Economy

Grenoble is one of the leading European cities in term of high-tech industries, especially biotechnology and nanotechnology. World-renowned enterprises have settled in Grenoble and in the surrounding area such as Hewlett Packard, Caterpillar, and STMicroelectronics.

Industry The town was famous for glove manufacturing, for which Xavier Jouvin introduced an innovative technique in the 19th century. A few small companies keep producing gloves for a very high end market. Companies Head office of Glénat In 2011, the largest employers in the Grenoble metropolitan area were: Enterprise, location Number of employees Sector STMicroelectronics, Grenoble and Crolles 5,979 Semiconductor manufacturing, R&D Schneider Electric, Grenoble agglomeration 4,915 Electrical equipment, R&D Caterpillar France, Grenoble and Echirolles 1,865 Construction of heavy equipment Hewlett Packard France, Eybens 1,814 Computer science Becton Dickinson, Pont-de-Claix 1,736 R&D and production of advanced systems for drugs administration Carrefour, Grenoble agglomeration 1,165 Hypermarkets Capgemini, Grenoble 1,100 Information technology consulting and IT service management Groupe Casino, Grenoble agglomeration 990 Supermarkets Samse, Grenoble agglomeration 965 Supplier of building materials Soitec, Bernin 952 Semiconductor manufacturer specialized in the production of SOI wafers

The presence of companies such as HP or Caterpillar in the area has drawn many American and British workers to Grenoble, especially in the surrounding mountain villages. The region has the second largest English-speaking community in France, after Paris. That community has an English-speaking Church and supports the International School.

Publisher Glénat has its head office in Grenoble.