Why Global Companies Are Looking To Manchester To Set Up Their European Base

Manchester is becoming increasingly attractive to large European corporates for several key reasons. The city is highly well-connected in the UK and boasts one of the country’s busiest airports, with easy global access for companies based in Europe. In addition, the city benefits from its status as the home to several top universities, with the University of Manchester itself renowned for its prowess in life sciences and graduates specialising in subjects like finance, healthcare and engineering, ensuring an ongoing pipeline of highly-skilled workers for global companies such as Roku, Qiagen, Sai Life Sciences, Auto Trader and Puma. 

The city’s innovation ecosystem is flourishing, with key developments like Greenhey's at Manchester Science Park and several other innovation hubs and campuses  located in the heart of the city, such as Circle Square and Citylabs, which are also all located in the Oxford Road knowledge quarter. There is also Sister, a £1.7B project created in a collaboration between the University of Manchester & Bruntwood SciTech, which recently opened its doors and introduced the first phase of the redevelopment of the Renold Building. These centralised spaces also benefit from close proximity to Bruntwood SciTech’s large campus in South Manchester, Alderley Park, with ongoing government support helping to bolster and revolutionise spaces across the north. 

As a result, the city’s ongoing development has transformed it into a thriving hub for businesses, enabling it to become one of the fastest-growing economies in the UK, with the Manchester economy outpacing other regional cities to attract a range of multinational companies, with a key focus on several industries including technology and financial services.  

With companies based in Manchester able to capitalise on its strategic location, impeccable workforce, robust infrastructure and dedicated Government support, it’s becoming a European base for global enterprises. 

Access to a Highly Skilled Talent Pool

One of the major incentives attracting global companies to Manchester is the rich and diverse talent pool available. The city is home to world-renowned universities—The University of Manchester (UoM), Salford University and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)—all of which contribute to a steady stream of graduates across various disciplines, including technology, finance, healthcare, and engineering.

The University of Manchester consistently ranks among the top institutions worldwide, placing 35th in the Times Higher Education rankings in 2024. As a member of the prestigious Russell Group, UoM is recognised for its strong academic reputation and pioneering research. The university has produced 25 Nobel Prize winners, the highest number for any UK university after Oxford and Cambridge, further highlighting its academic excellence. This wealth of expertise ensures that businesses in Manchester have access to highly qualified graduates with cutting-edge knowledge, the majority of whom are also located nearby the Oxford Road Corridor, meaning there is minimal requirement to relocate. In addition to UoM and MMU, nearby institutions like the University of Salford, University of Bolton, and Lancaster University are also key contributors to the talent pipeline, with graduates from these universities frequently moving to Manchester to ensure a continuous flow of skilled professionals. 

In the meantime, several major companies have already established a presence in Manchester, including Roku and SafetyCulture. These are prime examples of companies that benefit from Manchester’s highly skilled workforce in addition to the resource pool of talented graduates, alongside the pre-existing pool of experienced professionals. All of these factors make business in Manchester highly appealing to companies looking to set up their operations in Europe, such as Teleperformance, a French HQ’ed business which recently announced the opening of a UK hub at Bruntwood SciTech’s Bond development. 

A Hub for Innovation: Manchester’s Diverse Business Ecosystem

Manchester has established itself as a leading hub for innovation, attracting a wide range of industries that contribute to its diverse and thriving business ecosystem. Major contenders in their relevant fields, such as Qiagen and Sai Life Sciences have been attracted to Manchester not only because of the aforementioned excellent transport links and access to a highly skilled talent pool, but also due to the city's vibrant and collaborative business environment. In recent years, Manchester has become a powerhouse across sectors including life sciences, finance, creative industries, and manufacturing, with a plethora of like-minded businesses. 

The city’s prominence in life sciences is particularly significant. In a report by JLL, Manchester was ranked 14th out of 41 European life sciences clusters, further solidifying its status as a key player in the industry. With state-of-the-art facilities and a community of like-minded businesses, Manchester provides an ideal environment for companies operating in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare. The city’s business ecosystem supports both innovation and collaboration, making it a prime location for companies aiming to thrive in these cutting-edge industries. 

