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NRW posts record foreign investment results in 2015

Düsseldorf, 23. May 2016 - North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) continues to impress with new record figures as the leading location for foreign investors in Germany. In 2015, there were 434 new settlements and expansion investments by international companies in the state – an increase of approximately 32 percent compared to the previous year. These are the figures issued by the state-owned economic development agency NRW.INVEST. Investments made by foreign companies in NRW in 2015 will create a total of around 8,000 potential jobs.

"North Rhine-Westphalia has now held its leading position in foreign investment in Germany for many years. This is proof of our location quality and our service in the target markets," says Petra Wassner, CEO of NRW.INVEST.

The increase in investments from Greater China, the USA, Western Europe and Turkey play a key role in this development. By far the largest number of investment projects came from Greater China with 91 projects. In second place was the USA with 47 and in third place the Netherlands with 43, followed by Turkey with 40 investment projects. The Düsseldorf region was especially popular with international companies last year, followed by the Lower Rhine, the Cologne/Bonn region and the Ruhr Metropolis. On the Lower Rhine and in the Aachen region, settlement figures doubled in 2015 compared to the previous year.

North Rhine-Westphalia is still considered a desirable location for investments in logistics projects as well as new and expansion investments of manufacturing companies such as Havi Logistics, 3M or Norsk Hydro. But also in the field of digitization, NRW is steadily closing in on its European competitors. Settlements such as the European headquarters and logistics center of the British online retailer AO in Bergheim show that digital companies also see the potential of North Rhine-Westphalia.

NRW is Germany's No. 1 investment location. More than 18,000 foreign companies control their German or European operations from here. International companies employ a total of over 850,000 people in NRW.