Leicestershirea place withno boundaries

leicestershire a place with big ideas. a place where businesses thrive. where communities come together. a place where people want to live. a place full of creativity. where things happen. a confident place. a place where it’s easy to get around. a place that’s vivid and bustling. that’s serene and relaxing. a place that’s very well connected. that attracts investment. a place that’s growing. that’s worldly-wise. a place for families. a place to meet new friends. a place without restrictions. a place that encourages development. that doesn’t say can’t. or won’t. a place of diversity. of beauty. a place full of opportunity. a place of unlimited choice. a place of infinite variety. a place with no boundaries...

in a place with no boundaries, creativity flourishes and new thinking inspires.

LEICESTERSHIRE’S DISTINCTION AS BRITAIN’S SECOND MOST CREATIVE REGIONAL CITY HAS INSPIRED LEICESTER’S NEW CULTURAL QUARTER, DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE ARTS – A NEW HUB FROM WHICH OUR CREATIVE THINKING CAN INFLUENCE THE WORLD.

Without exception, every high street in Britain and far beyond has some element designed or manufactured by a Leicestershire business.

The incredible influence of our creative firms stems from the huge cluster of design practitioners here and the natural competition amongst them to be the very best.

It is this true level of excellence that prompted Levi Strauss, that most all-American of brands, to have their flagship San Francisco store designed and built here before having it shipped stateside.

Other design-oriented multinationals delighted to use our best creatives include Timberland, Givenchy, Sony Playstation and Pizza Express.

It is no idle boast that it is, as often as not, Leicestershire that makes Britain’s high streets better places to be.

in a place with no boundaries,your visions, ambitionsand ideas...

...are encouraged to become reality.

The programme succeeded in providing better outcomes for all:

• Over 800 clients completed Retail Works or Hospitality Works courses between March 2008 and March 2009.

• At least 445 registered people achieved employment within the retail sector, or had gained other employment after completing the Retail Routeway.

• At least 600 of the 2000 people who gained employment at Highcross were previously unemployed or young people Not in Education, Employment or Training.

• Jobcentre Plus confirmed over 250 priority group employment outcomes.

• At least 40 previously unemployed lone parents gained jobs at Highcross, 20 of which were disabled or claiming Incapacity Benefit.

This was a demonstration of Leicester at its best: new jobs, new skills, new workplaces; a partnership of private sector business and public sector agencies working together to bring new hope to those out of work.

HIGHCROSS Ideas into reality

Highcross is the perfect example of forward-thinking Leicester, transforming the old site, The Shires, into a shopping destination that would breathe new life into the city’s retail core.

More than just a shopping centre development, the project was a unique collaboration between Hammerson, Hermes and the City Council – supported by the company set up to drive regeneration in Leicester – to acquire additional land, relocate occupiers to other suitable sites, and upgrade the local environment through a programme of high quality street works.

At the heart of the project was an employment programme that would bring about positive change to Leicester’s employment landscape.

The Leicester ‘Routeway to Work’ programme

For the Highcross development to succeed, a skilled workforce across both construction and retail sectors needed to be sourced. Routeway to Work was an award-winning city partnership of public and private sector organisations, offering services to jobseekers and employers, including sector-specific training that would create a bank of locally-qualified candidates.

PHOENIX SQUARE Where creativity resides

Leicester’s Phoenix Square is a major creative development, located right in the heart of the city’s Cultural Quarter. The result of a partnership project between Blueprint, Phoenix and Leicester City Council, in collaboration with De Montfort University, Phoenix Square has driven the regeneration of the vibrant St George’s area of the city.

Designed by award-winning architects Marsh Grochowski, Phoenix Square is an outstanding example of 21st century sustainable design and leading edge architectural quality. Uniquely blending creative spaces, performance facilities, private and public spaces, Phoenix Square is home to a brand new creative community.

With award-winning performing arts centre Curve, two dedicated 3D cinemas and 22 creative workspaces available for start-up creative businesses, Phoenix Square is a cultural and creative hub in every sense.

The objective with Phoenix Square was to build a new community within the St George’s Cultural Quarter – a place where people can live, relax, socialise and work in one of the most interesting parts of the city. This stunning development achieves this objective in good measure.

DE MONTFORT MAGAzINE GATEWAY Where old and new combine

As a city steeped in history, Leicester is proud of its heritage. In support of the regeneration of the city centre, De Montfort University has invested £170 million to create a first class teaching and research campus.

Developed in partnership with Leicester City Council, the campus plans include the restoration of historic landmarks including the Magazine Gateway, a medieval gateway that forms part of Leicester Castle and dates back to 1410.

The ambitious project now links the city centre to its historic quarter and riverside area, replacing a 1960s development and realigning the inner ring road to open up the city centre and university. It’s the perfect example of how modern day thinking can work sympathetically with buildings of regional and national significance.

