Technology has largely freed business from the constraints of location, and government grants have made many regions within the UK more attractive to business for several reasons. In some ways this has made the south east and home counties less attractive. Regions once desirable for their proximity to London are now perceived as expensive to live and work, without the clear roads, low-cost housing and other benefits of the far north or west.
Not so for Essex. Essex combines the best elements of a thriving business environment with the traditional advantages of being geographically close to the capital. Regarded by many as the gateway to some of the biggest markets throughout the UK and Europe, Essex benefits from international sea ports, links to the national motorway network, and is home to the UK’s third largest airport at Stansted.
Location, location
Essex’s location means that it is already home to successful businesses which have either relocated from London or preferred to set up offices just outside the pricey capital. Almost 54,000 VAT registered companies, over a quarter of the total in the east of England, operate in Essex. They employ more than 623,000 people and the county is home to a growing number of early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs.
The county’s business profile is diverse, with key sectors including high technology, financial and business services, ports and logistics, health and education, retail and leisure, advanced manufacturing, construction, creative and cultural industries, environmental technologies and tourism. As well as being a county of outstanding beauty, Essex has a good stock of commercial land and premises available for business.
“Knowledge, technology and research-based innovation are core to business growth in Essex. Our universities offer world-class research capabilities as well as business expertise, leading to dynamic working relationships with local businesses,” says David Adlington, INVEST Essex.
Gearing up for growth
The county’s growth is backed by government investment which is creating new markets and business opportunities, and attracting even more skilled people to the county. Essex is benefitting from major involvement in Europe’s largest regeneration project, the Thames Gateway. Over £2.5bn of new private and public sector investment has been secured for Thames Gateway South Essex since 2001 and work has started on the new £1.5bn port and business park at London Gateway. Other significant investment opportunities are resulting from the 2012 Games and from major developments in the Haven Gateway to the east of the county.
The government has set high growth targets across the county, with a target of 131,000 new jobs by 2021 – more than a quarter of the total target for the east of England.
“Essex is already a successful county for business and innovation, making it a hugely attractive location for start-ups and established businesses wishing to reach markets throughout the UK and Europe.” says David Adlington, “We have a once in a generation opportunity to lead an economic transformation”.
Find out more at http://www.investessex.co.uk
Configure One
The choice of location to establish a European headquarters is significant for any organisation and is dependent on a complex range of factors. Jon Lidbury chose Essex to open a European headquarters for Configure One, a US-based IT business, whose product configurator is designed for use by manufacturing companies which themselves produce highly configurable products.
“Essex is already home to a large number of our customers, so it made sense to build our HQ nearby,” says Jon Lidbury, General Manager of Configure One Europe. “With nearly half our international customers in Europe, we were also keen to be close to a good airport, as well as good transport connections generally.” London Stansted Airport solved the European access requirement, while a 20-minute rail link to central London ensured the company had a direct route to the capital at any moment.
Setting up the headquarters was achieved with the help and backing of the Essex County Council sponsored innovation support programme. Utilising business incubation space at the Essex Technology and Innovation Centre in Ongar, the foundations for a successful business were laid and the company has already made a huge achievement by winning its first contract with BT in Spain.
For more information about Essex as a business location visit “http://www.investessex.co.uk”