In addition to its life sciences strengths, Manchester is the largest financial and professional services centre outside of London, home to over 2,000 firms in the sector. Major global companies like PwC, Deloitte, and KPMG have established a strong presence in the city, attracted by Manchester’s robust infrastructure and dynamic business network, which fosters growth and innovation. The financial sector in Manchester encompasses a wide range of industries, including banking, accounting, insurance and consultancy firms. This makes the city a crucial location for businesses in need of these services, with co-location strategy enabling businesses to benefit from being close to other innovators and leaders, driving collaboration and accelerating growth. This concentration of expertise, infrastructure, and resources makes Manchester an incredibly dynamic hub for business.

In addition to life sciences and finance, the city is also home to one of the fastest-growing digital and technology sectors in the UK. With more than 10,000 businesses in the digital and creative industries, companies such as Google, IBM, and Cisco have established operations in the city. The growth of this sector is supported by Bruntwood SciTech partner Manchester Digital, a body that represents over 400 businesses, and by the city council’s comprehensive digital strategy, designed to foster tech innovation. This digital strategy has laid the foundation for ongoing investments and support for startups and established firms alike, ensuring Manchester’s digital sector continues to grow at an impressive rate.

Infrastructure Supporting Growth and Innovation

Manchester's rise as a global hub for innovation and growth is driven by its robust combination of physical and digital infrastructure. In addition to its established transport systems, the city is recognised as a leader among the UK’s ‘digital’ cities, with high-speed broadband and 5G available citywide, providing businesses with a solid platform to innovate and expand.

The city's network of innovation hubs plays a critical role in fostering growth across various sectors. Bruntwood SciTech operates several key buildings, such as Bond, Bloc, Circle Square, 111 Piccadilly, and Manchester One, offering dynamic workspaces that support the needs of businesses in technology, science, and the creative industries. Science parks like Citylabs, Alderley Park, and Manchester Science Park are also essential to Manchester's innovation ecosystem, particularly in advancing life sciences, biotechnology, and health research. A notable addition to this network is Greenheys at Manchester Science Park, which will soon house UK Biobank, the world’s largest and most significant repository of data and biological samples for health research.

Upcoming developments are set to further bolster Manchester’s innovation landscape. The Pall Mall redevelopment is an exciting project aimed at transforming this key location into a vibrant business hub with state-of-the-art office spaces. Another significant project is the £13 million refurbishment of King's House and the recently re-launched Thread Works development on Portland St, which will convert these historic buildings into modern workspaces, enhancing the city centre's capacity for supporting the growing demand for business and innovation spaces.

Further enriching Manchester’s potential for innovation is the Sister development, a large-scale project that aims to create a vibrant new neighbourhood for research, enterprise, and technology. The Oxford Road Corridor continues to be a vital part of Manchester’s knowledge and innovation landscape, housing leading academic institutions such as UoM and MMU, which are central to the city’s thriving research and development ecosystem. Finally, MediaCityUK in Salford adds to Manchester's digital prowess, hosting media giants like the BBC and ITV, and attracting talent and businesses across a multitude of creative fields. 

Manchester’s Strategic Connectivity 

Manchester’s connectivity is unparalleled, with the city benefitting from three major train stations - Victoria, Piccadilly, and Oxford Road - making it well-connected to key destinations, such as London, Leeds and Birmingham. Alternatively, Liverpool, one of the UK’s largest ports and trading cities, can be accessed in roughly thirty minutes, meaning the city is well positioned to capitalise on logistics corridors and supply chains. 

The city centre of Manchester itself benefits from a robust and extensive public transport network, ensuring intra-city connectivity. From the Metrolink system, which is the largest light rail network in the UK, to a comprehensive bus network (one of the first to offer £2 tickets) that operates several 24/7 routes, professionals can easily access a range of destinations across the region. The Metrolink is also due for expansion, to areas including the nearby town of Stockport, with further plans to improve light rail infrastructure across the board, including on key airport links. These transport links (and their ongoing improvement) are a crucial aspect of why Manchester continues to attract and welcome domestic and international firms.

