Barcelona Business Landing, attracting east Asian businesses to Catalonia

Not so long ago Western companies were moving to East Asia seeking for cheaper production costs, especially related to labour. But the fast growth of Asian economies, with China heading the list, is turning that trend and experts forecast that we are about to experience a colonization of Europe by Chinese brands and companies. Lluís Lluch, Co-founder and CEO at Barcelona Business Landing, detected this trend and together with Alejandra Yuste created a company in early 2011 aimed specifically at attracting Chinese and Taiwanese companies to Catalonia. With his privileged background as International Promotion Director at the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Lluís Lluch was at the right place and time in order to develop a company such as Barcelona Business Landing, addressed to those small and middle-size industrial and technological companies interested in establishing in Europe. The decrease of prices in western countries due to the economic and financial crisis, the availability of funding in Asian companies and the need to reduce the time to market are the main factors that will prompt Chinese companies to try to acquire local ones or merge with them. Barcelona Business Landing has identified this situation and is already working with organizations such as the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the Barcelona city council and ACC1Ó – Invest in Catalonia or companies such as Almirall, Caixa Capital Risc, the Guangzhou CCM Information Science & Technology or the China at Barcelona Summit to take advantage from the opportunities that this colonization process may offer. For the moment, Barcelona Business Landing offices are only located in the Barcelona Activa business incubator, in the city of Barcelona, but opening a delegation in Shanghai is already under consideration.