Retail in France and Switzerland

Based on current activity, the most active regions for retail include Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Hauts-de-France, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Île-de-France. Each has a dedicated development agency and investment-ready sites. See the recommended territories above.

Geolink shortlists the territories and sites that fit your retail project, maps the incentives you qualify for, and coordinates local partners for registration and setup, from first search to operations.

Yes. None of them restricts foreign ownership of commercial or industrial property: you can buy, build or lease directly, with no local partner required. Geolink covers the real-estate side and coordinates the legal and banking partners for the rest.

France offers a broad package: the research tax credit (CIR) covering up to 30% of R&D spend, regional investment grants of up to 25% in eligible zones (AFR), a reduced corporate tax rate, and site-specific schemes such as “Territoires d’Industrie”. Geolink maps every scheme your project qualifies for.

A French company can be incorporated within a few days. Reaching full operation (banking, tax registration, premises and first hires) typically takes a few weeks to a few months depending on your activity. Geolink coordinates the whole timeline for you.

Yes. Beyond site selection, our vetted network of legal, accounting, banking and recruitment partners handles registration and operational setup, so you deal with a single point of contact.

No. Geolink and its partners work in English, and a growing share of the French administration provides English-language support to foreign investors. We bridge any language or administrative gap.

Our initial location and feasibility work is scoped to your project: tell us what you need through a brief and we’ll come back with a clear proposal. Many public-sector partners in the network provide their guidance free of charge.