In 2017 Poznań was once again awarded the title of City Outsourcing Star.
Rankings and studies
Poznań is an attractive destination for investors, regularly included in prestigious rankings and research, such as:
- FDI European Cities&Regions of the Future
- FDI Polish Cities of the Future published by Financial Times Business
- European Regional Growth Index (E-REGI) by JonesLaSalle
- investment attractiveness of the Institute for Market Economics.
In 2017 Poznań received the “Outsourcing Stars 2016” award, which is granted by the Pro Progressio Foundation to cities offering the best conditions for the modern services sector. The jury’s criteria included the number of new investments in the modern services sector, the number of outsourcing events organised in the city and the increase in the number of graduates from economic and IT faculties. In 2017 Poznań won the Outsourcing Stars award for the third time.
Poznań and Wielkopolska were included in the prestigious group of 20 regions awarded in the “Best-performing Large Cities in Europe” ranking, prepared by the American think-tank Milken Institute. The aim of the ranking was to identify the most effective and dynamic large cities and regions in Europe. The Milken Institute assessed them according to various criteria, including job creation, salary growth, and concentration of the modern services sector.
The city was included in the report “Poland. Your Place to Invest”, which held the investment potential of Poznań and its good atmosphere for business development in high regard.
Poznań was ranked 1st in the ranking of provincial cities, run by the Polish Association of Developers. The ranking examines how cities are prepared for construction projects and whether local authorities issue building permits within the statutory deadline.
Once again Poznań took the 2nd place, behind Warsaw, in the ranking of large urban centres attractive for business ran by the Forbes monthly. The ranking compares the growth rate of the number of companies per 1000 residents.
Poznań took the top places in the fdI Polish Cities of the Future 2017/18 ranking, assessing Polish cities in terms of attractiveness for foreign investment. The ranking was prepared by fDI Magazine, belonging to The Financial Times. Poznań in the following categories has taken the following places:
4th place – Top 10 Cities
4th place – Top 5 Big Cities
4th place – Economic Potential: Top 10 Cities
4th place – Economic Potential: Top 10 Big Cities
3rd place – A business-friendly city: Top 10 Cities
3rd place – a business-friendly city: Top 5 Big Cities
4th place – Human capital and quality of life: Top 10 Cities
4th place – Human capital and quality of life: Top 5 Big Cities
Foreign investment
At the end of 2017, the volume of foreign direct investment in Poznań amounted to EUR 6.6 billion, i.e. EUR 12.2 thousand per capita.
Two thirds of foreign capital came from:
- France
- Japan
- Germany
- USA
- Great Britain.
The largest foreign investors included:
- Asahi
- Beiersdorf
- Bridgestone
- Exide Technologies
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Kronospan
- Mars
- Neinver
- Unilever
- Veolia
- Volkswagen.
The largest foreign capital was invested in:
- industrial production, mainly in the automotive, food, and pharmaceutical industries
- real estate trade and market, including office, retail, hotel, and residential real estate market.
In this respect, the following companies carried out high investment activity in 2017:
- Budimex
- Garvest Real Estate
- Hilton
- Monday Development
- Pradera
- REF Eastern Opportunities
- Ronson Development
- Skanska.
A separate group of foreign investors consisted of companies, investment funds, and private individuals who took up shares in already operating companies.
Some investors located their projects in the immediate vicinity of the Poznań’s boundaries, in the area of the Poznań Metropolitan Area, using the rich resources of the city, including the Poznań labour market and scientific staff.
Modern business services centres
At the end of 2017, Poznań had over 80 modern business services centres, mostly in the field of IT and R&D, providing services in various languages, employing a total of 16.5 thousand people. This gives Poznań the 7th spot as regards business service centres in Poland.
Investors from 17 countries, mainly from the US, Poland and Germany, have invested in the modern business services sector, while some of them are also investing in manufacturing projects in Poznań, including:
- Bridgestone
- Duni
- Franklin Templeton Investments
- GlaxoSmithKline
- IKEA
- Jeronimo Martins
- Man
- Mars
- McKinsey&Company
- Owens Illinois
- Roche
- Volkswagen.
