WELCOME TO A PLACE THAT’S BUZZING.
As soon as you arrive here, you’ll feel it. This is a growing place with big plans - more than £10 billion of investment underway. New developments across the region are attracting international businesses to locate here alongside our growing local successful companies.
Businesses that share our passion for customer service are attracted to our friendly, talented and networked people. With a workforce of more than six million people within an hour and six universities producing 30,000 graduates every year, this is a great place to recruit.
With new restaurants, bars and our legendary nightlife, waterfront and cultural attractions, this is a place where people want to live and work. And with beautiful beaches, coastline and countryside stretching across the city region there’s something to suit all lifestyles. Quality of life matters here and is the reason why our companies have low rates of staff turnover.
The population of our vibrant city centre more than doubled between 2001 and 2011, fuelled by a rise in young professional jobs. Business, professional and financial service firms are a driving force of our economy with front, middle and back office functions located across the region.
We’re increasingly being seen as the optimum place for businesses that are feeling the pressure of London’s higher wage rates, spiralling office costs and rising staff churn. We’re a prime ‘northshoring’ option for companies looking to relocate functions outside of the capital.
WE ARE FRIENDLY, HELPFUL & LOYAL
Your customers are your business. So it makes sense to put your customer service centres in a place that’s renowned for being open, friendly and chatty.
Our people have a reputation for being personable and helpful, key qualities in any service centre. That’s why more than 50 companies have chosen to locate a customer service centre or back office here, such as Marks & Spencer, Barclaycard, Santander, American Airlines and Bosch.
Embracing technology to improve communications is a key part of our offer. Just like the video banking services being pioneered at Barclays contact centre which enables customers to speak to advisors face-to-face via PC, phone or tablet, 24 hours a day. In 2016, Barclays announced a £15 million investment in their Liverpool centre, creating 300 new jobs here.
And we’re incredibly loyal too. Our companies tell us that they enjoy exceptionally low levels of staff churn, resulting in greater stability and the long-term retention of skilled and experienced people.
WE ARE EXPERTS
We’re a low-risk, proven business location. We’ve been an international commercial centre for hundreds of years. Our professional and financial services credentials are broad and deep, with levels of expertise and experience that make Liverpool a safe-bet for your next project.
We’re a major service centre for:
BANKING AND FINANCE - one of the UK’s leading financial centres hosting key facilities for Santander, Barclaycard, Handelsbanken, RSA and Bibby Financial Services. Wealth management is a particular strength and Liverpool is ranked as the leading location outside of London, with global firms such as Pershing (subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation) and Investec Wealth and Investment, as well as Rathbones Investment Management who employ more than 700 people in the city.
LEGAL SERVICES - with more than 650 firms employing 10,000 staff across the city region, the legal sector is well-established and thriving. Major firms such as Hill Dickinson, DWF, Brabners, Weightmans, DLA, Morecrofts and Riverview Law are represented, with many having their headquarters here. Also, thanks to our costeffective talent pool, we’re particularly suited to legal advisory outsourcing projects and ‘northshoring’.
PUBLIC SECTOR - major business process outsourcing global operators such as Capita, Fujitsu, Tata Consultancy Services and Arvato have discovered the advantages of our flexible and experienced workforce, with many public sector contracts being serviced out of facilities in the city region.
RETAIL - more than 8,000 people work in the major retail service centres for companies such as Marks & Spencer and QVC. Shop Direct, TJ Morris, Matalan and B&M all have their headquarters located in Liverpool. Leading independent operator The Contact Company also serves several major High Street brands such as River Island and Superdrug.
WE ARE NETWORKED
This is a friendly and open place. People here work best when they work together. For us, networking is a way of life around here. Our sense of community and solidarity runs deep. We attract talent and business from around the world and bring them together in collaborative networks and shared spaces to create a special alchemy.
The networks that can drive your business forward include:
LIVERPOOL IN LONDON - our business hub in the heart of the capital’s financial district makes Liverpool a visible and connected player. It can be used as a base for Liverpool-based businesses to work from when doing business in London.
PROFESSIONAL LIVERPOOL - is an exciting organisation with a clear objective – to promote professional excellence in Liverpool and the city region and to enhance its reputation as a financial and professional centre of excellence.
MERSEYSIDE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS - MYP brings together young people working in the financial and professional services. It plays an important role across the city region offering networking events and bringing people together for charitable purposes.
YOUR NORTHSHORING LOCATION
With increasing pressures on businesses to control overheads and deliver maximum value, the search is on for locations that can deliver cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality and service. Many companies are realising the benefits of relocating key functions away from London and the South East to the North of England. The ‘northshoring’ trend is leading professional and financial service firms to consider Liverpool as a solution.
Locating your business in Liverpool will give you an immediate competitive edge. UK government data estimates that wages in Liverpool are 10% lower than the national average and 50% lower than the City of London.
Land and property costs are lower than many places throughout the UK, which will give you a significant rental saving - often lower compared to other UK cities and more than 50% less than London. High quality office space in Liverpool is available for around £20 per sq ft whereas equivalent property in London is quoted at £75 per sq ft.
Northshoring is not just about lower overheads though. Locating a function in the Liverpool area has major advantages when it comes to staff attrition and churn which can be so damaging to a firm’s morale and bottom line. Our workforce demographics offer both availability and sustainability, with more than six million people within an hour’s commute of Liverpool and some of the lowest churn rates around.
Hundreds of financial and professional businesses choose to locate and invest in Liverpool City Region because of the many cost and productivity advantages when compared to other places. Our public and private sector partners across the city region are working together to deliver the best possible physical support infrastructure for growing businesses.
We’ve got brand new Grade A office developments in city and town centres, as well as a wide choice of business parks and Enterprise Zones. We can offer all types of property solutions from serviced offices through to large floor-plate buildings suitable for service centres. Our telecoms infrastructure provides low cost and future proof, world class connectivity and resilience, with some central locations offering up to 1 Gbps connections, and access to a Tier Three datacentre.
Just as important as the physical infrastructure is the support that is available to businesses looking to set up in the area. We have developed a range of innovative and flexible financial incentives that can facilitate your expansion here. Our team will be able to guide you through what’s on offer.
“As a financial centre of excellence, Liverpool’s professional sector is a vital asset and plays a key role in contributing to the UK’s growth as a whole.”
Lord Mountevans, Lord Mayor of the City of London, 2016
For more information on Financial, Professional and Business Services in Liverpool City Region download the brochure here: FPB Services brochure