Why the UK?
Why the UK is a great place to locate and expand your business
The UK is one of the leading business locations in the world and the number 1 destination for inward investment (FDI) in Europe. A rich and diverse market with world-class industries including Life Science, ICT, Creative, Aerospace and Automotive engineering, the UK offers an attractive location for businesses with easy access to customers, product innovators, suppliers and partners. Whether it is the manufacturing sector, the service sector or a company seeking to locate a specific business unit such as European headquarters operation or an R&D facility, the UK’s business environment is a core component of commercial success for international firms.
• We are one of the top ten manufacturers in the world; and have the largest industries in Europe for Life Sciences, ICT and the Creative Industries.
• The UK is home to three of the top five globally ranked universities, including Cambridge, ranked number one and offers a strong skills base.
• The UK is at the forefront of the international digital revolution. It includes ‘Tech City’, which aims to make London the digital capital of Europe.
• The UK Government has set out plans for £200bn in infrastructure investment
Six reasons to locate your business in the UK
A major domestic market and the perfect base to access markets worldwide
The UK’s open and internationally focused economy is one of the largest and most sophisticated in the world and a proven gateway to the US$17 trillion European Union market. (Source: IMF, 2012)
An unrivalled business environment
The UK is the best major location for ‘ease of doing business’ in Europe according to an independent assessment by the World Bank that considered a range of key commercial operating factors, such as setting up and running a business, labour regulations and obtaining finance. It is no surprise, therefore, that the UK attracts more international investment projects than anywhere else in Europe (Source: Ernst & Young, 2012).
An internationally competitive tax environment
The UK’s business-focused tax environment will become even more attractive over the next two years. The current corporation tax rate of 24 per cent is being reduced to 21 per cent by 2014 and then to 20% by 2015. Innovative companies will be able to benefit further from an additional reduction in corporation tax through the upcoming ‘Patent Box’ initiative and through recent enhancements to the UK’s generous R&D tax credit scheme. The UK’s business-friendly labour regulations, combined with the skill, commitment and flexibility of the country’s workforce, are recognised as proven commercial assets by the thousands of international companies that have already invested in the UK. And the supply of skills will remain secure for the future – over half a million full-time and part-time students graduate each year from the UK’s 170 universities and higher education institutes, the highest graduate output in Europe.(Source: OECD, 2012)A world-class skills base.
Europe’s strongest research and development environment
Companies operating in the UK benefit from being in the strongest R&D environment in Europe (Source: Elsevier, 2011), with direct access to a range of world-class research institutes and eight of Europe’s top nine universities(Source: QS University Rankings, 2012-13). The results are clear – the UK has a long and prestigious track record of developing and launching market-leading innovations across all key business sectors, from life sciences through to advanced engineering and from ICT through to environmental technologies.
A GREAT quality of life
As one of the most cosmopolitan countries in the world, the UK provides a welcoming environment for international business executives and their families. With a diverse range of highly attractive housing options, a first-class health service, a world-renowned education system and a sporting and cultural heritage that is second to none, international executives relocating to the UK enjoy a superb quality of life.
A return on investment for the long term
Many thousands of international companies have already made the UK their preferred choice for their business investments. Each year, hundreds of these companies also make repeat investments in the UK by adding additional facilities and recruiting more employees – the strongest possible commercial endorsement of the UK’s dynamic business environment.