Regional news. Hauts-de-Seine – the second most popular location choice for businesses in Paris Region

Located directly adjacent to the La Défense business district and boasting an exceptional economic environment, the département of Hauts-de-Seine is one of the most attractive locations within Paris Region.
Outside the capital itself this is the region’s leading area for company start-ups, and today hosts 99,052 businesses, with 825,000 employees and a total population of 1.55 million.

This is also the no.2 area for international company location in Paris Region, hosting 2,500 international businesses, one third from the USA.
Hauts-de-Seine offers optimum conditions for hosting businesses, with a dense, high-quality real estate offering totalling 11.7 million sq.m, concentrating nearly half of all office premises marketed in Paris Region as a whole.

Hauts-de-Seine is located at the hub of a dense transport network, with Metro, RER and motorway connections ensuring easy accessibility to all the key regional, European and international economic centres.

Key sectors:
-Digital and ICT (23,600 companies, 276,100 jobs)
-Healthcare and biotechnology (5,300 organisations, 25,000 jobs)
-Finance and insurance (3,000 organisations, 78,000 jobs)
-B2B services (30,000 companies, 338,000 jobs)

Research – key figures:
300 research centres
15,000 researchers
77,000 students

La Défense – key figures:
-Europe’s no.1 business district
-160 hectares
- 3 million sq.m of offices
-3,500 companies, 1,500 head offices, 170,000 employees
-Europe’s no.1 public transport network
-230,000 sq.m of local retail outlets

Sources: Les Hauts-de-Seine, un territoire à vocation internationale; Enjoy La Défense Seine-Arche
Photos: © ARD/Michel Derouault

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Paris Region mapped out for you:

• Map the economic dynamism of La Défense on Econovista, the interactive economic map of Paris Region

• Discover Hauts-de-Seine and its economic geography on Econovista, the economic map of Paris Region

• Looking to invest in Paris Region? Assess potential locations with Econovista, the interactive economic map of Paris Region

A road map of Paris Region

The range of Econovista maps available in hard copy format is expanding. Following the Econovista economic map of Paris Region and the map produced in partnership with the Port of Paris Authority showing the major multimodal platforms, now Paris Region road maps (showing the economic map on one side and an IGN – French geographic institute – road map on the other) are available in an English-language version.

To receive one or more copies of the new map free of charge, simply contact us at: econovista@paris-region.com

Also available on request is the large-format laminated poster version of the economic map (1.20m x 0.90m) in French or English.

Find more information about Paris Region economic potential on Econovista.com, the free & interactive economic map of Paris Region (Paris Ile de France)

Competitiveness clusters. Boosting growth and delivering synergistic benefits in Paris Region

Instigated in 2005, “competitiveness clusters” are groupings of companies, research laboratories and education/training institutions formed with a view to developing collaborative, innovative R&D projects and delivering competitive advantages for the resulting products and services.

Both national and local public authorities are involved in the clusters, offering members the benefits of their respective resources for supporting economic activity. The clusters now offer a highly effective business network to the technology companies joining them. These clusters are playing a key role in driving growth within most of the region’s sectors of excellence.
Businesses belonging to the clusters benefit from various advantages:

- Multiple opportunities to share expertise with other members through cluster-generated initiatives (clubs, think tanks, seminars, business meetings, etc.) or initiatives by partners such as trade associations, Chambers of Commerce and Industry and economic development agencies. Professionals can also forge contacts at the major events for trade audiences and the general public in order to test pioneering products and services (such as the Futur en Seine
digital festival, for example)

- Opportunities to step up exports. The proportion of SMEs exporting their products and services is significantly higher than average within the clusters – from 20% to more than 50%

- Special access to training organisations and to the most innovative research laboratories within their sector

- Streamlined access to the public finance for joint research projects. In 2008, the state made €138 million available for R&D projects in the competitiveness clusters. The clusters also organise special opportunities to access private finance from venture capitalists and business angels.

