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Who can benefit from the NFI services?

4 specific cases:
  • Foreign companies in all sectors looking to expand in Hauts-de-France
  • French companies with no site in Hauts-de-France
  • Hauts-de-France companies with a succession plan
  • Foreign-owned companies in Hauts-de-France with a development project
Our services are not intended for :
  • French or international self-employed entrepreneurs
  • French companies wishing to export
  • International companies seeking distribution networks only

Why as the help of Nord France Invest?

Nord France Invest provides you with completely tailored, free of charge and confidential support. We centralize all the information you need to analyze your project. We facilitate your process to find a site, partners or land. We organize site visits. We accelerate your networking with future regional partners. Find out more about the agency's services on this page.

What type of project can support you in?

The agency supports job-creating investment projects. The nature of projects varies according to 3 main categories:
  • Start-up projects
  • Expansion of existing sites in the region
  • takeovers of regional businesses by international companies.
Nord France Invest's services are not aimed at capital investments.
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HomeBusiness SectorServices industry

The service sector

in Hauts-de-France

Our region is a heavy hitter in the services sector, with a high concentration of specialists in customer relations, service outsourcing, banking, insurance and digital services. Result: a robust ecosystem that produces targeted know-how and skills with genuine added value for your business. Find out why Majorel, Booking.com, IBM, Altimance, L’Olivier Assurance and other top companies chose Hauts-de-France as the place to grow.
Nord France Invest

Fertile ground for finding
new customers in hauts-de-france

When you’re scouting a new location for your business, the customer catchment area is the first thing you analyze. Hauts-de-France offers an unparalleled location within easy distance of leading European decision-making centers.

YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE ALREADY HERE

Our region boasts a concentration of customers like no other. When you locate here, you gain a major advantage for generating leads.

Major companies in Hauts-de-France

3 suisses
AG2R
ARC
Auchan
BAYER
Bonduelle
Castorama
Décathlon
Ingram
Le Creuset
Lesaffre
Lyreco
McCain
Oney
OVH
Paul
Roquette
Sixt
Tereos
Toyota
Verspieren
Volkswagen
WEST Pharmaceutical services

Leading companies are headquartered here, and the region is home to tightly-knit, industry-specific ecosystems with a high concentration of players and the capacity to create value and jobs.

And because Hauts-de-France is home to so many industries, you’ll find exceptional potential for B2B lead generation here as well. We excel across a range of areas, and that’s a powerful asset for growing your business.

Fields of excellence in Hauts-de-France

  • 1st Railway industry
  • 1st Automotive industry in France
  • 1st for agrifood exports
  • 1st logistics region
  • 3rd for the health sector
  • 3rd for the chemical sector
  • Leader in Retail & Ecommerce
  • Leader in Clean tech

EASY ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS IN PARIS AND NORTHERN EUROPE

Our location gives you a huge competitive advantage: a tightly woven business community like no other.

Within a 300-km radius of Lille you can:

  • quickly reach five major decision-making centers: Paris, London, Brussels, Luxembourg and Amsterdam.
  • set up your business close to current and future clients
  • Integrate Europe’s largest consumer market

 

Boost your
recruiting capacity

KEY FIGURES

#2 region for education in France: Hauts-de-France is a young, densely populated region with major urban centers.

ACCESS TO THE PEOPLE YOU NEED

Some 57,000 people are available right now to work in the Hauts-de-France service sector 1. When you locate here, you avoid the frustrations of a tight labor market—and that’s a big advantage. In fact, it’s so easy to recruit in Hauts-de-France that our market is the envy of many European regions.

1Source France Travail 2023

Key figures about the job landscape in Hauts-de-France

  • 6M inhabitants
  • 33% of the population is under 25
  • 2nd highest population density in France
  • #1 for continuing education in France

QUALIFIED INTERNATIONAL TALENT

Thanks to our location—close to the border and in the heart of international trade—it’s easy to recruit multilingual employees here. Our population includes:

  • 25,000 foreign students
  • over 200,000 residents from outside France

 

HIGHER EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

In Lille, average turnover for back-office operations is just 10%­—a clear sign of the employee loyalty you need to save on recruitment and training costs.

Average annual turnover in major European cities

COMPETITIVE PAYROLL COSTS

For many businesses, controlling labor costs is essential to success. Did you know that Hauts-de-France offers highly competitive salaries?

According to a 2016 study of back office positions by EY, the region’s costs are:

  • 22% lower than those of its leading European competitors
  • 14% lower than those of its leading French competitors

 

Total annual cost for a qualified worker

Annual salary for a back-office manager

Overall annual cost for a supervisor

AN ECOSYSTEM SPECIALIZED IN CUSTOMER RELATIONS RECRUITMENT

Hauts-de-France is France’s #1 region for customer relations­—a natural legacy of our pioneering role in distance selling. We offer a selection of specialized partners that can help you find the talent you’re looking for.

Need help recruiting?

UN ÉCOSYSTÈME SPÉCIALISÉ DANS LE RECRUTEMENT DES PROFILS POUR LA RELATION CLIENTS
Kelly services Adecco Manpower Pôle emploi

Real estate in Hauts-de-France,
tailored to the service industry

 

With our competitive real estate prices and close ties to the Paris Region and Northwestern Europe, Hauts-de-France is the location of choice for your service operation.

Lille is the #3 market for office space in France. According to BNP Paribas Real Estate, the city set a new record in H1 2019:

  • over 145,000 sq m rented in the Lille office market, up 38% from H1 2018
  • future (one year) availability of 275,000 sq m (incl 38% new space)

Other cities in the region are extremely attractive as well, including Arras, Valenciennes, Beauvais and Saint-Quentin. With so many opportunities, you’ll easily find the space you need to grow your business in Hauts-de-France.

Keep real-estate costs
under control

When you’re scouting a new location for your business, it’s critical to consider real-estate prices in your target regions. Choose Hauts-de-France to keep your costs under control.

Annual rents for offices space (existing stock)

Source : EY / NFI 2020

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