Angers - Economy

Economy

The early prosperity of the town is largely due to the nearby quarries of slate, whose abundant use for the roofs of Angers led to the city's nickname, the "Black City" (or "La ville noire", in French). As of 1911, existing industries noted in the Encyclopædia Britannica for that year included the distillation of liqueurs from fruit (Cointreau, a brand of triple sec orange liqueur, is produced to this day in Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou, a commune in Angers urban area); cable, rope, and thread-making; the manufacture of boots, shoes, umbrellas, and parasols; weaving of sail-cloth and fabrics; machine construction; wire-drawing; and the manufacture of sparkling wines and preserved fruits. The chief articles of commerce, besides slate and manufactured goods, were hemp, early vegetables, fruit, flowers, and live-stock.

Many of these industries present in 1911 have since disappeared, though Cointreau continues to produce liqueur. Other contemporary industries include the manufacturing of lorries (Scania) and computers (Bull, Packard Bell, NEC) as well as research in horticulture and biotechnologies. Angers economy is also tributary to the presence of many administrative, educational and health institutions, and is also characterised by a great number of small firms, often oriented towards the agricultural tradition of Maine-et-Loire. Thanks to its several higher education schools, laboratories, and various offices, Angers is the largest horticultural centre in Europe. It is as well a regional finance centre, with many banks and insurance companies having a regional seat there (Afone, CNP Assurances, Crédit agricole, Fiducial, Groupama...).

Angers is an important congress and fair centre. The congress activity gives each year a fallout of eight millions euros to the local commerce and a new congress centre should replace the current one by 2016, doubling this economic fallout. The Parc des Expositions, where fairs are held, welcomes 600,000 visitors and more than 300 events each year. With its 27,000 m², it is the biggest infrastructure of that type in northwestern France.

As the home of the Community Plant Variety Office, Angers is the hub of the plant breeders' rights system in the European Community.

Angers provides 45,7% of the Maine-et-Loire job positions. It is the 22nd national job provider and the 3rd one in northwestern France after Nantes and Rennes. Its unemployment rate, 9.9% in 2009, is close to the national rate. 21.4% of the people working in Angers have graduate or post-graduate qualifications.