Find more information about clusters in Paris-Region on Econovista, the free interactive economic map of Paris-Region (Ile de France):

-Cap Digital – Digital content

-ASTech Paris Region – Aeronautics Space & Defense

And soon System@TIC Paris Region

Fortune 500 companies - Paris Region is one of the world’s leading economic centres

Paris Region (or Ile de France) is one of the world’s leading economic centres. Many companies across an extremely wide range of sectors locate their global or European head offices here.
Paris Region is Europe’s no.1 location of choice – and the world’s no.2, after Tokyo – for the 500 leading global businesses: ahead of London, New York and Chicago (source: Fortune magazine). The Fortune 500 is a list of the top 500 global businesses ranked by their revenues, published annually by Fortune magazine.

Visit Econovista for a database of Fortune 500 companies present in Paris Region.

©Philippe Guignard

How to use Econovista Paris Region map? The new Econovista user guide is available now!

Econovista^® is an interactive economic map to help you discover the wealth of opportunities Paris Region (or Ile de France) has to offer. It is available free of charge on the internet.

Econovista^®offers a host of functions to help you pinpoint key information on Paris Region’s economy and potential locations for your business.Econovista.com includes 11 themed maps, allowing you to explore Paris Region’s rich potential. Each map displays a different aspect of the region – from transport infrastructures to sectors of excellence, and including leisure facilities and the region’s competitiveness clusters (Cap Digital Paris Region / Digital content; ASTech Paris Region / Aeronautics, Space & Defence, etc.).

How to use Econovista Paris Region map? The new updated version of the Econovista user guide is available now, providing an overview of the map’s key functions and instructions to help you get to grips with this interactive resource or refine your use of it. The guide has been re-worked and streamlined, showing you how to identify valuable information on the map, share your map, export data, etc.
You can consult the new Econovista user guide online

Or obtain a hard copy/PDF version by contacting :

Econovista@paris-region.com

Explore selected aspects of the region’s economy on Econovista, the interactive economic map of Paris Region

Economy: Paris Region economic performance indicators, first quarter 2009

Paris Region economy holds up better than the rest of France

As in the other regions of France and in the rest of the world, in the first quarter of 2009 the Paris Region economy confirmed the sharp slowdown of the final quarter of 2008. Yet Paris Region seems to have held up better than other French regions. Unemployment, for example, has risen significantly in recent months but remains 1.3 points below the national average, standing at 7.4% in Q1 2009 (having been 6.7% in Q4 2008), as compared with 8.7% for France as a whole.

Similarly, the rising number of company failures is less pronounced in Paris Region than in France as a whole. In addition, the introduction of the “auto-entrepreneur” tax scheme for small businesses has, as expected, produced a boom in company start-ups: even though 2007 and 2008 were very good years, company start-ups in Paris Region soared by 32% compared with the same quarter in 2008 and by 45% compared with Q4 2008.

See the latest performance scoreboard online

Explore selected aspects of the region’s economy on Econovista, the interactive economic map of Paris Region

Paris Region was the number one French region for foreign investment in 2008

With 208 new projects involving business start-ups, expansions or buyouts in 2008 (i.e. 14% more than in 2007), Paris Region has confirmed its attractiveness to international companies.
In terms of jobs created, with the current crisis prompting investors to be cautious, average foreign investment projects in Paris Region were on a smaller scale compared with 2007. The number of jobs created or maintained fell by 20%, from almost 10,400 in 2007 to 8,300 in 2008.

Of the 208 projects listed in Paris Region, 154 are foreign business start-ups (the remainder are expansions or buyouts), showing that the Region is still a magnet for foreign companies. The number of jobs created by international start-ups has been steadily increasing for the last 6 years.

