(First published in the Worcester News – 1 August 2014)
At a business breakfast we held recently we took the opportunity to reveal two new marketing tools we’ve developed to sell Worcestershire as a great place for inward investment.
Our new film and brochure are targeted at foreign businesses who are investigating opportunities to locate in the UK. We’re also hoping to attract businesses that are currently based elsewhere in Britain but are planning to expand or relocate.
A recent UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) report showed that Worcestershire recorded a total of 11 successful Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects in 2013/14. These projects resulted in 677 new or safeguarded jobs in the county – a significant improvement in comparison with 2012/13 both in terms of the number of projects attracted and the number of jobs either created or safeguarded.
Although it’s good to see an increase, I’m sure that there is room for improvement. The UKTI report revealed that last year the UK strengthened its position as the number one country in Europe for inward FDI, second only in the world to the USA. So there must be many more opportunities for Worcestershire to get its slice of that particular cake.
Worcestershire LEP is working with all partners and UKTI to develop its inward investment proposition. As well as the development of new tools such as those outlined above, we will be building a dedicated Local Investment Team to actively engage with potential new investors.
You can do your part by encouraging your business associates and colleagues to spread the word that Worcestershire is a great place for business. You can be sure we’ll be doing to same.