Our tremendous richness of culture means that in Leicestershire we’ve got the whole world well covered.

This model for cosmopolitan Britain has strong ties with both the Indian subcontinent and China – making us perfectly equipped for trade with these two nations as their own economies continue to show rapid growth.

Transport routes and communications between the two areas are, naturally, long-established and with a dedicated team serving the Indian and Chinese markets, there is tremendous scope for great future trade.

With local branches of most of the subcontinent’s key banks, individuals and companies find it easy to do good business.

Closer to home, Leicestershire has long benefitted from twinning with similar European destinations – as well as places in South America.

WITH OUR ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATION AND WORLDWIDE REPUTATION FOR INTEGRATION AND UNDERSTANDING, LEICESTER IS NOW RECOGNISED AS ONE OF EUROPE’S TRULY COSMOPOLITAN CITIES.

in a place with no boundaries, the whole world feels right at home.

LEICESTERSHIRE’S ECONOMY GIVES EVERY BUSINESS HERE A CONFIDENCE OF FUTURE EXCELLENCE.

Leicestershire has the largest economy in the East Midlands, thanks to an extraordinary combination of positive factors.

Our young and culturally-diverse population is proud to work in Leicester – one of Britain’s most creative cities, on a par with London – to shop in its world-class retail centres, and study at its three esteemed universities.

in a place with no boundaries, a thriving population helps businesses prosper.

We are also brilliantly connected at the heart of the county – with London just over an hour away by train, Paris just four hours, 16 European capitals accessible from our main airport, and easy access to the UK’s motorway network.

Our strong performance in food and drink, innovation, financial services and creativity continues to attract new business and investment.

The fact that we are home to 350 foreign-owned businesses – including renowned firms such as Caterpillar, Pepsico UK and DHL – is testimony to the resilience of our economy.

in a place with no boundaries, a committed workforce always gets the best job done.

Leicestershire’s skilled workforce has a tremendous reputation for industriousness, diversity and innovation and has forged a global reputation in engineering, food and drink and financial services.

It has been a hub for business activity since as far back as Roman times and remains as energetic now as it was back then.

More than half a million people work here every day, aided by the 1.2 million workers who are available to commute to Leicestershire.

Boasting an exceptional level of ethnic diversity means our collective manpower can speak in thirty five languages, meaning we communicate effortlessly with business partners in every corner of the planet. This is an enormous advantage since we have a great deal to provide to the world.

It was here, after all, that DNA Genetic Fingerprinting was discovered, where the first jet engine was developed to perfection and where the world’s first hydrogen powered motorcycle first roared into life.

And it is in such diverse fields that Leicestershire continues to innovate. The area boasts a huge range of private sector research and development organisations, including the esteemed Motor Industry Research Association, the automotive research and development centre used by manufacturers from across the world.

THE COLLECTIVE MIGHT OF OUR WORKFORCE HAS ENSURED THAT LEICESTERSHIRE’S REPUTATION FOR INDUSTRIOUSNESS HAS SPANNED CENTURIES.

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Leicestershire is a truly remarkable area for higher education, boasting no fewer than three distinguished universities, a unique feat for a non-metropolitan area in the British Isles.

It is here that some 50,000 students flock from around the world, enticed by the stellar reputations enjoyed by the Universities of Leicester, De Montfort and Loughborough.

Here they will absorb the state-of-the- art learning in their fields and often progress to become industry leaders in space and bio-medical sciences, engineering and, increasingly, the creative sphere.

To many firms the opportunity to employ a graduate from a university in Britain’s top ten percent – as is the case with University of Leicester graduates – is, naturally, irresistible.

And since many of our 15,000 annual graduates remain in the area the productive bonds built directly between the universities and enthusiastic local employers continues to go from strength to strength.

Added to the enviably high quality of graduates the schools of Leicestershire continue to furnish our industry with new staff who boast better pass rates than any other in the East Midlands.

THE COMING TOGETHER OF SO MANY BRILLIANT MINDS MEANS LEICESTERSHIRE IS RARELY SHORT OF ANSWERS.

in a place with no boundaries, the thirst for greater knowledge is never quenched.

Leicestershire’s long tradition with innovation and invention truly began back in the 1700s, when canny local farmer Robert Bakewell’s imaginative approach to farming transformed livestock breeding and irrigation methods around the world.

Since then Leicestershire’s technology and innovations have gone on to conquer huge challenges in every industrial sphere, even pushing through mankind’s final frontier – into space.

The long list of scientific achievements and mind blowing advancements carried out here could both impress and bamboozle the sharpest of minds.