Thanks to the City’s actions, 11 new investment projects were created in priority areas for Poznań in 2017, which will result in the creation of over 1.6 thousand jobs for highly qualified specialists, in particular for people speaking foreign languages, specialists in IT and those from the financial and accounting industry. Employment in the modern services sector in 2017 increased by ca. 18% and amounted to ca. 16.5 thousand people at the end of 2017. According to the Association of Business Service Leaders, which monitors the development of the modern business services sector in Poland, Poznań recorded the highest dynamics of employment growth in this sector on a national scale.
Companies with foreign capital participation
In 2017, the number of companies with foreign capital participation increased by 0.2 thousand and amounted to 4 thousand, of which 3.8 thousand were limited liability companies. According to the Central Statistical Office (data for 2016), the capital of companies with foreign capital participation amounted to EUR 1.8 billion.
Office real estate market
In 2017 the size of the Poznań office market increased by 26.3 thousand m2 and amounted to 456 thousand m2 of modern space, including the completion of Roosevelta 22 complex with the Bałtyk office and service building. Another 100,000 m2 was under construction, including the Nowy Rynek complex and the extension of the Pixel office cluster and the Poznań Business Garden complex.
Retail real estate market
The modern retail space saturation amounted to 862 m2 per 1000 inhabitants, i.e. over 465 thousand m2. The biggest transaction on this market was the purchase of a part of Park Handlowy Franowo (Franowo Commercial Park) by the British investment fund Pradera combined with rebranding and renaming to Homepark Franowo.
The logistics and warehouse real estate market
The market of modern logistics and warehouse space in the Poznań area increased to 1.82 million m2, by over 216 thousand m2, including the P3 Poznań, Panattoni Park Poznań V and VIII facilities with a total area of almost 144 thousand m2. Another 111,000 m2 was under construction.
Enterprise investments
It is estimated that investment outlays of enterprises with their registered offices in Poznań amounted to PLN 2.5 billion in 2017. Domestic commercial investors most often invested in office, retail and service space, external business services, and residential buildings. In addition to private companies, large funds were involved in Poznań by companies, organizations and public institutions – universities, hospitals, cultural institutions, local and regional authorities.
In 2017, a class A Bałtyk office building was opened – a multifunctional building with modern office space, innovative interior space solutions, and viewing terraces. Its 15 thousand m2 includes 12.5 thousand m2 of office space and 2.5 thousand m2 of service space. The office building is adjacent to the Concordia Design building, with which it is spatially connected through the open-air Przystań square, which is to integrate various communities, among others through open-air cultural events organized by Concordia Design. The investor of the building was a Dutch company Garvest Real Estate.
In 2017, the expansion of the factory of the British-Dutch Unilever, producing wet and dry-mix soups, spices, mayonnaise and ketchups in Poznań, was completed. At Bałtycka Street, a new production hall with an area of 3,000 m2 and an underground storage tank for rainwater with
a capacity of 305 m3 were built, while the technical infrastructure was modernised and expanded.
In 2017, the Volkswagen car factory in Poznań produced the largest number of vans in history: 197.8 thousand, 6.8% more than the year before. The largest number of cars was the Caddy model, with 164.7 thousand cars produced in Poznań, 3.8% more than in the previous year, and it was the highest number since the establishment of Volkswagen Poznań in 1993. Poznań has also produced 33.1 thousand cars of the T6 model. Volkswagen foundry produced 4.6 million components, 2.2% more than in the previous year, using 29.5 thousand tonnes of aluminium. The foundry has expanded the scope of its production by adding a component used for manufacturing electric vehicles. The Volkswagen Poznan Special Vehicle Body Plant built 60 thousand vehicles, the largest number in its history, among others for the Polish and German police. The new factory in Września, which is part of the Poznań plant, produced 40,000 vehicles of the VW Crafter model in its first year of operation. At the end of 2017, the four Volkswagen Poznań plants employed nearly 11 thousand people, which means that the company is the largest employer in Wielkopolska and Poznań, and one of the largest in Poland.
