Stoke celebrates top ten city ranking
STOKE-on-Trent is one of a handful of European cities to be picked for a prestigious award recognising places with the best prospects for inward investment, economic growth and business expansion.
The Potteries has been selected as one of the top ten cities in Europe in the fDi Magazine European Cities of the Future Awards for Micro Cities.
The independently researched award, which recognises leading cities with a population of less than 250,000, picked out Stoke-on-Trent for its strong transport links and business connections across Europe – putting the city sixth in this year’s listing.
Councillor Mark Meredith, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for economic development, said: “This is fantastic news for the city as it recognises Stoke-on-Trent is punching above its weight not only in the country but Europe despite its relatively small population.
“As part of the city council’s mandate for change we are committed to bringing investment and opportunities to the city and this award recognises the fact that our city is definitely open for business.”
Stoke-on-Trent is planning a £1.5bn transformation with major retail and office led developments in the city centre at the heart of those plans.
The city is home to a number of business headquarters including Michelin, FedEx UK, Phones 4U and Bet365 and serves a number of high profile businesses such as RBS, Portmerion, Converteam and Vodafone.
Councillor Meredith added: “Stoke-on-Trent has long been known as the World Capital of Ceramics with major brands such as Dudson and Steelite based here in the city. However, the city is also growing its business base in key sectors such as advanced manufacturing and environmental technologies with the city encouraging links with leading businesses such as Siemens.”
Duncan Mathieson, managing director of Realis, the developer behind the city’s £350m regional shopping and leisure destination scheme City Sentral, said: “I have long been convinced of the potential of Stoke-on-Trent. All the fundamentals are right and I believe it is on the brink of real economic renaissance.”
