Special European Report: A new direction in European Distribution

Why should U.S. companies focus on their distribution networks in Europe?

Yet the European Union (EU) remains a $16 trillion economy, the world’s largest. Many U.S. companies are seeking to further diversify their business globally, hedging bets and searching for new geographies. American exports to the EU are up 3.5 percent, in nominal dollar terms, this year (January-April) over 2009.

Meanwhile, despite a reversal in the past few months, the U.S. dollar is still down by 27 percent versus the euro since ATMs across Europe first started dispensing the new currency in January 2002. And Europeans remain among the wealthiest consumers in the world—six countries in Europe currently have higher nominal GDP per capita levels than the United States.