Major foreign investors in Poznan as at March 2018
| Investor | Country | Business activity |
| A.P. Møller–Mærsk Gruppen i F. Salling | Denmark | Commerce |
| Accor | France | Hotels |
| Acteeum Group | International | Real estate |
| Adeo Groupe | France | Trade |
| ADM | USA | BSS |
| AFP Group | Austria | Commerce |
| ASE | USA | ITO |
| APS | Germany | BSS |
| AKMMK Development | Israel | Real estate |
| Albrecht Discount | Germany | Commerce |
| Alimentation Couche–Tard | Canada | Commerce |
| Aluplast | Germany | Construction materials industry |
| AmRest | Netherlands | Gastronomy |
| Alphanumeric Systems | USA | ITO |
| Apollo Real Estate Advisors | USA | Real estate |
| Apsys | France | Real estate |
| Aris | international | Services for transport |
| Asahi Group Holdings | Japan | Food industry |
| Auchan Group | France | Commerce |
| BA Glass | Netherlands | Glass industry |
| BAE Systems | Great Britain | ITO |
| Bartels | Switzerland | Design services |
| Bauer Media Group | Germany | ITO |
| Beiersdorf | Germany | Cosmetics industry |
| Bertelsmann | Germany | BSS |
| Best Eastern Plaza Hotels International | Luxembourg | Hotels |
| Blackstone | USA | Real estate |
| Bluehouse Capital Advisor | Cyprus | Real estate |
| Bodo Meller Chemie | Germany | Commerce |
| BP International | Great Britain | Commerce |
| BPI Real Estate | Belgium | Real estate |
| Bridgestone Corporation | Japan | Automotive industry, BSS |
| BSC Packaging Group | international | Packaging industry |
| BTC Group | Germany | ITO |
| Bupa | International | Medical services |
| Capgemini | France | ITO |
| Carl Zeiss | Germany | BSS |
| Carlsberg | Denmark | BSS |
| Carrefour | France | Commerce |
| CEDC | International | BSS |
| CenturyLink | USA | ITO |
| CFE | International | Real estate |
| Chamartin Proyectos International | Spain | Real estate |
| Ciber | USA | BSS |
| Cinven | Great Britain | Investment fund |
| Cleeng | Netherlands | ITO |
| Computacenter | Great Britain | ITO |
| ContentForces | Netherlands | ITO |
| Coop Group | Switzerland | Commerce |
| CVC Capital Partners | Luxembourg | Investment fund |
| Decathlon | France | Commerce |
| DEKA Immobilien | International | Real estate |
| Delloite | International | BSS |
| Detica BAE Systems | Great Britain | ITO |
| Deutsche Bank | Germany | Real estate |
| Deville | France | Automotive industry |
| Deyle | Germany | Real estate |
| DFDS | Denmark | BSS |
| Donau Chemie | Austria | Commerce |
| Duni | Sweden | Small industry, BSS |
| E.Leclerc | France | Commerce |
| ECE Prime European Shopping Centre | Germany | Real estate |
| Egnyte | USA | R&D |
| Eiffage | France | Real estate |
| Eltel Networks | International | Construction |
| EM & F Group | International | Commerce |
| EnerSys | USA | Electromechanical industry |
| Enterprise Investors | USA | Financial services |
| Ernst & Young | USA | Consulting services |
| Etteplan | Finland | R&D |
| Exide Technologies | USA | Automotive industry BSS |
| Fabres | Norway | ITO |
| Ferrovial | Spain | Construction |
| Finnchat | Finland | BSS |
| FIXIT Trockenmoertel Holding | International | Construction materials industry |
| Fonciere Eris | France | Real estate |
| Franklin Templeton Investments | USA | BSS |
| Fresenius Nephrocare | Germany | Medical services |
| Garvest Real Estate | Netherlands | Real estate |
| Genpact | India | BSS |
| GE Power Controls | Belgium | Commerce |
| Gerdes Kunststoff–Technik | Germany | Plastic industry |
| Gerium Promoçăo e Construçăo Imobiliária | Portugal | Real estate |