The geographic origin of investment. Paris Region is well suited to companies from distant or emerging countries:
The same three countries as the previous year – USA, UK and Germany – lead the field in terms of foreign investors generating employment in Paris Region.
Companies' activity sector and function: the mark of a major international city:
Generally speaking, the new projects in Paris Region fall mainly into the category of services - particularly financial –, consultancy and IT

The attractiveness of Paris Region is also confirmed in the study carried out by Paris-Ile de France Capitale Économique and Ernst & Young on “International relocations in the main European cities in 2008”.
The key findings are as follows:
- Paris Region saw a 6% increase in the number of international businesses locating there, while the 15 cities included in the study taken together saw an average drop of 5% (as low as 14% in the case of London and 16% for Madrid).
- For the second year running, Paris Region is the leading European region in the number of jobs created and is widening the gap with London.
- The number of business locations recorded in 2008 shows that the UK capital is the Europe’s leading region. The gap with Paris Region, in second position with 222 projects, is narrowing.


Find out about Paris Region with Econovista.com, the interactive economic map

Credits Photos: La Défense © ARD / Michel Derouault

8 eco-neighbourhoods for Paris Region

On 3 March the French government signed a framework agreement with a number of local authorities running 'écoquartier' (eco-neighbourhood) projects. The projects have been set up in one of the six Territories of Regional and National Interest (TIRNs) identified in Paris Region, and follow on from the Grenelle Environment Forum.

They are concerned with urban expansion or regeneration of existing obsolete districts. Since they will obviously be held up as sustainable development models, these districts must provide a mix of urban amenities including housing, employment, education and culture, either on site or close by and be accessible by public transport. They must also help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, promote alternative and intermodal forms of transport, improve quality of life and building standards, develop the natural resources and energy economy, as well as prevent and control nuisance and risks.

The projects are located in:

- Bussy-Saint-Georges (Seine-et-Marne), 120 hectares (296.5 acres) with 3,000 homes
- Meaux (Seine-et-Marne), 80-hectare (198 acres) "Foch-Roosevelt" eco-neighbourhood
- Montévrain (Seine-et-Marne), with 3,300 homes
- Mantes-la-Jolie and Rosny-sur-Seine (Yvelines), a riverside eco-neighbourhood of 2,000 homes
- Triel-sur-Seine, Chanteloup-les-Vignes, Andrésy and Carrières-sous-Poissy (Yvelines), for the "Boucle de Chanteloup" project with 3,000 homes
- Île-Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), a 22-hectare (54 acres) riverside eco-neighbourhood with 1,000 homes
- Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis), with the 100-hectare (247 acres) Docks eco-neighbourhood with 4,000 homes
- Louvres and Puiseux-en-France (Val d'Oise), with an eco-neighbourhood of 3,500 homes.

Further new eco-neighbourhoods will emerge in time, in response particularly to the Nouveaux Quartiers Urbains call for proposals issued by the Ile-de-France Regional Council.


Find the "eco-qualified" zones on Econovista, the free interactive economic map of Paris Region

A map dedicated to Cap Digital Paris Region competitiveness cluster

Cap Digital Paris Region is the region’s first competitiveness cluster to team up with Econovista.com.
Now Econovista offers a themed map dedicated to this cluster’s activities, highlighting the exceptional dynamism and density of the digital industry in Paris Region.

This map includes:

• Member companies and SMEs operating in the cluster’s 9 strategic sectors:
  Design ; e-Education and e-learning; Image, Sound and Interactivity; Knowledge Engineering ; Video Games; Digital Heritage; Robotics; Digital lifestyle & Services; Collaborative Technology and Intelligence;
• Facilities (design and exhibition facilities, key players in the sector)
  
• Higher education and research institutions which are members of Cap Digital.

Click here to discover the Cap Digital – digital content map

Paris Region World Ranking Higher Education institutions

Paris Regions has 17 universities, located on 22 sites across the region. Many are world Renowned, including Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, Paris V René Descartes, Paris VI Pierre et Marie Curie and Paris XI sud to name just a few. These schools and universities are listed in the world Renowned Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.

53 public and private Grandes Ecoles, four of Which are ranked in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Paris Region has one of the most renowned business school in Europe and in the World : ESSEC, ESCP-EAP and HEC.

Paris Region currently has three major PRES clusters:

- Paris ESt Universités (with Universités of Marne la Vallée and Val de Marne, ESIEE, l’Ecole des ponts and Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussés)
- Paris Tech : 10 engineering faculties, including Ecole des Ponts, Ecole Polytechnique.
- UniverSud Paris comprising University Paris XI, ENS Cachan, Ecole Centrale Paris …

Paris Region has an high quality, multi-specialist educational system, a strong international presence and an highly qualified workforce.

