Malaga bids to entice top euro firms

EXPERTS, businessmen and representatives of the British commerce met in Malaga on Tuesday October 4 to discuss the potential and attractions the city has as a possible destination for companies that might move their headquarters outside the UK post-Brexit.

The climate, quality of life, communications, a thriving business community, technology and innovation and lower labour costs compared to many areas, are some of the factors in Malaga’s favour. 

The subject was discussed at the ‘Brexit: Challenges and opportunities for Malaga’s economy’ event held at the town hall and organised by the department for economic revitalisation and enterprise and employment promotion.

The managing director of the international consulting firm Gartner, Javier Gonzalez, explained that even though the real impact of Brexit could be delayed until 2018 or 2019, it was a long enough period for British firms to study whether they needed to open an office in another country. The arrangements for moving data processing centres, for example, could take up to a year. 

Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, said at the beginning of the forum that the provincial capital was “the best city” for British companies that have a “physical and legal position within the EU.” He said Malaga is “the paradise for many Britons to live and logically also to work” before adding that the objective of the city was to promote itself as a prime venue for investment for tech start-ups and finance and insurance companies.