Business Background
The Société de développement économique Ville-Marie (CLD) has been operating since October 1998.
Hundreds of businesses have received advice through our offices since the SDEVM (CLD) was founded. Today, these businesses employ some 1100 people and have annual sales of $121 million. We also manage $4.6 million in the Local Investment Fund.
In 2009-2010, the SDEVM (CLD) handled 5107 requests for information, advice and assistance from businesses in the private sector and social economy.
In the same period, we met with more than 200 groups wanting to start a business downtown, to discuss our financial assistance and marketing programs.
The SDEVM (CLD) also initiated, developed and consolidated 75 social economy projects, in which our FÉS envelope has invested $1 539 037. Social economy projects serve social needs not met by the traditional free market.
Did you know?
- Downtown Montreal features some 3000 businesses and more than 50 million square feet of office space.
- Everyday there are 250 000 workers and 100 000 students circulating downtown.
- Some intersections have up to 3500 people passing through them every hour.
- Downtown Montreal features the highest concentration of businesses in Canada.
- In seven years (1993 to 2000), $250 465 306 was invested on Sainte-Catherine Street.
- Downtown accounts for 60% of Montreal’s metropolitan commercial real estate.
- Downtown Montreal hosts most of the 60 international organizations established in Montreal.
- Between 1998 and 2004, 375 000 square metres of office space was constructed downtown.
- Montreal welcomes some 10 million visitors each year, mainly downtown. A little over half stay for more than a day and spend $1.75 billion annually.
- Downtown Montreal is 10th in North America for its number of hotel rooms.
- The downtown area offers 40 000 parking places, 95% of which are divided among 200 indoor and outdoor parking lots and the remaining 5% along city streets.
- Metropolitan Montreal has the highest proportion of students in North America, slightly ahead of Boston.
- The pedestrian network represents 3.6 million square metres of walking space used by 500 000 people daily.
- The downtown periphery is inhabited by 54 000 people, 12 000 of whom live in the heart of the commercial district. A third of these people are between the ages of 20 and 34 years old.