A trading post or settlement established by merchants in a foreign country; a place where business is conducted.
From factor (from Latin factor, 'doer/maker') + -y or -ory. Historically referred to overseas trading stations, especially those run by European merchants in Asia.
British trading factories in India, Africa, and the Far East were essentially fortified business offices—the East India Company's 'factories' were the physical embodiment of colonial commerce and shaped global trade for centuries.
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