Find Universities and schools on the Paris Region economic map

Crédits photos : Caroline DOUTRE/IAURIF

The Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport reaches the 5th world rank in terms of passenger traffic

The Paris-Charles de Gaulle international airport accommodated in 2008 nearly 61 million passengers, that is to say an increase of + 1.6% compared to 2007.

950 million passengers have forwarded in this airport since his creation in 1974. Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport also has become the most dynamic economic pole of Paris Region in terms of job creation, with 90,000 direct jobs on the airport.
These good performances are explained by the competitive assets of the airport: the most powerful hub of Europe (Air France/KLM), an exceptional geographical location, a dynamic policy of investments carried out by Aéroports de Paris, etc.

Find Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport on the Paris Region economic map

Photos credits : Aéroports de Paris

Film shoots: the attractiveness of Paris, the creativity of Paris Region

Paris remains as attractive as ever840 French and international film shoots took place in the streets of Paris in 2008, including all genres from feature films to ads; this represented an increase of 10% compared with the previous year. An average of 9 film shoots took place in Paris each day in 2008, based in more than 4,400 locations and taking a combined total of 3,339 days. Revenues generated by fees for the use of spaces and public facilities exceeded €650,000 – compared with €450,000 in 2007. Film shoots in Paris are subject to specific conditions: filming on public roads is entirely free of charge, but fees are negotiated for parking filming vehicles and the use of municipal facilities such as museums, schools, parks and gardens. Half of all films made in France are filmed in Paris.
… while the Oscars showcase the region’s creativityNot only does Paris Region attract international film crews, it also exports its creativity across the globe. Oktapodi, an animated film produced as a graduation piece by six students at École des Gobelins, was nominated in the Animated Shorts category at the last Oscars ceremony in Hollywood. This honour also reflects on the Paris-based Gobelins school itself, which is one of the world’s top animation schools. This short film telling the story of two octopuses has already won a number of other prizes in Asia, the USA, Brazil and France. France is the world’s third-largest producer of animated films after the USA and Japan.

Discover Paris Region using the interactive maps available at Econovista.com

Paris Region Key Figures – 2009 edition available now

The 2009 edition of Paris Region Key Figures has just been published, presenting key information on all aspects of the Paris Region economy. This document is produced using the latest available published data, providing a comprehensive synthesis of all the key figures relating to the region’s economy.
This publication also shows how Paris Region is positioned in its wider national and European context. At a glance it allows you to pinpoint key figures and indicators of the regional economy: population, employment, education, R&D, transport, real estate, meeting and incentive travel, quality of life, etc.
Key Figures is produced by PREDA, the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CRCI) and the Paris Region Urban Planning & Development Agency (Institut d’Urbanisme et d’Aménagement de la Région Ile-de-France). Paris Region Key Figures is a vital resource for all economic development professionals. The online version of Key Figures is available on the PREDA website.

The French edition of Key Figures is also available on the CRCI website

Find out about the Paris Region economy on Econovista.com, the interactive economic map of Paris Region

Olivier ABESSOLO - Paris Region Development Economic agency

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Overview of Val d’Oise

CEEVO, the Val d’Oise Economic Expansion Committee, has just published its Bilan Economique et Social du Val d'Oise 2007-2008 (economic and social overview of Val d’Oise – the 2009 issue of this regular publication). This document presents an overview of the département’s economic situation designed for anyone wishing to find out about key economic indicators and trends affecting business in the Val d'Oise region.

Val d’Oise is a dynamic département within Paris Region with a population of nearly 1.2 million. For the fifth consecutive year the number of businesses created in the département increased: 5,280 companies were set up or acquired in Val-d’Oise in 2007, an increase of 13% in number terms compared with the previous year (and a much higher growth rate than the regional average).
Some 4 million sq.m of business premises (excluding residential accommodation) were built in Val d’Oise between 1999 and 2007 – a very slight decrease (- 1 %) compared with the 1990-1998 period (the regional average was a decline of 3%).
Nine of the region’s competitiveness clusters are active in Val d’Oise, including Cap Digital, System@tic, Advancity, Cosmetic Valley and Elastopôle.

