Foreign investors are increasingly seeing the appeal of the Mechelen-Kempen region (between Brussels and Antwerp) and in 2022 put nearly €1.5 billion into the region, according to analysis by the Flemish business association Voka, which aims "to create an optimal environment for successful entrepreneurship".
The huge investment is “more than the total foreign investments of the last five years combined,” Voka states. In particular, Pfizer and Sanofi made a hefty contribution last year. Voka's calculations are based on figures from Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT).
In total, there were €1.47 billion in investments – €1.2 billion pertaining to Mechelen and €273 million to Turnhout.
Tom Laveren of Voka Mechelen-Kempen explained that there were a total of 35 major investment projects launched over the year (23 in Mechelen; 12 in Turnhout). All of these projects were approved in 2022 and will now be implemented.
Year-on-year investment in the Mechelen-Kempen region. Credit: Voka
"Both regions together account for almost 30% of all investments in Flanders. That is unprecedented,” Laveren stated. Half of all investment projects went to the construction of new sites. The other half was for expansions and acquisitions. It is expected that the investments will create over 700 additional local jobs.
Of all investors, Pfizer is by far the largest, having put €1.2 billion into its site in Puurs-Sint-Amands. Another pharmaceutical giant, Sanofi, invested €120 million euros in Beerse for the production of biological medicines.
As well as large sums spent in the pharmaceutical sector, significant investments were made in the IT and food sectors.
