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As the official foreign direct investment agency for London it is our mission to promote London as the world capital of business.
But why take our word for it …. we were very pleased to see that London has been officially ranked, yet again, by a number of sources as the number one city destination for business.
As we recently announced, Cushman & Wakefield ranked London number one for business. But also IBM's 2010 Global Location Trends report has ranked London as the number one location based on the number of investment projects.
London’s strengths as a business development hub have been highlighted as access to markets, customers and clients; availability of qualified staff and languages spoken and much more.
When looking for business development opportunities, whether from a high profile event such as the London 2012 Games with still over £1.5 billion worth of contracts available, or within certain key London sectors such as ICT, creative, environmental or financial, our clients tell us they set up business in London due to many reasons including those highlighted in these reports.
Our clients also highlight areas such as seeking efficiencies and innovation as key factors when considering globalization and London is top of their considerations for these areas.
The current economic climate has made business cautious and business expansion has not been top of the agenda for many companies, but those who have taken the leap and been able to grow tell us that when choosing a location for growth it must be a city that ticks all the boxes and will support the company and allow it to adapt.
In the last financial year foreign direct investment into Europe has contracted but London has bucked the trend, not only in terms of the traditional business and financial services sectors but also with a substantial rise in investment from the emerging markets, particularly China. These results not only show that businesses are still looking at growth, but also that London is the city that can support them and help them succeed.
It is an exciting couple of years for London with the 2012 Games around the corner and a wealth of business development opportunities for those looking at relocation in London. Our London consultants talk to hundreds of businesses and help one company every three days successfully set up business in London. If your company is interested in business expansion into London, contact us.
We have recently helped Adstream, Australian provider of digital advertising workflow services; Sentilla, a US-based IT energy management company and US altPOWER which develops, designs and installs renewable energy systems all set up business in London.
We are here to help and answer any questions you may have.
Friday, 29 October 2010
Friday, 15 October 2010
London retains number one position for best business city in Europe overall
The latest European Cities Monitor 2010 has ranked London for the 21st consecutive year as the number one European city for business development.
London is positioned as the number one city in six of the 12 major rankings including:
•access to markets, customers and clients
•availability of qualified staff
•quality of telecommunications
•languages spoken
•international transport links
•and internal transport links
London, Paris and Frankfurt remain the top three European locations sitting comfortably ahead of all other challengers. London jumped from fourth to second in the category of ‘best cities in terms of the climate governments create for businesses’ through tax policies and availability of financial incentives.
That is why we must push ahead ahead with investment in improving the capital's infrastructure. It is projects such as Crossrail, the Tube upgrades and the London 2012 Games that will secure a bright future for our city and strengthen its reputation as a Europe's business headquarters and the premiere destination for business development.
Setting us business in London in this decade will be driven by the need to find operational efficiencies. Many of the companies that our London consultants assist with are setting up business in London or expanding business in London here are increasingly looking to rationalise bases and consolidate activities. This trend has lately been confirmed by the Think London FDI Barometer survey.
The European Cities Monitor (ECM) is the annual location survey of Europe’s leading companies carried out by global real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield.
London is positioned as the number one city in six of the 12 major rankings including:
•access to markets, customers and clients
•availability of qualified staff
•quality of telecommunications
•languages spoken
•international transport links
•and internal transport links
London, Paris and Frankfurt remain the top three European locations sitting comfortably ahead of all other challengers. London jumped from fourth to second in the category of ‘best cities in terms of the climate governments create for businesses’ through tax policies and availability of financial incentives.
That is why we must push ahead ahead with investment in improving the capital's infrastructure. It is projects such as Crossrail, the Tube upgrades and the London 2012 Games that will secure a bright future for our city and strengthen its reputation as a Europe's business headquarters and the premiere destination for business development.
Setting us business in London in this decade will be driven by the need to find operational efficiencies. Many of the companies that our London consultants assist with are setting up business in London or expanding business in London here are increasingly looking to rationalise bases and consolidate activities. This trend has lately been confirmed by the Think London FDI Barometer survey.
The European Cities Monitor (ECM) is the annual location survey of Europe’s leading companies carried out by global real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Why tapping the green market makes perfect investment sense
Remember when the financial markets crashed in 2007 and many thought it would herald the beginning of the end for the green revolution. Surely the eco-agenda would slip dramatically down the list of corporate concerns in the wake of the wider crisis facing the global economy?
Fortunately, this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The latest proof: Siemens is set to build a $47 million landmark sustainability centre in east London. The new centre will be a flagship for east London’s Green Enterprise District. Set to open in time for the 2012 Games, it will showcase new technology from around the world and new ways of living and working in a sustainable city like London.
The economic potential inherent in the ‘green market’ has been recognised as a massive business development opportunity for London. Already the London Stock Exchange is home to over 100 cleantech firms, all of whom recognise the business potential that exists in London’s environmental and renewable energy markets. This is partly why Think London was so pleased to hear about the launch of The Capital Markets Climate Initiative (CMCI) last month.
CMCI’s remit is to link City investors with international financiers and policy makers to unlock private sector investment and help propel London towards becoming a global hub for green business. With the worldwide market for environmental goods and services expected to grow by a massive 45% between 2005 and 2015, London can – and should - be at the centre of this upward global trajectory.
The Mayor of London is calling for London to become the Low Carbon Capital of the World. By 2025, London is aiming to reduce its emissions by 60%. This is three times more than the EU’s targets to reduce emissions by 20% below 1990 levels. The renewable energy sector will be key to this. At the moment the UK generates just 2.5% of its electricity from renewable energy, but in just five years we are aiming to generate 15% from renewables, and at least 20% in the longer term.
For companies operating in the environmental field, this offers fantastic new business potential.
At Think London our London consultants are in the best possible position to help companies take advantage of this commercial opportunity, whether that be for new companies considering setting up business in London or for those of you that are already here, looking at expanding business in London.
Fortunately, this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
The latest proof: Siemens is set to build a $47 million landmark sustainability centre in east London. The new centre will be a flagship for east London’s Green Enterprise District. Set to open in time for the 2012 Games, it will showcase new technology from around the world and new ways of living and working in a sustainable city like London.
The economic potential inherent in the ‘green market’ has been recognised as a massive business development opportunity for London. Already the London Stock Exchange is home to over 100 cleantech firms, all of whom recognise the business potential that exists in London’s environmental and renewable energy markets. This is partly why Think London was so pleased to hear about the launch of The Capital Markets Climate Initiative (CMCI) last month.
CMCI’s remit is to link City investors with international financiers and policy makers to unlock private sector investment and help propel London towards becoming a global hub for green business. With the worldwide market for environmental goods and services expected to grow by a massive 45% between 2005 and 2015, London can – and should - be at the centre of this upward global trajectory.
The Mayor of London is calling for London to become the Low Carbon Capital of the World. By 2025, London is aiming to reduce its emissions by 60%. This is three times more than the EU’s targets to reduce emissions by 20% below 1990 levels. The renewable energy sector will be key to this. At the moment the UK generates just 2.5% of its electricity from renewable energy, but in just five years we are aiming to generate 15% from renewables, and at least 20% in the longer term.
For companies operating in the environmental field, this offers fantastic new business potential.
At Think London our London consultants are in the best possible position to help companies take advantage of this commercial opportunity, whether that be for new companies considering setting up business in London or for those of you that are already here, looking at expanding business in London.
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