Provence Promotion and Euroméditerranée – 20 years of working together

Joint actions to promote the territory and attract investors

Infosys, Ceva Logistics, Q Core Medical, Interxion… These leading international groups have all chosen Marseille as their home, from where they reach out to Europe and the rest of the world. Their choice of city, which created jobs and wealth in the region, was the result of the combined efforts of Provence Promotion and Euroméditerranée, which celebrated twenty years of working together in September 2020. Their partnership has grown steadily… and was the first in a series of alliances between Provence Promotion and major players in local economic development, including Pays d’Aix Développement, the Port of Marseille-Fos, La Ciotat Shipyards, Marseille Provence airport, the aerospace hub in Istres, etc.

The first annual partnership agreement between public planning body, Euroméditerranée, and economic development agency, Provence Promotion, was signed in September 2000.

Twenty years on, their concerted action has helped bring about many success stories, driving growth in the region, which has gathered pace considerably over the past ten years in line with the city’s transformation. In 2013, when Marseille was named European Capital of Culture, the Terrasses du Port shopping mall opened in the city’s La Joliette district. The same year, Interxion inaugurated the first of four data centers, making Marseille a global telecommunications hub.

A decade earlier, Provence Promotion and Euroméditerranée successfully convinced Telecom Italia to locate its French headquarters in Marseille (since take over by Free).

Infosys and Ceva Logistics follow in the footsteps of CMA CGM

Located at the heart of the Euromed 1 business district, CMA CGM has enjoyed exceptional growth in recent years. Close to its head offices, which are emblematic of this success, the maritime company facilitated the arrival of Indian IT giant, Infosys, and Swiss logistics group, Ceva, which was acquired by CMA CGM in 2019. Provence Promotion organized the professional mobility of these firms’ international executives, with the support of Euroméditerranée, in association with the Metropolitan Area, the Marseille and Aix city authorities, and APEX.

The two partners, backed by France’s biggest port, jointly canvass and target companies active in logistics, maritime activities, transit, trucking, and international trade, as well as in digital businesses. For example, they established the conditions needed for Expedia group to locate its European booking center in Marseille.

Since the extension of Euromed 2, the targeted sectors now include green growth, eco-construction, sustainable mobility, the energy transition, and light manufacturing.

This district, which is undergoing reconstruction, offers many advantages, starting with its accessibility, which has greatly improved over the past 20 years, with better coverage and enhanced service frequencies (tram and metro lines, highways, the Saint Charles railroad station and Marseille Provence airport). In December 2019, Israeli group Q Core Medical, a leading developer of smart infusion delivery systems for hospital and homecare environments, opened its European office in the Euromed district of Marseille, with the assistance of Provence Promotion.

Jointly represented in Silicon Valley

The partnership has set up a joint representative structure in Silicon Valley in the western United States. This has led to several projects that have helped cement the Provence region’s lead in terms of innovation. For example, the installation of Bovlabs, a Californian company that facilitates the transfer of energy from electric vehicles to buildings. Another illustration is the cooperation between the non-profit Ici Marseille and SeriousFun in San Francisco to develop connected devices. In recent months, despite the unsettled global situation, the two partners’ arguments won over Vastint, a Scandinavian investment fund which chose Marseille as its headquarters in France. It was also by working together that, in September 2020, Provence Promotion and Euroméditerranée convinced the association of real estate officers from the biggest French companies to choose Aix-Marseille to discuss the future of their workplaces.