New campaign launched to attract new business and investment into Cheltenham
11 September 2020
Cheltenham has today launched a new campaign to encourage business growth and investment in the town. Developed by Cheltenham Borough Council and its destination and place marketing arm Marketing Cheltenham alongside Cheltenham BID and local brand agency ASHA, the new ‘We’re Moving to Cheltenham’ initiative seeks to highlight the scale of investment and business growth that is underway across Cheltenham, the positive effect this is already having in attracting new business into the town and the range of opportunities that make it attractive for others to do the same.
From its enviable UK-wide connectivity to its world-class festivals and top-rated education, Cheltenham is regularly voted amongst the best places to live in the UK. So as the world continues to adapt to the ‘new normal’ and a more flexible approach to office working begins to emerge, Cheltenham is positioning itself as the perfect location to not only provide an attractive quality of life, but to also grow a business, providing the kind of flexible co-working spaces, access to talent and world-leading innovation that few other UK locations can offer.
Fuelled in-part by Cheltenham’s burgeoning cyber-tech community – which is now the largest business cluster of its type anywhere in the country outside of London – the town has a definite spring in its step, despite the challenging economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Such is Cheltenham’s growing reputation as the home of cyber and digital innovation in the UK, the likes of Microsoft, IBM and Apple have already been attracted to the town, whilst some of the most exciting tech and cyber start-ups in the country are here in Cheltenham.
Last month, it was confirmed that six potential partners have been shortlisted for the £400 million, nationally-significant Golden Valley Development, home of Cyber Central – a new campus and cyber-tech community adjacent to GCHQ.
It’s not just the Golden Valley that is seeing new investment coming in however. Elsewhere in the town, an enabling and forward thinking approach has helped to bring forward a number of new office space developments over recent times, from Honeybourne Place and the funky, award-winning Formal House to the landmark Quadrangle – complete with rooftop restaurant – which is now nearing completion. The emerging Minster Innovation Exchange in the centre of the town will provide further flexible, co-working space for the town’s growing cyber and digital businesses, adding to the success of Hub8 which occupies 7,000 sq ft of Cheltenham’s predominantly leisure based Brewery Quarter development.
Steve Jordan, Leader of Cheltenham Borough Council said: “Despite the many challenges that COVID-19 has thrown at us, as a local authority we have continued to act and respond as proactively as we’ve been able to in supporting our community and economy. At the same time however, we’ve maintained our longer term vision and ambitions for the town and the We’re Moving to Cheltenham initiative is just another example of our commitment to supporting not just the town’s recovery, but its continued and ongoing renewal and resurgence as one of the most attractive places to do business in the UK.”
Diane Savory OBE, Chair of GFirst LEP and the new Cheltenham Economic Recovery Task Force said: “This new We’re Moving to Cheltenham campaign is a great demonstration of the kind of bold and imaginative approach that’s needed to rebuild business confidence in the town. I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues and partners in Cheltenham to support the county’s inward investment ambitions and to exploit the many opportunities that Cheltenham and Gloucestershire offer in driving innovation, talent retention and business growth.”
Belinda Hunt, Operations Manager at Cheltenham BID added: “Here at Cheltenham BID, we’ve long recognised the need for a vehicle to promote Cheltenham’s wider business interests and to attract new investment into the town. We’re delighted therefore to see the new We’re Moving to Cheltenham initiative underway and would encourage businesses across the whole town to support the campaign.”
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