Bretons from abroad

Economy & Business

Brittany regularly claims the lowest unemployment rate in France. With a GDP of €125 bn. (€26,600 per capita), it represents 5.7 % of the French economy.

Brittany’s economy is mainly focused on agriculture, maritime activities, IT, automotive, aerospace, renewable energy, green business, tourism, with many large-scale business clusters, and many other sectors are also significant:

  • #1 agricultural region in France, a major one in Europe, €9bn. in turnover, 14 of the 20 largest French companies are based in Brittany, business clusters such as ABEA and Valorial, major trade shows such as SPACE and CFIA.
  • A major IT & telecom region in Europe, one of the largest cybersecurity clusters of the Union, business clusters such as Images & networks or Photonics Bretagne.
  • #1 maritime region in France with some of the world’s largest cruise ships built in Saint Nazaire, submarines and warships built in Brest, the most advanced racing sailboats, all types of marine renewable energy (tidal, current, wave, floating or fixed offshore wind…), marine leisure including excellent surfing spots, algae (90 % of French volumes), seafood (fishing, farming, oyster…), business clusters such as Bretagne Pôle Naval, Neopolia (also active in aerospace), Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique.
  • Brittany is a leading tourism destination in France, with each year 13 m. tourists (100 m. in France) spending €5bn. in dozens of incredible places. It is easy to find resources (Brittany Tourism, Destination Rennes, Nantes tourism, Brest Tourism…).
  • Nantes is the second Airbus cluster in France and many other companies are involved in the aerospace business.
  • The automotive industry is present with a large constructor plant in Rennes, many suppliers and startups, and business clusters like ID4Car.
City of the Telecoms in Pleumeur Bodou (Bruno Torrubia)

For each sector, all the chain of value is represented with key players, suppliers, startups, R&D labs, universities, technical centers, incubators, investors, specific policies of the state and local communities, skilled manpower, international networks, etc.

France has structured its technology community around 14 French Tech capitals, 3 of them being the 3 Breton metropolitan cities (Nantes, Brest, Rennes).

Bretagne Commerce International, a business association, helps Breton companies to do international business and foreign companies to invest in Brittany. There are more than 360 foreign companies in Brittany, on more than 500 sites, employing more than 30,000 people.

The reputation of Brittany is excellent in France, it is considered a place where people do business seriously and value their work. As a result, more than 400 Breton companies have gathered in Produit En Bretagne (made in Brittany), an association that promotes their products and the Breton values. Its logo is displayed on more than 4,000 products sold in France and abroad.

Rennes and Nantes are less than 1.5 hours from Paris by train, and the 3 metropolitan cities 1 hour by plane. Several airports and ports also link the region directly to European destinations.