A record 370 foreign firms opened new businesses in the Netherlands last year, 18% up on 2012, according to global research by consultancy IBM.

The new operations include a distribution centre set up by budget retail group Action and a new office opened by IT group Huawei, news agency ANP reports.

Together, they account for 9,200 new jobs, largely in IT, business services and the food industry, IBM said.

Limited impact

‘In terms of the level of foreign investment, the crisis has had a limited impact in the Netherlands,’  spokesman Roel Spee told ANP. ‘In terms of wage cost developments, the situation in the Netherlands is currently better than in other western European countries like Belgium and Germany.’

The good infrastructure and benign tax climate also make the Netherlands attractive to foreign firms, he said. Most new companies are from the US, but China and India are also on the rise. The Amsterdam region remains the most popular location.