Economy
The most important factor of the Łódź region's economic growth is its natural
resources supply potential.
The district of Bełchatów owes its rapid growth to the fields of brown coal
found in the area. The geothermal water resources in the northern part of the
region have helped develop spa, recreation, and tourist services, while the
districts of Kutno, Łęczyca, and Łowicz are traditional agricultural
strongholds.
In the region of Łódź there operate over 200 thousand companies, most
of which are micro-enterprises with up to 5 employees. Over 90% of these
companies are private. The public sector is represented by the remaining 10%.
Small enterprises, i.e. partnerships and private workshops represent an
overwhelming majority in all of the region's districts. Nearly a half of these workshops
are located in Łódź - the region's capital.
Companies with foreign shareholdings hardly account for 1% of all business
entities in the region. They basically operate in the area of commerce and
industry. Few surviving state-owned enterprises are being restructured and
commercialised.
The diversity of companies managed by self-employeds and partnerships proves
the high entrepreneurial spirit in the region's community.
Over 1/3 of the
companies operating in the region are trading firms. Approx. 16% are
manufacturing companies, and over 10% of all firms provide real estate services.
These three sectors account for over 63% of all companies registered in
the region. Further down the list are construction and transport, predominantly
road transport, companies.
The manufacturing firms and workshops in the region of Łódź primarily
manufacture garments, fabrics, foodstuffs, beverages, furniture, metal finished
products, and timber. There are also companies which tan and dye leather.
The region's economy primarilly concentrates in Łódź - the region's capital,
Poland's second-largest city, with an enormous growth dynamics. Investors are
flowing in. It is here that the American firm AIG Lincoln and Germany's Meyer
& Meyer maintain their logistics centres. Branch companies are operated by
such international heavyweights as: Merloni, Amcor-Rentsch, Shell, Coca-Cola,
Legler, Coats, Gillette, Bosh-Siemens, Nibco, ABB, or Pepsico. To date Łódź has
absorbed an overall one 1,5 billion US dollars worth of investments.
Last year witnessed increased economic activity in the districts of Zgierz,
Pabianice, and Tomaszów. This is a consequence of foreign investors' increasing
interest in these areas. The foregoing districts combine with the City of Łódź
to form the region's industrial centre.
Further on the investors' priority list is the town of Piotrków Trybunalski
and the districts of Sieradz, Bełchatów, Radomsko, and Kutno. In the outstanding
districts the dominant industry is the agricultural production.
The region's economy is open to investors wishing to take advantage of the
region's excellent location and everything else that the region has to offer:
its natural resources and well-educated, dynamic local
inhabitants.
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