Invest In Brussels - English

The Smets Group, the leading women’s fashion retail chain in Luxembourg, has opened its first foreign store in Brussels. Trading in top-of-the-range fashion clothing and accessories, the new 4,000 square meter flagship store features a gourmet restaurant and will employ a team of 40. Fashion brands include Ralph Lauren, Kenzo and Comme des Garçons.

More info: www.smets.lu

On October 27 the Danish financial group Saxo Bank, a leader in online trading, inaugurated its Brussels branch. The investment involves the recruitment of 4 employees. The group – best known for its ‘SaxoTrader’ online platform, variants of which are now used as trading platforms by some 100 other financial institutions – chose Brussels for its strategic location and its market potential. A recent NYSE Euronext survey found that 91% of Belgian investors use the Internet to buy and sell financial products.
Speaking of the decision to locate in Brussels, the chief executive of Saxo Bank Lars Seier Christensen said that “opening an office in Brussels has been a priority for Saxo Bank for a long time. The Belgian investors are tech-savvy and therefore, a perfect fit for Saxo Bank.”

Source: www.express.be/sectors/nl/finance/saxo-bank-opent-filiaal-aan-louizalaan-in-brussel/155252.htm

The famous US Hard Rock Café chain is adding Brussels to its 172 outlets in 51 countries. Located in a 17th-century UNESCO-classified building now being restored by the British architects Fuse, the new restaurant will open in April 2012 in a street close to the city’s historic Grand’Place/Grote Markt.

Source: www.brusselnieuws.be/artikel/hard-rock-caf%C3%A9-voor-brussel

As a specialist in IT consultancy and outsourcing services, the everis company has established a Brussels subsidiary to service the city’s important community of international institutions and public-sector corporations.

Speaking at an inaugural ceremony in early-October Benoît Cerexhe, Brussels Region Minister of Economy and Employment, said the decision reflected the key attributes of Brussels: its central location, easy accessibility by road, rail and air, its role as an international capital and its cosmopolitan character.

Headquartered in Spain, everis employs a team of 10,000 professionals in operations in Europe, the USA and Latin America. The team of 70 professionals already working in the Brussels subsidiary is expected to rise to over 100 in the course of the coming year.

A consortium led by everis has been awarded three contracts by the European Commission, with a total value of € 392 million, for the development, research and support of information systems.

More info: www.everis.com

Electrolux, the Swedish household goods producer is moving its European headquarters to Haren, Brussels. The move involves 400 jobs.

Next year, the automobile giant BMW will be developing its Leuvensesteenweg/Chaussée de Louvain site in Evere, Brussels, with the addition of a 12,000 square meter showroom and a service centre. The investment reflects an expected sales increase of 50%, involving the recruitment of 12 additional employees. With a budget of € 25 million for this expansion, BMW clearly sees Brussels as a prime destination for future investment.

Coinciding with the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix in early-September, McLaren Automotive opened its first Continental European showroom on Brussels’ Louizalaan/Avenue Louise. Key exhibit is the new McLaren MP4-12C (value > 200,000 euro). Reasons for the choice of Brussels were the city’s central location and its status as the administrative capital of Europe.

Decathlon, the French sporting goods company, will be opening a new Benelux headquarters in Evere, Brussels, in 2013. The new project will generate about 450 new jobs, including a fixed percentage of 66% for Brussels residents, making a major contribution to employment in the region.

www.brusselnieuws.be/artikel/grootste-decathlon-van-europa-evere-420

www.brusselnieuws.be/artikel/mega-decathlon-2-op-3-jobs-voor-brusselaars

European & Corporate Strategy, the leading Croatian company in the legal, financial and strategic consultancy field, has now set up its headquarters in Brussels. The company has operations in Zagreb, Sarajevo, Belgrade, Skopje, Podgorica, Kiev, Pristine and Tirana.

The consultancy advises its clients on relations with the EU institutions and on the issues that impact on their businesses.

www.ecs-brussels.com/

31st January 2011 saw the inaugural flight of the new Qatar Airways service between Doha and Brussels. Five flights a week will link Brussels passengers to nearly 100 destinations worldwide. Brussels is the third European destination now served by the carrier.
Speaking at a conference to mark the event, the CEO of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, paid tribute to the support provided by the Brussels community. “We received a warm welcome from the authorities,” he said. Brussels Invest & Export was one of the first organisations to be approached by Qatar Airways when the airline started developing its flight plan.

A new Brussels-based team of 20 employees will add to the Belgian nationals already working for Qatar Airways in Doha.

www.qatarairways.com/global/en/homepage.html

The K&L Gates law partnership has opened its 37th office, this time in Brussels, the Belgian capital and home of many of the European institutions. Speaking of the company’s work in the public affairs and representation fields, K&L’s Chairman Peter J. Kalis said: “capabilities in Brussels are essential to fulfil this role, as the European Union is at the forefront of leading governmental initiatives designed to regulate the private sector.” K&L Gates has the ambition and the ability to become the leading regulatory firm in Brussels.

www.klgates.com

Country of origin: Greece
Date of publication: 06/01/10
http://www.olympicair.com/Home.aspx?a_id=256

Country of origin: Germany
Date of publication: 06/01/10

Country of origin: n/a
Date of publication: 14/01/10
http://www.epasorg.eu/spip.php?rubrique12

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 14/01/10
http://www.logiwin.fr/

Country of origin: The Netherlands
Date of Publication: 15/01/10
http://www.kde-energy.com/en/projects/kde-in-belgium/

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 18/01/10

Country of origin: USA/Canada
Date of publication: 19/01/10
http://www.ivfonline.com/

Country of origin: United Kingdom
Date of publication: 19/01/10

Country of origin: Switzerland/Monaco
Date of publication: 20/01/10

Country of origin: USA
Date of publication: 21/01/10
http://www.sheppardmullin.com/

Country of origin: GD Luxembourg
Date of publication: 22/01/10

Country of origin: n/a
Date of publication: 22/01/10
http://www.thinkyoung.eu/website/contact-us.html

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 27/01/10

Country of origin: USA
Date of publication: 29/01/10
http://www.ccianet.org/

Country of origin: USA
Date of publication: 01/02/10

Country of origin: Switzerland
Date of publication: 02/02/10

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 02/02/10

Country of origin: n/a
Date of publication: 02/02/10

Country of origin: United Kingdom
Date of publication: 02/02/10

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 02/02/10

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 11/02/10
http://www.ongconseil.be/

Country of origin: Canada/France
Date of publication: 15/12/09

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 21/12/09
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/transparency/regrin/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=16094042309-21

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 28/12/09
http://atikal-management.typepad.fr/

Country of origin: France
Date of publication: 30/12/09

Country of origin: GD Luxembourg/The Netherlands
Date of publication: 30/12/09