Location, location – The county of Essex has all the best features of a vibrant business environment along with advantages of being a fantastic rural county with many leisure and tourist attractions, top-shelf educational infrastructure as well as being closely linked to London, generating a great business opportunity in the UK.

Regarded by many as the gateway to some of the biggest markets throughout the UK and Europe, Essex benefits from international sea ports, links to the national motorway network, and is home to the UK’s third largest airport at Stansted.

Essex’s location means that it is already home to successful businesses which have relocated from London. Almost 54,000 VAT registered companies, over a quarter of the total in the east of England, operate in Essex. They employ more than 623,000 people and the county is home to a growing number of early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs. The county’s business profile is diverse and a good stock of commercial land and premises is available for a business opportunity in the UK.

Knowledge, technology and research-based innovation are core to business growth in Essex, the universities offer world-class research capabilities as well as business expertise, leading to dynamic working relationships with local businesses.

Gearing up for growth

The County’s growth is backed by government investment which is creating new markets and business opportunities, and attracting even more skilled people to the county. Essex is benefiting from major involvement in Europe’s largest regeneration project, the Thames Gateway. Over £2.5 billion of new private and public sector investment has been secured for Thames Gateway South Essex since 2001 and work has started on the new £1.5 billion port and business park at London Gateway. Other significant investment opportunities are resulting from the 2012 Games, and from major developments in the Haven Gateway to the east of the county. The Government has set high growth targets across the county, with a target of 131,000 new jobs by 2021 – more than a quarter of the total target for the east of England. The scale of regeneration represents massive opportunities to business and INVEST Essex can help your business maximise its potential and take advantage of all the opportunities Essex can offer.

Helping companies locate, invest and expand in Essex

INVEST Essex is dedicated to helping those looking for a business opportunity in the UK succeed in Essex. Whether you are a new incoming or an established business looking to grow, Essex offers an excellent and well established business environment. Essex’s unique location close to London and Europe, its business heritage and dynamism, and its excellent quality of life offer businesses all the opportunities they need to succeed.

INVEST Essex is working with businesses locally, nationally and internationally to help them grow, relocate and expand in Essex and take advantage of the counties strong business base and beneficial location. We work with businesses of all sizes and have supported over 100 small companies helping them to introduce new products and attract over £1 million of Research & Development funding to increase their competitiveness. We work with foreign companies helping businesses to establish European Headquarters in the UK.

The US Company Configure One located their European Headquarters to Essex and have since won sizable contracts on the continent. We support large businesses thinking of relocating and seeking a business opportunity in the UK. INVEST Essex assisted Selex to move their manufacturing facilities from Chelmsford to Basildon, saving 400 jobs. We are working with interested companies to supply them with all the relevant information to help them to find the right place to relocate and are putting them in touch with professionals and suppliers who can help them to establish and grow in Essex. You can draw on our extensive knowledge of the Essex business environment and our established contacts with all regional and national bodies who support inward investment. We are committed to your success and we look forward to welcoming your business to Essex.

Uniserve Group the Essex gateway to a global supply chain logistics and distribution sector – case study

INVEST Essex case studies highlighting Essex companies who are leaders in their fields

Uniserve Group, with its headquarters at Tilbury in Essex, is the UK’s largest independent freight forwarder, offering clients full door-to-door logistics throughout the world, as well as a range of value added services from worldwide warehousing to finance and environmental logistics, a good example for those needing a business opportunity in the UK.

The company, which also has offices at Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin, set up its Essex base at Tilbury Docks in 1984 to handle exports to Australia. From the outset, the company recognised the strategic importance of the county’s international ports and transport links. With access to London Stansted Airport, the deep sea port of Tilbury, nearby Felixstowe and the national motorway network, Uniserve has grown into a global business that currently employs more than 400 staff directly, with a worldwide network of over 40,000 people supporting the supply chains of more than 4000 clients.

Today, Uniserve’s main focus is on UK retailers and wholesalers, and the company specialises in imports and exports to the Far East and Indian sub-continent by sea and air, where it has an unrivalled depth of regional knowledge through its massive network of local associates. "We also carry a large amount of freight to the rest of the world, and we operate our own daily services into Europe," says Paul Stone, HR Director. "Essex is so close to Europe, we can run full trailer and consolidated loads for other hauliers to the continent daily at competitive rates, and we can participate in joint ventures with European companies."

Uniserve’s Tilbury head office is just minutes from the new London Gateway container port, a £1.5 billion deep sea container port development at a former oil refinery, which is set to become one of the UK’s most important business and distribution hubs, enhancing the economic competitiveness of Essex businesses like Uniserve even further.

The company makes the most of its proximity to London Stansted Airport, investors in search of a business opportunity in the UK can take note. "We’re the only forwarder to have an airside facility," says Paul Stone. "Stansted gives us speedy clearance and delivery and that’s a real competitive advantage. In fact, we have been able to deliver to a customer within three hours of the aircraft landing. During peak times, we even charter our own aircraft – that’s almost like having our own airline."

Since its formation, Uniserve’s market share has steadily grown to the point where it is now the leader in its field. "That gives us huge buying power to guarantee space and it means we can offer clients the stability of a multi-national with the flexibility of an independent," says Paul Stone. "Our close proximity to London allows us to deal with many international businesses and organisations who recognise the benefits of our strategic location in Essex. The building of the new London Gateway container port will only strengthen this."