Catalonia plays a leading role in attracting foreign investment to Spain and Europe. According to Cushman & Wakefield's 2009 annual survey, Barcelona stands in the fourth place in ranking of 33 top European cities. In year 1990, the first in the one that Cushman & Wakefield made this study, Barcelona was in the eleventh position, while the four first places were occupied by the same four first cities.
The most important consideration for European managers, with regard to Barcelona was the effort it has been making to improve as well as the quality of life enjoyed by its professionals, two rankings where the Catalan capital was rated first in Europe. Value for money of office space, public transport, the political and tax climate, the availability of office space and good access to markets, suppliers and customers are some of the other factors that were highly rated. Barcelona comes top in terms of doing the most to improve itself as a business location. .
These remarkable figures are supported by the results of Ernst&Young's European Investment Monitor 2007. According to this renowned consultancy firm, Catalonia ranks fourth among the European top-performing regions.
More than 3,300 foreign companies are operating in Catalonia. 40% of these companies have been operating in the region for more than 10 years, which shows that foreign companies enjoy a high level of stability, satisfaction and return on investment in Catalonia.
| Cars/Motorcycle/ Railway | Metallurgy | Electrics / Electronics |
|---|---|---|
| Magna Donnelly Hohe España, SA Frape-Behr, SA Siemens VDO Automotive, SA SEAT (Volkswagen Audi) Delphi Diesel Systems, SL Denso Barcelona, SA Yamaha Motor España, SA Nissan Motor Ibérica, SA Rücker-Lypsa, SL Alstom Power, SA Siemens Iveco-Irisbus | Alcan Aluminio España, SA Thyssen Iberica, SA York Refrigeration, SL Faiveley Española, SA Acieroid, SA Alcoa CSI España, SA Reftrans, SA Kitz Corporation of Europe, SA Foster Wheeler Iberia, SA Volpack, SA | Draka Cables General Cable Schneider Electric España Hitachi Air Conditioning Sharp Electrónica Sony España Frigicoll, SA Hazemeyer Española, SA GE Power Controls Iberica, SA |
| Chemicals | Pharmaceuticals | Food |
| Solvay Quimica, SL BASF Española, SA Beiersdorf, SA Dow Chemical Iberica, SA Procter&Gamble España, SA Carburos Metálicos, SA Azko Nobel, SA Kao Corporation Bayer Hispania, SL Henkel Ibérica | Novartis Bayer Hispania Boehringer Ingelheim Merck Farma y Química Pierre Fabre Ibérica Laboratorios Menarini Zambon Sanofi-Aventis Sun Pharmaceuticals Ranbaxy Takeda | Nestlé España, SA Unilever España, SA Sara Lee Bakery Danone, SA Pepsico España Kellogg's España Ferrero Ibérica, SA Kraft Biscuits Iberia, SL Wrigley Co. SL Sunny Delight España, SL Orangina Schweppes |
| Logistics | Shared Service Centers | ICT |
| Honda Disalfarm IKEA Decathlon Logisfashion DSV Katoen Natie Ibérica Salvensen Logística CEVA Logistics España Lidl | Agilent Technologies, SL Avis Euroservices Bayer Citigroup Computer Associates Accenture Colt Telecom Sellbytel GFT Iberia Solutions Sitel | IBM Microsoft Sun Microsystems T-Systems Colt España GFT Iberia Solutions Hewlett Packard Yahoo! Research Acer Epson |
Updated 20/5/2010
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