• England’s Northwest is the second largest UK economy and the 14th largest European economy
• England’s Northwest can be used as a base from which to target the UK, European and international marketplaces
• The UK has similar legal and accounting systems and the same language as Australia
• The region is the logistical centre of the UK and provides easy access to mainland Europe
• Service sector labour costs are up to 20% lower than London and the Southeast of England
• The region’s 12 universities and 4 higher education institutions equip the area with a student population of 235,000, and
• The Northwest of England boasts almost 4 million highly-skilled employees
  

• Gross Value Added (GVA) AUD245 billion
• GVA per capita AUD35, 762
• Population of 6.9 million, ranked third in the UK
• Employment rate, working age 72.3%
• Growth forecast is 4% by 2011
• Average housing price AUD250,498

The Northwest has been a leading region in attracting foreign direct investment for the past decade. With more than 3,000 internationally owned companies having successfully invested in England’s Northwest, generating 347,000 jobs over 3,200 sites – it is a proven location for international investment.

New industries are growing, with the Northwest region having the biggest film and television production industry outside of London; which is set to expand by 2011 with the creation of Mediacity:UK.

In the last twenty years, the Northwest economy has built on and diversified from its traditional strengths in the textiles, shipping and engineering to develop and benefit from modern sectors including ICT, biotechnology, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, telecommunications and financial and business services.

• Introductions to research and technology partners
• Guidance on grants and incentives, permit procedures and UK tax structures
• Advice on availability and costs of sites and premises
• Introductions to legal, professional and other services
• Information and introductions industry associations, recruitment and training providers
• Organising company visits to the Northwest of England, which can be either industry specific or customised to your individual needs

• Bravura Solutions
• Ceramic Fuel Cells
• Chep-Brambles
• Global Renewables
• IBA Health
• Orica
• Pacific Brands
• QBE
• Ramsay Healthcare
• Sinclair Knight Merz
• Thinksmart

• Mainland Europe can be accessed in less than two hours flight time, with over 100 plus direct flights from Manchester Airport to Europe and daily flights to France
• There are direct flights to Manchester from most major Australian and New Zealand cities
• The Northwest is easily accessible by car, aeroplane or train and is only 300km from London/Edinburgh, and lies at the crossroads of the M6 and M62/M56 motorway network, providing direct access to UK and European markets

• Aerospace
• Automotive
• Chemicals
• Digital and Creative
• Energy and Environmental Technology
• Food and Drink
• Healthcare
• Pharmaceutical