Global appeal is further enhanced by Manchester Airport, which offers regular flights to over 200 destinations worldwide, from regional to international hubs. The airport provides excellent connectivity to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia, making it ideal for companies with international operations. With ongoing investment, particularly in regards to Terminal 2, and new flight routes regularly added, the airport continues to grow, ensuring that companies based in Manchester have seamless access to global markets - a significant draw for businesses looking at setting up in Europe.

For those requiring freight operations or road access, Manchester is situated near several major motorways, including the M60 and M6, ensuring accessibility to not only the city, but also some of Bruntwood SciTech’s suburban campuses, business sites and other key locations. These transport links ensure simple commutes for employees, connectivity across UK cities and freight access for businesses requiring the capabilities to transport medical supplies, research equipment and more. 

European companies will also benefit from relocating to Manchester due to future infrastructure projects. These include the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, which is set to link Manchester with major cities nearby, such as Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, and York, greatly improving travel times across the north of England. This will encourage connectivity on a new, unprecedented scale, transforming the north into an increasingly competitive contender for both national and international business markets. This follows extensive engagement with local leaders and MPs by Government ministers, and accompanies a confirmed £12 billion investment to boost connections and enable the success of the project. 

Overall, Manchester’s connectivity is strategic, whether in the form of outstanding rail links to major cities, an airport offering regional and international links, and future developments to infrastructure. These all play a significant role in the success of Manchester’s economy compared to other nearby cities, and help bolster the city’s status as an attractive space to relocate to, which is only set to continue as advancements like the Northern Powerhouse Rail materialise. 

Government Support and Strategic Initiatives

Several government support programmes work in sync to bolster innovation and drive economic growth in Manchester. These collectively reinforce its role as a key hub for science, technology and business, creating a thriving ecosystem that promotes business development, research, and technological advancement across the entire region.

The first of these programmes is the Northern Powerhouse Initiative. This is a government-backed strategy dedicated to boosting Manchester’s local economy by offering investment into key areas, such as transport and skills, across northern regions in the UK. The ultimate aim of the initiative is to ensure a globally competitive economy across the north, with a focus on developing a flourishing private sector, achieved via a highly skilled population, and strong civic and business leadership.

Manchester’s designation as an Investment Zone is another key staple attraction for businesses wishing to relocate to the city. This helps to drive growth across several sectors, with significant funding allocated to several developments at Innovation Manchester and more, which will in turn support the knowledge economy in the city, particularly in terms of research and innovation. Additional funding is also earmarked for several other initiatives, including the creation of a multi-million pound investment fund, with £5 million dedicated to skills development in the area. These measures should moreover support the creation of 32,000 jobs, while leveraging £1.1 billion in investment over the next decade to solidify Manchester’s role as a key player  in advanced technology and manufacturing developments. 

Additionally, the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) supports the city's innovation landscape via the provision of grants, loans and other financial assistance. This body is dedicated to stimulating business growth across Manchester and surrounding areas. 

Praetura’s GMC Life Sciences Fund, supported by Bruntwood SciTech, also plays an essential role in offering seed and early-stage funding to businesses. This fund is aimed at life sciences companies located in or relocating to Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and the Warrington region. The early-stage investment is catered to life science businesses to ‘build the best business they can’, further establishing Manchester as a leader in the field. 

Why Manchester is the Perfect European Base

Manchester offers an unparalleled and positively ever-changing range of advantages to make it the ideal location for global companies looking to relocate and establish a European base. From strategic connectivity both in the UK and internationally, the city enjoys easy access to markets, clients, and partners across the globe. 

In addition, the city's extensive transport links, including three major train stations, a bustling international airport, and proximity to key motorways, make it an ideal logistical hub. Future infrastructure projects, such as the Northern Powerhouse Rail, will only enhance this accessibility, making it easier than ever for businesses to thrive, meaning it’s the perfect opportunity to join the other businesses that have grown to call Manchester their home today.