location, relocation, expansion, portal

Key Competitive Attractions

Invest in Leicestershire

Companies, large and small are already experiencing the benefits of working here and of being located in Leicestershire.

Some facts about Leicestershire's economy:

• Largest economy in the East Midlands
• Lower commercial office property and wage rates
• Voted one of the best UK cities in which to do business
• UK's largest pure cargo and mail airport - East Midlands Airport
• Home to over 350 foreign-owned businesses
• Strong industry connections to Asia and Indian sub continent - dedicated Chinese and Indian trade desks
• Save £12,000 per employee, per year, by relocating to Leicester

A move from the City of London to Leicester would deliver an average saving of £36 per sq.ft. Based on an allowance of 85 sq.ft per employee, that represents a massive saving of £3,060 per employee, per year.

Better still, average wages in the East Midlands are over £9,000 per year lower than in London, business rates are lower and insurance is cheaper too. So if you populated your less expensive Leicester office with highly qualified, locally recruited staff, you could save over £12,000 per employee, per year.

More reasons to invest in Leicestershire...

Assistance and Support For New Business Investors

Our mission is to support investors, developers and businesses to improve economic prosperity across England's tenth largest city and the surrounding county. We provide an extensive, free and confidential package of assistance to help identify the full range of ‘hard' and ‘soft' benefits of choosing this area as a business location.

You will be assigned a Project Manager who will work with you to ensure that your individual business requirements are met. We will provide a fully co-ordinated, tailored package designed to suit the needs of your business.

Services We Provide:

• Property - location and relocation, facilitated by property searches with our extensive database of office and industrial properties
• Visit co-ordination - bespoke packages for staff and board members to meet key decision makers and experience the best of Leicester and Leicestershire - including site visits and tours
• Working with local planning authorities and general help with property expansion
• Business Development & Support - identifying suitable opportunities to add value to your business by engaging with local partners.
• Research - to build the business and lifestyle case for Leicester and Leicestershire.
• Funding - identifying potential sources of funding including support grants and private venture capital with the aim of assisting you in your business development
• One-stop facility - liaising with professional intermediaries and partners to offer additional services including legal advice, recruitment of staff, staff relocations and ICT services.
• Providing information to help you invest in Leicestershire

Existing Business Base

The Council's partnership with Leicester Shire Intelligence (LSI), provides high quality research and intelligence about the sub-region. We also offer Business Continuity Workshops.

Major Sectors:

• Engineering - Jones & Shipman, Caterpillar, Siemens Transmitton, Trelleborg
• Food and Drink - Walkers Crisps, Samworth Brothers, Fife Fine Foods.
• Financial Services - Santander, Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays Bank, State Bank of India, Canara Bank, ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, HSBC, KPMG.

Communications:

Leicestershire benefits from an exceptionally strong transport infrastructure and combines excellent road, rail and air links to provide access to the major business centres throughout the UK and Europe within a day's travel.

Located in Leicestershire, East Midlands Airport flies to 90 direct worldwide destinations, including 16 European capital cities.

The rest of the UK is within easy reach by road or rail:

• Within 4 hours, you can be in the centre of Paris or Brussels, via the excellent rail links and Eurostar service
• Within 3 hours, there are 22 million consumers
• Within 2 hours, you can drive to the centre of London, Leeds or Manchester
• Within 1 hr 30 mins, you can be in Cambridge or Oxford
• Within 1 hour 10 minutes, you can be at London St. Pancras International train station
• Within 1 hour, you can drive to Birmingham or Derby
• And within 15 minutes of your of your Leicester City centre office, you can be in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside