Manchester overtakes Birmingham as a place to do business

MANCHESTER has moved up four places in property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield’s European City monitor to 12th, overtaking Birmingham in the process and becoming the most favourable regional city to do business in the UK.

The annual survey, which is now in its 21st year, is based on interviews with board directors and senior management in charge of location for the 500 largest companies in Europe.

It includes an overall ranking of which European city is considered by the business community to be ‘best for business’ and the “best city in which to locate a business today”.

In addition, 36 cities are ranked against criteria such as quality of life, access to markets, availability and quality of staff, cost of office space, telecoms and transport links.

Tony Bray, partner and head of the firm’s Manchester office, warned that although Manchester has seen “significant improvements” in areas such as transport, infrastructure, and qualified staff, it is important for city leaders not to become complacent.

“Despite Manchester being perceived to be the second-highest in terms of availability of office space, with no new developments currently in the pipeline and the existing stock being absorbed this perception could soon change which may impact on the attractiveness of the city so we must work hard to continue to attract new businesses to the region.”

Tim Newns, deputy chief executive of MIDAS, added: “Manchester has performed particularly well this year against fierce international competition, achieving its highest ever ranking and firmly cementing its position as a leading European business destination.

“Over the last 12 months, we have worked hard to achieve record results for the city securing significant inward investment for the region.

“We now need to build on this success; Manchester needs to continue to be ambitious if it is to retain its perception as the UK’s ‘second’ city, particularly as public funding to support new infrastructure will be limited.”

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council heralded the survey’s findings as “excellent news”.

“The survey shows we really are in the top flight of European cities for business investment.  From excellent office space to a skilled workforce to fantastic local, national and international transport links, Manchester consistently proves that it can meet and exceed the needs of any firm that chooses to come here.

“And by attracting investment, we create jobs, which has to be the focus of the city over the coming months and years.”

The cities in Europe ranked ahead of Manchester are: London;Paris; Frankfurt; Brussels; Barcelona; Amsterdam; Berlin; Madrid; Munich; Dusseldorf and Milan.

Leeds was ranked in 24th place in the index, down one position on the 2009 survey.