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It is important to say remind ourselves that e-commerce’s origin lies in a selling technique born in Hauts-de-France: mail-order.
She region has always benefited from 3 main advantages for trade:
The technological layer that makes e-commerce so distinctive has naturally been applied to the ecosystem of the Hauts-de-France Region. And the region’s mass-market retailers have undergone a lasting transformation to adapt to new buying patterns, making the region the new territory for pure players.
With online sales quadrupling in a decade1, e-commerce offers real opportunities for your retail business. And many companies use strategic synergies between their on- and offline activities to boost in-store sales.
1 Source: Fevad 2023
E-commerce has grown steadily in France, strengthening our position as the premium market for pure players in Europe.
E-commerce growth in France
Pur players’ annual sales increased by an average of 12% between 2018 and 2022. According to the FEVAD (Fédération du E-commerce et de la Vente À Distance), 2022 is a record year for e-commerce in France: total internet sales in France are approaching €150 billion.
Far from being saturated, the market offers real opportunities. By 2022, online sales will account for just 12% of total retail sales. As of today, the digital world is fundamentally anchored in consumer habits. That’s why we can safely predict that this share is set to rise over the next few years.
According to a 2020 study by Oxatis, in partnership with Fevad and the Kedge Business School:
Some traditional retailers have adopted a “click and mortar” strategy, growing their sales by combining brick-and-mortar with e-commerce:
The region’s growth potential continues to attract online sellers, and among France’s fastest-growing regions, Hauts-de-France is the location of choice.
Hauts-de-France is the birthplace of distance selling, and it continues to be an e-commerce stronghold in France. Sellers of consumer goods (such as Amazon, La Redoute, Auchan, Décathlon and Ingram) and services (such as Booking.com, Egencia and Airbnb) have made it their bastion.
The #1 priority for online sellers is to be at the center of their markets, and Hauts-de-France is surrounded by an outstanding customer catchment area. Some 78 million consumers with one of the highest disposable income are within a 300-km radius—just half a day by truck. In short, we offer a consumer market unrivalled anywhere in Europe.
In the 2020 Oxatis study cited above, researchers found that online sellers in France had tapped into markets in neighboring countries.
In short, an Hauts-de-France location is a strategic advantage for growing your export business. And it offers the double benefit of direct access to both the Paris Region and countries in northwestern Europe.
Top 5 export markets
In addition to our strategic location, Hauts-de-France offers seamless connections to major European transport corridors, with access to large highways, waterways and leading European ports and airports. All you have to do is choose the transport mode that meets your shipping needs.
There’s much more to e-commerce than shipping and storing products. That’s why Hauts-de-France offers the digital assets you need to grow your business, including:
Nothing is more irritating for a consumer than having to wait precious minutes to pay for their purchase. Retailers need to satisfy their clients as much as possible or else their clients will have to turn to e-commerce.
New Retail brings technologies that transform commerce, both in terms of the act of buying in-store, and in terms of supply chain processing.
The goal of transitioning towards technologies?
Improving the customer experience at physical points of sale is the key to rethinking retail, and staying competitive and productive.
To speed up checkout, Decathlon deployed RFID technology back in 2014. Chips have been integrated into the labeling of all products. When customers arrive at the checkout, they no longer need to scan traditional barcodes one by one: they simply place all their items in a bin, which detects the contents of their basket in a matter of seconds. All that’s left to do is pay and go.
RFID technology has enabled Decathlon not only to save time at the checkout, but also at other stages:
Decathlon explains that the time saved at all levels frees up positions to be reallocated to customer relations.
Supermarkets that fail to regain their footing in urban markets will find it hard to survive—but new opportunities are opening up a different future. With New Retail, you can position stores in targeted locations such as residential complexes and event venues, and operate them without staff. And there’s plenty of room to experiment. Brick-and-mortar stores are fearlessly reinventing themselves, becoming bolder, more mobile, and more automated, and their new flexibility—combined with new ways to manage inventory and the restocking process—is creating disruptive new business models. Today’s economy is ideal for reimagining retail:
Our region offers an abundance of business development opportunities. You’ll find prospective customers—King Fisher, Auchan, Boulanger, Adéo, Decathlon, Happychic and more—right here in the region. You can also connect with French and European customers headquartered nearby, including Tesco, Carrefour and Casino. And because Hauts-de-France is so close to France’s border with Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, it’s easy to develop new business across Northwestern Europe.
Outsourcing is easier in Hauts-de-France because all the service providers you need for the success of your New Retail business are already here:
The Hauts-de-France retail ecosystem is unique:
+ headquarters
of retailers in the Region
k jobs
for €65 billion in sales
With 35% of our population under 25, Hauts-de-France is the youngest region in the country, and we offer the high-quality training you need for your future employees. We are France’s #2 region for training, with:
Bottom line: it’s easy to recruit the qualified employees you need.
The Hauts-de-France Tegion offers competitive wage costs compared to its French and European competitors.
Salaries for logistics operators are:
Salaries for skilled operators in the service industry are:
Contrary to popular belief, the 35-hour week is not a limit, but rather a benchmark.
On the other hand, it is possible (and often the case) to work longer than 35 hours on a regular basis, with a lump-sum remuneration package that already includes overtime pay.
Caroline Barbe, Associate lawyer specialized in labor laws, Solucial law firm
The region has many available land and real estate. Lille is France’s 3rd-largest office market, offering real opportunities.
The region’s warehouse market was a major one according to 2022 data, with almost 700,000 m² on the market, i.e. nearly 20% of the national total. Here again, opportunities are ripe for the taking.
| Hauts-de-France | Paris Region | Marseille Region | Lyon Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min : 40 Max : 54 | Min : 48 Max : 84 | Min : 55 Max : 63 | Min : 55 Max : 67 |
From specialized e-commerce sites of excellence to logistics parks, the Hauts-de-France Region has a wide range of solutions to offer. Contact Nord France Invest to find the right location for your needs.
18805 m²
Logistics Building – LSM
Longueil-Sainte-Marie 
2025 
12000 to 55113 m²
Logistics Warehouse E Valley Building C
Cambrai
n/a 
3000 to 20000 m²
Logistics park for rent
Hordain
2023 
4000 to 13000 m²
Logistics warehouse – Amiens (Industrial Zone)
Amiens
2024 
12000 to 31950 m²
Logistics warehouse – Calais Turquerie mixed development zone
Calais
2026 
25552 m²
Former ITM logistics platform
Vimy
2024 
44703 m²
Industrial / Logistics buildings – Allonne
Beauvais / Allonne
T1 2024 EuraTechnologies is the #1 business incubator and accelerator in France. This 80,000-sq m digital hyper-hub is the undisputed IT mecca for our region, and its growth strategy includes spinning off specialized facilities in key focus areas. Blanchemaille is the first product of this effort.
Located in a 15,000-sq m building formerly owned by La Redoute, Blanchemaille offers targeted support to digital startups and companies specializing in e-commerce, retail tech and real estate tech. Once selected by the EuraTechnologies incubator/accelerator, participants are immersed in an ecosystem dedicated to e-commerce and innovation. Our pioneering role in distance selling, has drawn many leading companies to Hauts-de-France, including Syndic One/Sergic, Devred, SaleSupply and Supermarchés Match. The region is also home to digital education and training centers such as POP School and the Showroomprivé Foundation’s intensive e-commerce program.
