guide & business directory 2009 - London Borough of Richmond ...

The Best Place...
THE BEST PLACE IN LONDON
FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Set in the context of one of the most economically buoyant areas of
south, west and central London, Richmond upon Thames has a
relatively dynamic economy. Until the onset of the recession in late
2008, it enjoyed sustained economic growth for many years. We
now hope to be able to withstand the worst effects of the downturn
owing to the range and nature of business interests here and the
skilled, enterprising nature of the local people.
The borough has a population exceeding 180,000, with high levels of
employment, average earnings exceeding the rates for the UK and
impressive standards of educational attainment. It spans both banks
of the River Thames, with over 21 miles of riverside, and covers an
area of 5,095 hectares (14,591 acres). Its outer London location and
proximity to Heathrow Airport and other communication links make it
an attractive location to establish or grow your business. Employees
travel into the borough from surrounding areas and many local
people commute daily into central London for employment.
An Enterprising...
AN ENTERPRISING
BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
The backbone of economic life in Richmond is the enterprising small
and micro-sized business community; there are more than 10,000
VAT registered companies. There are 117,200 people of working age
in the borough, in the region of 69,000 jobs available and high levels
of employment (80%). It is expected that these figures will fluctuate
as the effects of the recession become clearer. Approximately 15%
of the borough’s residents are self-employed and many enterprises
are home-based.
Our strongest industry sectors fall within the “services” umbrella,
accounting for 93% of the employee jobs available; by contrast,
construction and manufacturing industries jointly provide 7.2% of
employee positions. A further breakdown shows particular strengths
in finance, IT and business activities (33%), and in distribution,
hotels and restaurants (22.5%). The public sector (administration,
health and education) also offer a significant proportion (23.5%) of
the total jobs available.
Richmond Council is keen to encourage inward investment,
including ventures concerned with the London Olympics in 2012.
B 08456 122 660
✉ business@richmond.gov.uk
� www.richmond.gov.uk/business
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