| GFT Group | Germany | ITO |
| GlaxoSmithKline | Great Britain | Pharmaceutical industry, BSS |
| Global City Holdings | International | Entertainment |
| Globe Trade Centre | International | Real estate |
| GoodMills | Austria | Food industry |
| Gosha Holding | Luxembourg | Gastronomy |
| Grace | USA | BSS |
| Grant Thornton | International | BSS |
| Griffin Holdings Group | International | Real estate |
| Groupe Monnoyeur International | France | Commerce |
| Grupo Far-Luca | Spain | Gastronomy |
| HCP | Denmark | Real estate |
| Heye | Germany | Machine industry |
| Heitman | USA | Real estate |
| Hilton | USA | Hotels |
| HK Food | Germany | Food industry |
| HMG International Development | Israel | Commerce |
| Hobas Rohre | Germany | Construction |
| Hochtief | Germany | Trade |
| Hoffmann Group | Germany | ITO |
| HolidayCheck | Switzerland | Food industry |
| Homann Feinkost | Germany | Real estate |
| Howard Holdings | Ireland | Commerce |
| Huawei | PRC | ITO |
| Hutchison Whampoa Limited | PRC | Commerce |
| IFS Industrial and Financial Systems | Sweden | Computer technologies |
| Intercondis | Netherlands | Consulting services |
| Intermarche | France | Commerce |
| Interogo Foundation | Liechtenstein | Commerce, real estate, BSS |
| Intitek | France | BSS |
| Jeronimo Martins Holding | Portugal | Commerce, BSS |
| John Deere | USA | BSS |
| Jula | Sweden | Commerce |
| Kennametal | USA | BSS |
| King Cross Group | Italy | Commerce |
| Kingfisher | Great Britain | Commerce |
| Kipi | Netherlands | Commerce |
| Kleffmann | Germany | BSS |
| Klepierre | International | Real estate |
| Klockner & Co–Gruppe | Germany | Commerce |
| KPMG | International | BSS |
| Kronospan Holdings | Germany | Wood industry |
| Lantmännen Axa | Sweden | Food industry |
| Leroy–Somer | France | Electromechanical industry |
| Lidl & Schwarz | Germany | Commerce |
| Linde Group | Germany | Technical gases |
| Lohmann | Germany | Commerce |
| Longbridge | Israel | Real estate |
| Lukoil | Russia | Commerce |
| Malteries Soufflet | France | Food industry |
| MAN | Germany | BSS |
| Mars | USA | Food industry BSS |
| Mc Donald’s | USA | Gastronomy |
| McKinsey & Company | USA | BSS |
| Meermann Bau | Germany | Construction |
| Mentor Graphics | USA | R&D |
| Merrild Cafe | USA | Food industry |
| Messer Griesheim | Germany | Chemical industry |
| Metro | Germany | Commerce |
| Microsoft | USA | R&D |
| Mid Europa | Great Britain | Investment fund |
| Mobica | Great Britain | ITO |
| Mono Group | Israel | Real estate |
| Montana Tech Components | Switzerland | Packaging industry |
| Monti | Ireland | Real estate |
| NCC | Sweden | Construction |
| Neinver | Spain | Real estate |
| Newell Rubbermaid | USA | BSS |
| NH Hoteles | Spain | Hotels |
| Nordcloud | Finland | ITO |
| Novaform | Netherlands | Real estate |
| Novator Partners | Great Britain | BSS |
| OpenText | Canada | ITO |
| OpusCapita | Finland | BSS |
| Orange | France | BSS |
| Origin | Ireland | Agricultural industry |
| Orpea | France | Medical services |
| Osram | Germany | BSS |
| Owens Illinois | USA | Glass industry, BSS |
| P & T Technology | Germany | Utilities |
| Passauer Neue Presse | Germany | Media |
| PaymentWall | USA | ITO |
| Peakside Capital Group | International | Real estate |
| Penta Investments | Czech Republic | Investment fund |
| Pepcor | South Africa | Commerce, BSS |
| Permira | Great Britain | Investment fund |
| Pernod Ricard | France | Food industry |
