Inward Investment

Economy

We’ve got plenty to shout about when it comes to our economy. Not only is Gloucestershire home to many global brands covering diverse sectors, but also to thousands of thriving start-ups, with the best three-year business survival rate in England.

Did you know?

• Gloucestershire’s the base of operations for thousands of businesses, including Ecclesiastical Insurance, UCAS, GCHQ, SuperGroup Plc, Weird Fish, Ribena, Bottle Green, Olbas Oil, Endsleigh Insurance, Wall’s Ice Cream, Mira Showers, Messier Bugatti-Dowty and Horizon Nuclear Power.
• The Growth Hub enables businesses to achieve their true growth potential in the county, and is a single point of contact for over 26,000 businesses and new start-ups, offering key business support services.
• Partnership agreements are already in place with China to explore trading links, and we’re encouraging more businesses in the county to export.

Skilled Workforce

We’re pleased to announce that Gloucestershire has one of the highest rates of employment in the South West. The county also has the highest proportion of employees in export-intensive sectors of all LEPs alongside London.

Committed to developing our people

A major priority in our Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) is skills development, particularly to plug the gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, where there is scarcity both at a county and national level. Completed in 2017, the Gloucestershire centre of excellence in Renewable Energy, Engineering and Nuclear skills (GREEN), is a world-class centre of excellence for STEM training, providing workforce development training and apprenticeship opportunities based at the decommissioned Berkeley power station site.

Infrastructure

Gloucestershire is already served by excellent rail and road transportation links, with easy access to the motorway networks and major routes, and is a gateway to the urban hubs of Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff and London. However, we’re working hard to make sure Gloucestershire is one of the most connected counties in the UK.

• Gloucestershire Airport is recognised as one of the UK’s premier business aviation airports, with Bristol Airport and Birmingham Airport being only an hour away.
• To increasingly accelerate economic growth in Gloucestershire, The Growth Zone will further develop the availability of employment land along the M5 corridor in order to attract and retain high-value-added businesses by providing valuable space and the necessary transport infrastructure for business expansion. 
• Major regeneration schemes worth £220 million are taking place throughout the county, with many more commercial property and transport investments planned to fuel further economic growth.
• The government plans for 95% of the country to have superfast broadband coverage by December 2017 – Gloucestershire is one of the areas that has been targeted for grants of up to £25,000 for businesses to help fund installation.