In-depth analysis: Patras
Pro · AIOutlook for the next 12 months
stable
moderate confidence
- 19,788active businesses
- 749 / 355opened / closed in the last 12 months
- 81%of new companies survive after 3–5 years (83% region)
Construction companies in Patras municipalityAmong the analysis's opportunities
Density is 1.7 per thousand against 2.8 in Greece, yet openings stay high and 84% of young firms are still active. Land prices rose +30% and apartment prices +14%, both signs of building demand.
- 377businesses in the sector
- 110 / 30opened / closed in the last 12 months
- 84%of new companies survive after 3–5 years (89% region)
Sparser than in the country: 0.6× the businesses per resident. There may be room for one more.
- Nov 2023 – Oct 2024
- Nov 2024 – Oct 2025
- Nov 2025 – Oct 2026
Written in Greek: the AI texts are not translated.
Patras is the business centre of Western Greece, ranked 1 / 19 in the region both by number of businesses and by density. Its 91.6 businesses per thousand residents are well above the typical municipality of the region (80.8) but still below Greece (99.8), so there is room to grow. The economy rests on transport and distribution (haulage, delivery and wholesale) and a broad base of services. The weak spots are food service and a steady rise in closures.
- Nov 2023 – Oct 2024
- Nov 2024 – Oct 2025
- Nov 2025 – Oct 2026
Outlook for the next 12 months
On the published data, business activity in Patras looks likely to stay broadly steady over the next twelve months. Openings have been stable for three years and still comfortably exceed closures, so the business base should keep growing. However, closures have risen year after year and survival (81%) sits slightly below the region and Greece (83%), so net growth may slow further. Food service and some wholesale sectors carry most of the pressure, while transport, delivery and construction look more resilient. Commercial-property deed prices fell −41% on only 44 deeds, which may favour a business looking for premises, but that figure needs confirming before any decision.
Strengths
- Transport and logistics are a clear specialism. Haulage companies run at 2.7 per thousand residents against 1.8 in Greece, with 87% of young firms still active. Delivery services run at 2.0 against 1.2, with 95% still active.
- Openings have held steady over three years (749, 782, 775), which points to consistent entrepreneurial demand.
- Several personal-service and retail sectors show very strong survival, notably Hairdressers & beauty at 93%, Clothing & footwear at 90% and Wholesale food, drink & farm produce at 90%.
- Public money is in play: 259 public contracts worth €17,477,064 and 23 ESPA 2021-2027 projects with €56,735,972 eligible.
Weaknesses
- Closures have risen every year (197, 253, 355) while openings have stayed flat, so the net gain is narrowing.
- Food service is fragile. Restaurants & food sit at 0.7× the Greek density with only 71% survival, and Cafés & bars reach 74%. Closures in both have risen each year.
- Openings are slowing in several commercial sectors: Clothing & footwear (69, 55, 48), Wholesale food, drink & farm produce (76, 73, 50) and IT & software (57, 52, 49).
- Seismic risk is high, with peak ground acceleration of 0.46 g, an active fault 0.5 km away and 102 earthquakes nearby, the strongest of magnitude 5.0.
Opportunities by sector
- Construction companies
Density is 1.7 per thousand against 2.8 in Greece, yet openings stay high and 84% of young firms are still active. Land prices rose +30% and apartment prices +14%, both signs of building demand.
- Supermarkets & mini markets
This is an everyday sector scarcer than in Greece (0.8×), in the largest city of the region. That leaves room for local food retail.
- Delivery services
Density is clearly above the national level and survival reaches 95%, which suggests demand that is still absorbing new entrants. Closures, though, appeared in the latest year after two years at zero.
- Engineers
Openings are steady (47, 47, 56) and density is above Greece. The ESPA and public-contract pipeline and the seismic context support demand for studies and inspections.
What to check next
- Whether closures keep rising in the coming year, especially in Restaurants & food and Cafés & bars, and whether they close the gap with openings.
- Whether the fall in commercial-property prices holds as more deeds are recorded, and how it compares with the rising apartment and land prices.
- Whether openings recover in IT & software and Clothing & footwear, and how the ESPA projects feed through to construction and engineering demand.