Proven Business Base
Staffordshire is a proven business location with supply-chains across advanced manufacturing; health and life sciences; and a thriving digital and creative scene.
There are more than a quarter of a million businesses located within a 45 minute drive of Staffordshire that make it one of the UK’s critical supply-chain locations, bringing together global manufacturers with local suppliers, and ensuring efficient and cost-effective routes to market.
Staffordshire is home to major global manufacturers such as JCB, JLR, Moog, Gestamp, Collins Aerospace and Perkins that are driving innovation in the automotive, defence and aerospace sectors. Just a few miles away in neighbouring counties, you’ll find more world-class OEMs such as Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Alstom, ABB and BAE Systems that rely on suppliers across Staffordshire.
The defence sector is especially well-represented here, with several major Ministry of Defence organisations headquartered in Staffordshire and a strong supply-chain of contractors that support the sector.
As you would expect given our connectivity, Staffordshire has been chosen by dozens of major logistics operators such as Amazon, Pets at Home, Screwfix, DHL and AO, who have clustered in the area to take advantage of the many sites alongside major road and rail routes.
Health and life science companies based here like Charles River Laboratories, Reliance Medical, AAH, Alliance Medical, Thea Pharmaceuticals and Movianto are attracted by the world-class medical research at Keele University (with research centres for musculoskeletal health and regenerative medicine) and the Royal Stoke University Hospital, which is one of the UK’s largest teaching hospitals.
In 2023 alone, Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce helped 1,700 businesses unlock over £1 million in funding and supported exports worth £30 million.
With £93 million in Levelling Up funding and more than £130 million in planned investment, it’s no surprise that 61.9% of start-ups here survive beyond three years — higher than the national average.