94% of investors recommend Klaipėda FEZ

The absolute majority of investors operating in the Klaipėda Free Economic Zone (FEZ) would recommend their experience to other businesses, according to the latest client satisfaction survey conducted by the strategic management consulting company Smart Continent LT.

According to the survey conducted at the end of 2023, the Klaipėda FEZ is highly rated by 94.3% of investors, with an additional 5.7% rating their experience positively. There were no so-called “detractors” among the respondents – dissatisfied or non-recommending clients.

Therefore, the Net Promoter Score (NPS) index, indicating the level of organization’s customer recommendation and loyalty, currently stands at 94.3%.

“A very good NPS index is considered to be 70%, while a result of 80% or higher indicates that the company meets the highest standards and customers gladly recommend it to others,” comments Ieva Girdvainienė, Managing Director of Smart Continent LT.

According to the survey, Klaipėda FEZ investors rate most highly the image and communication of the FEZ management company, the physical environment of the territory, the business community and municipal services. In the opinion of FEZ clients, the most effort should currently be put into improving transportation and accessibility, as well as socialization and green spaces.

In the survey, the majority of respondents positively commented on the conditions in Klaipėda FEZ for progressive business development and employee safety, as well as the friendly, collaboration-oriented business community. The Klaipėda FEZ management company itself received almost the highest possible scores from investors in terms of service quality, transparency, reliability, and professionalism.

Among the desirable aspects, Klaipėda FEZ investors most frequently mentioned the need for more diverse catering, transportation, leisure, and other services. Childcare, daily goods trading, equipment rental, sports, and even accommodation and other services are becoming increasingly relevant for FEZ companies and employees.

Eimantas Kiudulas, the CEO of Klaipėda FEZ, states that the very high satisfaction of current clients creates opportunities for both the expansion of existing companies in the territory and new investments. In turn, the increasing need for social environment development illustrates the ongoing transformation of the FEZ into a vibrant and multifunctional high-value-added territory.

“Even in the challenging year 2023, expansion projects were implemented or initiated by such longstanding residents of our territory as Klaipėda Business Park, Retal Baltic Films, Albright Lithuania, Mestilla and other companies. We also attracted several new investors, and continued our FlexStart projects. None of this could happen without high satisfaction of existing clients, ensuring the resilience of our business community in the face of challenges and laying stronger foundations for even greater breakthroughs in the future. The FEZ territory continues to transform into a high-value-added community that requires appropriate functions and services,” says E. Kiudulas.

According to him, companies operating in the FEZ are increasingly interested in the well-being of their employees, so they need diverse social and recreational opportunities near workplaces, and they increasingly value a quality and comfortable environment.

“Therefore, we will strive for Klaipėda FEZ to become not only a good place to work but also to be and spend time. In the near future, we hope to announce several pieces of news related to active lifestyle in the FEZ territory, we also working on more retail and social service diversity. Our vision for the near future is a deeper and higher quality integration into the urban fabric,” says E. Kiudulas.

According to Arvydas Vaitkus, Mayor of Klaipėda, investments creating added value for the city and its residents are important and necessary not only for Klaipėda or the coastal region but also for the whole of Lithuania.

“I often communicate with investors in Klaipėda FEZ, and I don’t know of anyone who is not pleased to be located here. It is gratifying that in Klaipėda, companies using the latest technologies are emerging, we increasingly observe companies paying more attention to ecology, and FEZ activities are building trust among investors. This is the result of long-term and consistent work, which brings benefits to the entire region,” says Arvydas Vaitkus, Mayor of Klaipėda.

According to Marius Stasiukaitis, Strategy Manager at Invest Lithuania, the country has taken several important steps in recent years to improve the investment environment for existing and potential investors.

“Laws have been proposed to expand the corporate income tax exemption and increase land supply for investors, defense industry projects have been allowed in FEZ areas, a financial instrument has been created to encourage the construction of typical production buildings in FEZ and industrial park areas, a risk-sharing model has been agreed to expand flight offerings, and more. In such an environment, it is critically important for Lithuania to discover and exploit new growing sectors and areas, such as MilTech, green technologies, micromobility, and pay more attention to the East Asian region, where countries are increasingly investing globally and in Central and Eastern Europe,” says M. Stasiukaitis.

The customer satisfaction survey was conducted in October-November 2023, with 34 executives – directors, their deputies, department heads, or human resources managers of 34 Klaipėda FEZ investor companies being directly surveyed.

Currently, about 2800 employees work in Klaipėda FEZ companies, and about 5000 throughout the territory. More than 45 foreign investors operating in Klaipėda FEZ paid over EUR 107 million in personal income, VAT, and social security taxes in 2022, and purchased goods and services worth more than EUR 500 million in the Lithuanian market. Since its inception in 2002, Lithuanian and foreign-capital companies have implemented or planned investments of EUR 778 million in Klaipėda FEZ.