From developing the jet engine, to discovering genetic fingerprinting, to hydrogen-powered motorcycles, mini gamma ray cameras and becoming this nation’s first environment city twenty years ago, the list of greatness is almost endless.

With three top universities pushing the boundaries in research and development by working in close conjunction with regional firms, great minds in Leicestershire are determined to keep pushing industrial technology forward.

Perhaps most fascinating of all the continuing quests for innovation is in the work carried out in and around the National Space Centre – now a world leader in planetarium software.

The centre evolved from a partnership with the University of Leicester’s Space Research Centre which has been at the forefront of designing applications, devices and equipment that have been sent into the furthest reaches of the solar system.

Leicestershire is clearly a hotbed of innovative activity; a region that is always keen to embrace new ideas and even brave new worlds.

CHAMPIONS OF BRITISH INNOVATION ON LAND, AIR AND SPACE.

in a place with no boundaries, innovation has no limits.

OUR CENTRAL POSITION AND UNIQUE ROAD, RAIL AND AIR LINKS MAKE LEICESTERSHIRE AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR BUSINESS.

in a placewith no boundaries, everywhere’snear and nowhere’stoo far.

Being at the centre of things is the perfect location for any business. In Leicestershire, our close proximity to important destinations and easy access to the fastest transport facilities places us at the geographic bull’s eye.

London’s St Pancras International station is little over an hour away, Birmingham less, Manchester and Leeds just two, Paris or Brussels a little over four hours by Eurostar.

The transportation of goods is fast and efficient thanks to our East Midlands Airport – the primary pure-freight airport in the UK.

For commuters and business visitors there are no fewer than four motorways, running like major arteries through the region. The fastest of these boasts one of Britain’s fastest average travel speeds and helps guarantee one of the country’s shortest average commute times.

These and the bold pattern of A-roads crisscrossing the area mean very easy accessibility to the closest ports of Harwich and Felixstowe.

A blend of rustic splendour, boundless urban energy and gentle suburban bliss is perhaps what best describes living here.

That one might enjoy the bustle of shopping in Leicester, Britain’s fourth greenest city, then moments later be sauntering through a pretty market town and shortly thereafter be strolling through quite magnificent countryside is the kind of variety we all aspire to.

Yet in Leicestershire it’s an everyday occurrence.

Few, if any, areas in Britain can compete with Leicestershire’s quality of life, fewer still with its enviable cost of living.

With competitive salaries and affordable housing, effortless commutes, endless forms of entertainment and a history that can be traced back to before the Romans, this is a home boasting a wealth of life’s riches.

During summer months the more adventurous might enjoy wild weekends at our various music festivals, while there are laughs galore to be had at Britain’s oldest comedy festival.

With the excitement of racing at Donington Park, world class rugby union, cricket and football taking place here, Leicestershire is ideal for the true sports fan.

And for those keener to participate, there are thirty one high-quality golf courses.

In all, it is entirely fair to say that Leicestershire’s growing, glowing population thoroughly enjoys a quality of life of which other regions can only dream.

It’s little wonder that the area tied in a vote to define Britain’s best place to bring up a family and that so few people choose to move away.

WITH ITS VIBRANT, FRESHLY-DEVELOPED URBAN CENTRE, ATTRACTIVE BLEND OF CITY, SUBURB AND VILLAGE LIVING AND ENDLESS ACRES OF BREATHTAKING COUNTRYSIDE, LEICESTERSHIRE RANKS AMONG THE BEST PLACES IN BRITAIN TO RAISE A FAMILY.

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THE AREA’S UNIQUE ECONOMIC ALLIANCE MEANS THAT IT IS EASIER THAN EVER TO DO BUSINESS

in a place with no boundaries, a helping hand is always on offer with support and guidance.Prospect Leicestershire’s assistance to incoming businesses is so thorough, many new firms claim it feels like they always belonged here.

With property and planning services, funding, development and coordination help it’s fair to say Leicestershire has an abundance of ways to smoothly assist firms joining our growing economy.

Our Inward Investment team understands how difficult moving can be and make it their personal mission to furnish you with the very best knowledge, understanding and guidance available.

Of course, no two firms are the same and Prospect Leicestershire therefore provides a bespoke service to match your firm’s exact requirements.

Whether you need advice on staff relocation, site visits, funding, grants, venture capital or have a specific property requirement, we urge you to consider us a one-stop shop.

All that’s required of you is a level of ambition to match our own, then together we can continue to build towards ever greater things.

To discuss how Prospect Leicestershire’s free, confidential and impartial services can help your business, please contact us at:

Prospect Leicestershire Ltd, Two Colton Square, Leicester LE1 1QH

Tel +44 (0)116 225 4071 Fax +44 (0)116 248 8129

invest@prospectleicestershire.co.uk www.prospectleicestershire.co.uk