Why set up your company in Nantes, France?

Setting up your company in Nantes

Situated on the Atlantic Coast, only 2 hours from Paris, the city of Nantes has many assets and opens up to international companies:

• Close to the Atlantic Ocean and on the estuary of the Loire river 
• An efficient transport network: Nantes Atlantiques Airport (more than 100 destinations served by direct flights), motorways, tramways, a new central station by 2019
• First port on the Atlantic coast connected to all 5 continents and creating 24,000 jobs
• High population growth (1 million inhabitants by 2030) 
• Its university research centre has been recognised both nationally and internationally for its achievements
• A wide range of training programs with 10 “grandes écoles” and several renowned professional schools, among which are 5 engineering schools
• Numerous urban renewal projects aiming at  supporting Nantes’ vibrant economy
• A high-quality living environment: a rich cultural offer, over one hundred city parks (designated European Green Capital for 2013), proximity to the ocean

Nantes’ main strengths

Nantes is the most important economic centre of Western France and hosts a wide range of economic activities, from the industry to the tertiary sector.

Nantes: the ideal environment for industries

• 1^st French centre for shipbuilding (STX, which built the world’s largest cruise ship) and leader in the field of  marine renewable energies
• 2^nd aerospace centre in France, hosting Airbus’ second production unit (5,200 employees and numerous subcontractors)
• Recognised expertise in the field of materials (competitive cluster EMC² for metal assembly and complex composites) and green building
• 1^st European agri-food centre: western France alone represents one-quarter of France’s agro-related jobs (Biscuits St-Michel, BN, Charal, Eurial, Fleury Michon, LDC, LU, Sodebo and so on)

Focus on the digital sector, creative industries and the healthcare branch

• France’s 1^st employment growth regarding the digital sector with more than 1,000 new jobs every year
• A vast amount of companies including large groups, start-ups and service industries (Accenture, Capgemini, Smile)
• In Nantes takes place the festival WEB2DAY for new technologies’ professionals and enthusiasts with 5,000 participants from all over the world
• Only French member of the ECIA network (European Creative Industries Alliance)
• Recognised expertise in healthcare and biotechnology industry: leading-edge equipment (cyclotron Arronax), large pharmaceutical groups (Biofortis, Eurofins Scientific), numerous innovative SME and research centres

A significant presence of international groups

• More than 11 % of the employees work in foreign companies (mainly German, American or British)
• Among the global companies in Nantes are: APLIX (world number two for hook-and-loop fasteners), ARMOR (European leader in printing technologies), SERCEL (world’s first manufacturer of seismic equipment for oil exploration), CEZUS (world leader in the manufacturing of nuclear power stations’ parts) and many more.

Why invest in Nantes?

Finding the right location for your company in Nantes

Coworking spaces, business incubators, business centres... Nantes’ commercial real estate supply is wide and affordable (three times cheaper than in Paris). With 50 000 m² new offices every year, Nantes’ commercial market offers medium to long-term opportunities for investors as well as large industrial sites.

• ÎLE DE NANTES: with 22,000 jobs and 13,000 houses, the river island Île de Nantes offers over one million m² building land, 300,000 m² of which are dedicated to economic activities. On the island is also situated the “quartier de la création”, a district for activities related to creative and cultural industries near the university centre, the School of Fine Arts and the School of Design. The new university hospital centre will open its doors in 2025.
• EURONANTES: between the TGV train station and the Loire river, the business district Euronantes hosts mixed activities, houses and public facilities (600,000 m² offices and 10,000 jobs by 2025). Euronantes is home to the headquarters of SNCF, Capgemini, FIDELIA Assistance and the business centre Regus
• LA CHANTRERIE: this business area hosts high-tech and tertiary companies (Fit Conseil, Sodexo, Vorwerk France), higher education institutions, the technology park Atlanpole for a total of 1,400 employees and 3,500 students. Finally, the Hub Creatic is a business incubator for the digital sector and gathers almost thirty businesses
• PÔLE INDUSTRIEL D’INNOVATION JULES-VERNE: close to Nantes Atlantique Airport, this industrial cluster hosts the technology platforms Technocampus Ocean and Technocampus Composites. By 2019, it will also be home to the headquarters of the Technological Research Institute Jules Verne, the competitive cluster EMC² and the Manufacturing Académie (school factory for industrial production). Almost 8,500 people work in the aeronautical branch (Airbus, Daher), shipbuilding, renewable energies and car industry (2,500 additional jobs by 2025)
• PÔLE AGROALIMENTAIRE: south of Nantes, this 54 ha business park is intended for agri-food industries. The national wholesale market will set up in 2018. 30 hectares will be reserved for production, processing or preservation activities as well as a business incubator, a logistic platform and plots for food production