Following the example of the 2,000 British tourists visiting Lille every weekend, businesses from across the Channel are showing growing interest in the city and its region.

To take just two examples, Tate & Lyle, the world-leading manufacturer of renewable food and industrial ingredients, has set up its R&D center at Villeneuve d’Ascq, while pharmaceuticals major GlaxoSmithKline is to invest €500 million in Saint Amand des Eaux.

The UK is the fourth largest source of direct foreign investment in Northern France, with 164 businesses employing nearly 12,000 people and ranks third as both a supplier of the region’s imports and a destination for its exports. Lille’s business community is also hoping to benefit from fallout from the London Olympics, expected to generate £63 billion by 2012.


Source : Les Echos