Coca-Cola, McCain, Häagen-Dazs, Dickson Constant and FedEx are just some of the big names from across the Atlantic that have chosen Northern France.

The importance and variety of these ties were highlighted on October 25 when US Ambassador to France Craig Stapleton officially inaugurated a branch of the American Chamber of Commerce in Lille. There are 150 businesses with North American owners operating in our region, together employing nearly 15,000 people or 14.5% of the total headcount for foreign-owned firms. The food industry accounts for the biggest share with 2,185 employees on 14 sites, among them Campbell Soup in Grande Synthe, Coca-Cola’s bottling plant near Dunkirk, Häagen-Dazs in Arras, and McCain in Harnes. Electrical goods and electronics are also well represented with 1,838 jobs on five sites, among them Ingram Micro in Lesquin and Lomme, as is packaging with 1,305 jobs on 11 sites including Bell Packaging at Bierne and Graphic Packag ing, which created 20 additional jobs in Cambrai in 2007. Other examples: mechanical engineering and equipment, with Visteon in Harnes, plus textiles, where Glen Raven Mills is represented by Dickson Constant, which recently expanded in Wasquehal, and Guilford Mills, which took over Salomé Rökona in Cambrai, preserving 27 jobs. New investments during the year included a FedEx express goods delivery unit opened at Lesquin International Airport, creating 45 jobs. Source: La Voix du Nord, Dec. 12, 2007