If you would like to find out more this document is available on request from CEEVO (the Val d’Oise Economic Expansion Committee), or downloadable free of charge from CEEVO’s website: www.ceevo95.fr

Find Val d'Oise on Econovista, the free interactive economic map of Paris Region

Seine-et-Marne: Val d'Europe, an area of excellence

Val d’Europe has just been awarded the "Prize for Excellence" by the Urban Land Institute (ULI). This symbolic distinction honours the city centre project for the town of Val d’Europe, for its responsible urban development and the quality of life the Paris east area.

Other European urban projects were prize-winners: Amsterdam, Istanbul, Antwerp and London.The architectural quality of Val d’Europe had already been recognised last March when it received a "Palladio Award" for the completion of the Place de Toscane, a convivial town centre space.

Photo credits: ©Yann Piriou

Locate Val d’Europe on Econovista, the interactive economic map of Paris Region

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, the second largest economic centre in Western Paris

Discover the interactive economic map of Paris Region

© Architect: Hubert Godet - Investor Axa Reim

The Synergies at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, slated for completion in 2009, will boast highly specialized energy performances

Situated close to the large business centers of Paris and La Défense, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines has easy access to transportation, and is located amidst 8 major business clusters, including System@tic, Cap Digital, Advancity-Ville et Mobilité durables and Mov’eo. Highly specialized activities (automobiles, engineering, construction and public works, environment) are strongly rooted in the area.
The commercial/leisure sector is also very developed there, with more than 200 shops and 1 regional shopping center.
A fiber optic network offering extremely high-speed connections services all industrial zones in the area.
By the end of 2009, there will be 170,000 sq.m of office space (including a new crop of businesses and major commercial projects at Saint-Quentin: the Ravel, the Futura III, the Synergies) - with rents of , with rents less than €200/sq.m/year - 55,000 sq.m of business space and 20,000 sq.m of warehouses.
In addition to these commercial projects, Saint-Quentin will also eventually offer a large HQE business park. Meant to fulfill the needs of innovative businesses, this park will include numerous services in a setting that has already attracted major contractors and high-tech subcontractors.



Find out more:
Visit the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines’s website:
http://www.agglo-sqy.fr/en/index_en.htm

Discover Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines on the economic map of Paris Ile de France Region:
www.econovista.com

Paris Rive Gauche, a major urban planning project in Paris

Discover the interactive economic map of Paris Region

PHOTO
© Emmanuel Nguyen Ngoc - Semapa

A major urban planning project in the city of Paris, Paris Rive Gauche will offer, upon completion, 700,000 sq.m of office space and 405,000 sq.m for professional office space, within a mixed usage building project that will extend to more than 2.1 million sq.m.
Ideally situated along the banks of the Seine with easy access to all metropolitan transportation systems, and surrounded by numerous shops and services, this new Parisian neighborhood is a perfect site for hosting both the headquarters of large international companies, as well as dynamic SMEs.
The Accor Group, Caisse d’Epargne Group, Natixis, Accenture, Sanofi-Aventis, Réseau Ferré de France (RFF), Flammarion and Orange Business Services have all been won over by this unique real estate offering that combines the attractiveness of a Parisian address with the benefits of international-standard contemporary buildings of over 20,000 sq.m.
At the beginning of 2008, Paris Rive Gauche office space rental costs are at €550/sq.m/year.
Future space encompasses 250,000 sq.m of office space and 250,000 sq.m of business space, with an as yet unspecified potential additional 250,000 to 300,000 sq.m.


Find out more:
Visit the Paris Rive Gauche’s website (French only):
www.parisrivegauche.com

Discover Paris Rive Gauche on the economic map of Paris Region (Paris Ile de France Region):
www.econovista.com