Ladies and Gentlemen - investGDA - invest in Gdansk

Operators of the leading European chain stores also find the Metropolis attractive.
In the heart of the Metropolitan Area alone there are over 40 large-floor-surface shopping
centres and hypermarkets owned and managed by such operators and chain traders as:
APSYS (France), AUCHAN / LEROY MERLIN (Auchan Group, France), ECE Projektmanagement
(Germany), E.Leclerc (France), Carrefour (France), Castorama (United Kingdom),
TESCO (UK), REAL/Praktiker/Media Markt (Metro Group, Germany), Obi (Germany), and
IKEA (Sweden). The trading offer of the shopping centres is complemented by the supermarket
chain stores run by such operators as: Jeronimo Martins (Portugal, Biedronka
chain stores), Schwarz (Lidl chain stores, Germany), Kaufland (Kaufland, Germany), and
Dansk Supermarked (Netto chain stores, Denmark).
Like a magnet, the Gdańsk Metropolitan Area attracts foreign investors who establish
their main business offices and branches of their parent companies here. At the close
of 2007 over 3 thousand equity-based companies with foreign equity participation had
their operations based in the area.
TOWARDS INNOVATIVE ECONOMY
The Gdańsk Metropolitan Area and the whole voivodship are in the lead in Poland
in terms of concentration of businesses representing the high technology sector. Their
prevailing lines of business include the production of:
• Electronic and telecommunication devices,
• Industrial automation and mechanotronics,
• Pharmaceuticals and derivative products,
and services in:
• Teleinformation,
• System and database building and servicing,
• Finance and accounting.
The dynamic development of the high-tech sector is fed by the inflow of investments from
international concerns and Polish companies transferring their own know-how here. It is
also the effect of the high level training offered by the schools of higher education which
teach highly specialised and professional staff.
Companies of the type include e.g.: Intel Technology Poland, Flextronics International
Poland, Young Digital Planet, DGT, Gemplus, Polotne, or ZenSar technologies.
The important elements pertaining to the development of the knowledge-based economy
include centres of excellence. The centres group academic and research units conducting
research at the top world level, solving technical and technological problems indicated
by the industry, offering training and education. The Metropolitan Area is home to an
odd dozen Centres of Excellence and Centres of Competence.
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Graph 11. Equity-based companies operating in the Gdańsk Metropolitan Area in 2007.
Gdańsk City
Gdynia
Sopot
Poviat of Gdańsk
Kartuzy
Nowy Dwór
Puck
Wejherowo
79
96
115
144
185
231
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Source: Own study based on the CSO data, as at 31 March 2008.
Centres of Excellence and Centres of Competence in the Metropolitan Area.
BALTDER Centre of Excellence for Baltic Development, Education and Research –
University of Gdańsk,
BioMoBil Centre of Excellence in Bio-Safety and Molecular Biomedicine – University
of Gdańsk,
RECOURSE Research and Education Centre for Urban Socio-Economic Development –
University of Gdańsk,
COCISA Centre of Competence in Internet Security Area – University of Gdańsk,
CEEAM Centre of Excellence in Environmental Analysis and Monitoring – Gdańsk
University of Technology,
CURE Centre for Urban Construction and Rehabilitation: Technology Transfer, Research
and Education – Gdańsk University of Technology,
CEMET Centre of Medical Technologies – Gdańsk University of Technology,
CLEANERPAS Centre for Clean and Safe Technologies in Power Engineering – Institute of
Fluid-Flow Machinery, PAS,
CeSSS Centre for Shelf Seas Science – Institute of Oceanology, PAS – Sopot,
CEM Centre for Environmental Engineering and Mechanics
– Institute of Hydroengineering, PAS – Gdańsk,
CREM Centre of Research and Education in Medicinal Chemistry / Biotechnology
– Gdańsk University of Technology – Gdańsk
863
1306
Atlas of the Gdańsk Metropolitan Area