Inditex, the Spanish owner of fashion brands such as Zara, Bershka and Massimo Dutti, invested in 87 new projects in 2011, according to greenfield investment monitor fDi Markets. It was the most prolific FDI investor in the year, ahead of US banking corporation JPMorgan Chase & Co, which recorded 82 projects, and US conglomerate General Electric, which recorded 75 projects. General Electric and Inditex were among the top three global investors in 2010, when General Electric recorded the most projects in the year, followed by Inditex. Switzerland-based food and nutrition company Nestlé was the third most prolific investor in that year. 

In 2011, Inditex recorded the largest number of new ventures in Poland (18 projects), followed by Romania (15 projects) and Morocco (eight projects) in 2011. The average value of its projects was estimated at $5m. Its biggest project in terms of capital expenditure was in the US, where it invested $324m in a new Zara store in New York. Over the same period, General Electric invested most heavily in the US (19 projects), the UK (12 projects) and India (seven projects). The US received $3.07bn of investments from the company, while India received five times less than this and the UK nearly 10 times less.

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Inditex and JPMorgan & Chase created 10,094 and 8,193 jobs, respectively. Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation was the top FDI investor in terms of job creation, with 21,958 new jobs. In terms of job creation, Toyota was followed by other automotive companies in the rankings, with Volkswagen in second, followed by Honda and General Motors.

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