The R&D world center in agribusiness, for the settlement of which Sophia Antipolis was in competition, has chosen to settle in Paris.
No Danone in Sophia Antipolis and not even in Lyon, where the food giant had planned to settle its R&d world center in agribusiness before the summer. The French giant decided to settle near Paris, in Palaiseau, and near its production centers. Even if the decision results would be announced next week, the decision has already been surely taken.
A polemic had burst just before the end of the summer in the technopole, about the business settlement file (500 jobs more, some were talking about 700). What was reproached the technopole was that it was impossible to obtain land before three years, which would have allowed Danone to build a 20,000 m² center. At the beginning of the summer, the Regional council had also decided to unblock the Funel plot, which had been reserved to allow the Maison de Sophia construction.
However, its seems that the property business shortage which is more and more important in Sophia is not responsible for the non-settlement of Danone. The decision Danone took to stay near Paris would, above all, have been motivated by the problems which would have been caused by a relocation towards the Riviera of a great number of Danone's staff.