| Pfeifer & Langen | Germany | Food industry |
| PineBridge Investments | USA | Real estate, HR services |
| Pneuhage Management | Germany | Commerce |
| Polaris Laboratories | USA | R&D |
| Politra | Netherlands | Trade |
| Polonia Property Fund | International | Real estate |
| Polychem Isolierhandel | Germany | Chemical industry |
| Pradera | Great Britain | Investment fund |
| Praxair | USA | Chemical industry |
| Propex Global Company | USA | BSS |
| Provident Financial | Great Britain | Financial intermediation |
| Puro Hotels | Norway | Hotels |
| PwC | International | BSS |
| Raben | Netherlands | BSS |
| Randstad Holding | Netherlands | BSS |
| Red Real Estate Development | USA | Real estate |
| Remondis | Germany | Utilities |
| Resolution Property | Great Britain | Investment fund |
| Restaura | Spain | Real estate |
| Rida Development Corporation | USA | Real estate |
| Rob. Leunis & Chapman | Germany | Packaging industry |
| Rockwool | Denmark | BSS |
| Roche | Switzerland | BSS |
| Ronson Development | International | Real estate |
| Royal Dutch Shell | Great Britain | Commerce |
| Rödl&Partner | Germany | Consulting services |
| RPC Group | Great Britain | Packaging industry |
| Ryanair | Ireland | Transport |
| Saint–Gobain Group | France | Small industry |
| Sakr | Lebanon | Electromechanical industry |
| Sap Property | Austria | Real estate |
| Schiever | France | Commerce |
| Schraeder | Germany | Logistics |
| Schulman | USA | BSS |
| Schulte | Germany | Metal industry |
| SFS Intec Holding | Switzerland | Construction industry |
| Sii | France | ITO |
| Sika Finaz | Switzerland | Small industry |
| Silk Road Group | International | Consulting services |
| Sivantos Group | International | Production of electronic products |
| Skanska Group | Sweden | Construction, real estate |
| SKF | Sweden | Metal industry |
| Smithfield Foods | USA | Agriculture |
| Société du Louvre–Groupe du Louvre | France | Hotels |
| Softserve | Ukraine | ITO |
| Sonalake | International | ITO |
| Starbucks | USA | Gastronomy |
| Starter | Germany | BSS |
| Stenwood Hotels and Resorts | International | Hotels |
| Stichting Ingka Foundation | Netherlands | Commerce, BSS, real estate |
| Strabag | Austria | Construction |
| Sulzer | Switzerland | Machine industry |
| SGS | USA | ITO |
| Szwajcarski Fundusz Rządowy | Switzerland | Commerce |
| Tac Finedile Di Pace | Italy | Printing services |
| TBWA | USA | Marketing |
| Telcordia Technologies | USA | R&D |
| TelePizza | Spain | Gastronomy |
| Terravita Holding Establishment | Liechtenstein | Food industry |
| Tesco | Great Britain | Commerce |
| Thyssen Krupp | Germany | Commerce |
| Tollerton Investments | Greece | BSS |
| TomTom | USA | ITO |
| Torpol | Norway | Construction |
| TPA | Austria | Consulting services |
| Uesa | Germany | Power industry |
| Unilever | International | Food industry B R |
| Union Asset Management Holding | Germany | Investment fund |
| Union Investment Real Estate | Germany | Investment fund |
| Value 4 Capital Eastern Europe LP | International | Investment fund |
| Veolia | France | Power engineering |
| Verax Systems | USA | ITO |
| Volkswagen | Germany | Automotive industry, BSS |
| Von der Heyden Group | International | Real estate |
| Vue Entertainment | Great Britain | Entertainment |
| Warburg Pincus | USA | Investment fund |
| Wavin | Netherlands | BSS |
| Wikia | USA | R&D |
| Wirtgen Group | Germany | Commerce |
| WizzAir | Hungary | Transport |
| WPP | Great Britain | ITO |
| Würth-Gruppe | Germany | Commerce |