Representatives of bilateral chambers within the IGCC ((The International Group of Chamber of Commerce) took part in a study visit to Łódź at the invitation of the Mayor of the City of Łódź, Hanna Zdanowska, on 20 and 21 November 2019. Participants had the opportunity to visit the city, which in the 19th century was a thriving textiles manufacturing centre, and in the 20th century became the centre of Polish film. This can be seen in the architecture of the city. Today, many post-industrial buildings have been transformed into flats and lofts (Scheibler’s factory in Księży Młyn), commercial buildings (Manufaktura) or modern business premises (Łódź Special Economic Zone). This is possible thanks to the city’s extensive revitalisation programme, which has been underway for several years. Łódź will host a green expo in 2024.
The city has been experiencing a period of prosperity in recent years; the unemployment rate is a quarter of what it was when Poland joined the EU. The proximity to the capital and its location on the crossroads of Poland’s transport infrastructure network make Łódź a great place for new production facilities, as a logistics hub, and for ever increasing numbers of shared-service and business process outsourcing centres. The city has a conscious strategy of supporting investors interested in Łódź as a business location.
The participants of the study visit also visited Hydro, a Norwegian company producing car parts, to see the production line at work, as well as the city’s important place in the global supply chain.