North East England has welcomed another international company to the area, adding to the region’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading northshoring destinations.
Global online food delivery company Just Eat recently announced it is creating 1,500 new customer service jobs in Sunderland, and it joins a long list of International companies who have already made the move to North East England. Companies such as banking giant Barclays; online grocery market pioneers, Ocado; and Europe’s largest domestic alarm provider, Verisure UK Services Limited, already call North East England home and see the region as a strategic destination to expand and grow their UK and global operations.
North East England’s popularity as a ‘northshoring’ destination – which sees businesses move all or part of their operations from the South to more cost effective locations in the North – has helped the region recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and expand the list of global brands that now call the region home.
Guy Currey, Director of Invest North East England, said:
“More and more businesses are now seeing the benefits of moving out of the congested and over-heated areas of London and South East of England to set up their global operations in North East England.
“Not only can businesses access highly skilled, talented staff in our region, we also have one of lowest staff turnover rates in the UK. Our Grade A office accommodation is more affordable, giving businesses space to grow; and our road, rail, air, and sea links connect the region with the rest of the UK, and the world.
“We also have an enviable work/life balance, something that has become more important for both businesses and employees over the past 18 months.”
Other businesses that have recently expanded or relocated in North East England include global payments firm, Xplor; multinational management consultancy, Oliver Wyman; global technology consultancy, Thoughtworks and Fintech startup, Honcho, which is revolutionising the insurance market.
The region is also attracting public sector departments. HM Treasury, Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) have all announced they are relocating substantial operations to the North East, taking advantage of the skills and loyal workforce the region provides.
Gavin Sewell, co-founder & CEO of Honcho, said of the company’s decision to set up in North East England:
“Basing ourselves in the North East, and in particular in beautiful city of Durham, is one of the best decisions we’ve made as a business.
“The region’s fintech community is growing rapidly, there’s a fantastic, supportive network of peers and mentors to help grow your business, and we have some of the best universities in the country generating some outstanding talent.”
Cate Kalson, Director at digital management consultancy, Oliver Wyman, shares the same enthusiasm for the region. Cate said:
“We saw the opportunity to set up a team of data and analytics specialists in a location that could offer great value for money for our clients and also a really good quality of life and high access to talent.
“It was also critical that, wherever we set up, we had access to really good graduates, which usually means choosing a vibrant city location. Newcastle fitted the bill.”
To capitalise of the increasing interest in North East England as a leading business destination, Invest North East England – the region’s inward investment body – has launched a new campaign encouraging businesses to ‘move on up’ to North East England.
Targeting companies in the South East and London, the multi-platform campaign promotes the benefits of having a base in the region.
Guy continued:
“So many startup businesses in the South East are struggling to scale because they are hampered by crippling accommodation costs and high staff turnover rates.
“Our ‘move on up’ campaign is about letting businesses know they can access world-class talent, benefit from academic excellence via our five fantastic universities, and provide employees with an unrivalled quality of life; all whilst accessing the support they need to grow a successful business.”
To learn more about Invest North East England and its ‘Move On Up’ campaign, visit investnortheastengland.co.uk/move-on-up
Posted in: Digital and Tech, Financial Professional and Business Services, Life Sciences, Move on up