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The Invest in France Agency provides free advice and practical assistance for companies setting up or expanding operations in France. Through our network we get up to date information about business opportunities in France. You will find the latest offers listed below.

If none of the below offers matches your business project, our mission is to find it for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us in order to define your specific needs and requirements for the French market.

E&Y study reveals – Why foreign companies choose France
A survey carried out in February this year by Ernst & Young shows that European Head Quarters (EHQ) location decisions increasingly concentrate among a few key location criteria. With 353 EHQ projects during 1997-2003, the U.K has been the undoubtedly most popular location. France, the second most preferred location with 53 EHQ projects, is following at a distance with the other European countries.

The seven EHQ location countries in the survey are Belgium, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. By weighting decision factors, a couple of the most eye-catching differences between the EHQ countries were related to the level of proximity to clients, proximity to similar business and the general business environment. For these three criteria, the UK scored best for proximity to clients, France for proximity to similar business and Germany for its general business environment climate.

Having observed the similarities and differences between the location decisions in the past and when choosing new location now, the Top 10 of key EHQ location criteria have remained relatively stable. However, the relative importance companies attach to the key location criteria has changed. For instance, proximity to clients has become less important when choosing location while quality and availability of labour, tax conditions, transport and accessibility have increased in importance.

France’s strengths
According to the survey, the three main reasons for choosing France were the proximity to similar business, the transport and accessibility and the fact that France is centrally located in Europe. The proximity to similar business scored remarkably higher than any of the other countries. Transport and accessibility were also considered to be a significant factor for locating the EHQ in France.

EHQs create increasingly more jobs
The survey clearly shows that EHQs are creating employments over time. For each country the average employment created by EHQs had increased over the last years. By the time that the survey was concluded (February 2005), the average number of employees had increased to an average of three times the initial size.

Source: EHQ- Location decisions by E&Y (2005)

Despite the trend towards moving jobs to Asia, France attracts more international investors than ever. In 2004 the number of foreign investments increased by 6,6% which is a new record. 600 companies in France, totalling a number of 33 000 employees, were either created or taken over by foreign investors. Sweden alone represented 12% of the foreign investments with 4000 jobs, Securitas’ take over of Valiance counting for a significant part.

In contrast to the trend debated about jobs moving east, it can be noticed that in 2004 Chinese investors took over 14 French companies with 800 employees. European countries accounted for 60% of the foreign investments in France, while the U.S was the single largest investor with 30% of the investments corresponding to 8200 jobs.

Source: Expatria Human Resources, www.expatria.fr

The Invest in France Agency (IFA) recently presented a study of benchmark data for France and some of the Eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia). The study includes comparisons in terms of labour costs, business environment, efficiency, flexibility, infrastructure and incentives. The results reveal that differences are still significant between the countries.

According to A.T Kearney’s FDI Confidence Index Report 2004, the most serious threats to the competitiveness of the ten new members of the European Union are poor infrastructure (IT, Physical & Energy), corruption and lack of transparency, erosion of low-cost advantage, macro-economic instability and inefficient supply chain. While average hourly labour costs are higher in France than in the Eastern European countries, the matters stated above are sources for so called hidden costs.

How do the Eastern European countries compare to France’s level of efficiency?
According to the macro economic data available, the overall productivity of French workers is at least two to three times higher than in Eastern Europe. French absenteeism is modest by European standards and the availability of skilled labor also showed itself to be higher in France than in any of the compared Eastern countries.

Source: IFA

The study also includes facts on the incentive package in France, the French redundancy plan, The Economist’s testimonials of the Eastern countries etc. To read the study please click here

IFA Nordic Countries

The Invest in France Agency is the official body for international investments in France. Our presence is both regional and worldwide:

17 offices around the world, North America, Asia and Europe.
40 regional agencies in France, including regional development agencies, chambers of commerce and professional networks.

Our Services:

The Invest in France Agency provides free & confidential advice and practical assistance for companies setting up or expanding operations in France.

1. Information on investment issues

The Agency provides complete information for companies setting up or expanding operations in France. This covers:

Prevailing economic climate
Legal framework and tax laws
Access to markets
Labour productivity
Technological and scientific resources
Labour and social security regulations
Financial aid available at the national and/or regional levels
Introduction to additional sources of financing and more.

2. Customised, confidential and practical assistance

The Agency identifies the most suitable sites to meet the investing company's strategy, industry and human resources requirements. The Agency's team of professionals organises visits to short listed sites, and arranges contacts with local authorities and service providers. These specialists also provide analysis on:

The local environment in the investor's industry
Data on research and technology centres
Production costs, site advantages
Construction and installation costs
The choice between purchase and rental of business premises and other relevant considerations

3. Securing public support

In co¬operation with the concerned parties, the Invest in France Agency researches and maximises the financial incentives available for each investment project. We also advise investing firms on tax matters, organises meetings with local officials and assists in administrative procedures.

4. Ongoing assistance

Once the new business is operational, the Agency continues to provide support to ensure that the unit is profitable by:
Acting as liaison between the company and local authorities.
Assisting expatriates and their families with housing, education, healthcare and training.