
• The aeronautics industry (second largest hub for Airbus in France)
• The agricultural machinery (first in France)
• The agriculture and horticulture production
• Second region in France for agricultural and food processing
• Third region in France for wine production
• French pioneer region to develop smart industry of the future with dedicated innovation 

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Read our article on inward investment from our latest magazine and other stories for those considering France for investment:

• Rising to the challenge: supporting inward investment
• Which are the top destinations for international expansion?
• The Brexit path: international destinations examined

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Investment in the region

The influence of the Pays de la Loire region is obvious, attracting the most investment across the entire Atlantic coast. GKN, a Birmingham-based global engineering business invested €20 million in its Arnage plant near Le Mans, and the investment to upgrade its facilities producing spare parts for the automotive industry will also be used to fund a major training programme for 520 employees and to create 25 new jobs.Cruise liners from Saint-Nazaire shipyards and Bénéteau ships made in Vendée sail the high seas, and companies already based in Pays de la Loire like Airbus, Accenture, and the manufacturers of Mayenne cheese – Lactalis, are all known on a global scale.The major benefits for international companies to relocate or invest in the region Pays de la Loire:

• An important market for a vast numbers of sectors
• Cost effective and competitive costs of production
• Rental prices, land costs and wages below the national average
• 1 hour from Paris with the High Speed Train and excellent transport networks
• Main international airport of West of France with six direct lines to UK
• Main seaport of the French Atlantic Coast
• Competences from all over France (students, engineers, executives…)
• Testing region and pioneer for innovation (Regional Innovation Platform, Research Innovation Training, Technological Research Institute…)
• European pioneer region for smart electricity networks (SMILE project)
• Five French Tech cities oriented on the digital market applied to industry

The Invest in Western France Agency added, “The main objectives of the agency are to promote the region Pays de la Loire and its sectors abroad as a strong potential market for foreign companies and to accompany the foreign companies in their development strategy to set up their business to get closer to this dense & diversified industrial ecosystem.“The Western France brand highlights the notion of market covering the whole Western part of France (also including Brittany and Normandy) representing a major and strong market for companies involved in manufacturing activities.“The team at the agency is made of business development experts in order to support and advise companies in establishing their business in the region. The agency maintains institutional cooperation with different regions all over the world with representation offices in Hong Kong, Chicago and Abidjan, and also develops its economic cooperation (export/import & cross-investments).”If you would like your business to join the other businesses moving to the Pays de la Loire, please contact, the Invest in Western France Agency on the Western France website. For related news and features visit our Enterprise sectionAccess hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online DirectoryGet access to our free Global Mobility Toolkit

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