Bristol Business Guide

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The West of England and the
city of Bristol have a diverse
range of businesses across many
sectors, all contributing to a
vibrant economy.
The important sectors are viewed
as:
• Professional Services (Financial,
Insurance and Legal)*
• Advanced Engineering and
Aerospace*
• Hi Tech*
• Creative and Digital Industries*
• Low Carbon (Environmental
Technology & Services)*
• Construction and Development
• Distribution and Logistics
• Retail
• Tourism
• Health, Social Care & Life
Sciences
• Education
Those marked with * are considered to
be the priority sectors for the West of
England Local Enterprise Partnership.
Professional Services
(Financial, Insurance
and Legal)
The sector provides employment for
56,900 people in the West of England
(of which 36,200 are in the city of
Bristol). The sector is one of the
largest in the West of England in terms
of both the number of people
employed and the GVA it creates.
Concentrations of the sector can be
found within the city centres of Bristol
and Bath, as well as in Bristol’s North
Fringe. The city is a leading financial,
insurance and legal services centre
with many major international and
national companies locating head
office functions here, and has
particular strengths in retail banking,
insurance, share dealing, ethical
finance and legal services.
Amongst many others, the sector
includes Lloyds Banking Group, DAS
Legal, Hargreaves Lansdown, Canada
Life, Computershare Investment
Services, AXA, Friends Life, Bank of
Ireland, Royal Bank of Scotland/Nat
West, HSBC, Santander, HBOS, Triodos
Bank, BDO, Baker Tilly, PK,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young,
Deloitte, Smith and Williamson, Bishop
Fleming, Grant Thornton, Ashfords,
Osborne Clarke, Burgess Salmon,
Clarke Willmott, DAC Beachcroft, Bond
Dickinson, TLT, Bevan Brittan, Veale
Wasbrough Vizards, Unum, Zurich,
NFU Mutual and Simply Health.
There are a number of centres of
excellence throughout the West of
England to support professional
development within the sector
with courses provided at colleges,
universities and the University of Law
Bristol at Bristol Temple Quarter.
Advanced Engineering
and Aerospace
The sector provides employment
for 30,500 people in the West of
England (of which 7,800 are in the
city of Bristol).
With over 100 years of continuous
development, design and manufacture,
the West of England is currently home
to Airbus, Boeing, GKN Aerospace,
Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Honeywell,
Safran and Claverham Ltd – amongst
the top aerospace companies in the
world. The Ministry of Defence has a
significant presence with its Defence
Equipment and Support procurement
organisation at Abbey Wood.
The sector has an extensive supply
chain providing materials, components
and technical support and services,
both within the region and further
afield through the South West and
rest of the UK. It also benefits from
the presence of support organisations
such as the West of England Aerospace
Forum, EEF (engineering and
manufacturing organisation) and the
Manufacturing Advisory Service.
There are a number of centres of
excellence – at Bristol University there
is the Advanced Composites Centre,
the Centre for Nanoscience and
Quantum Information, and the School
of Physics. There is also the National
Composites Centre within the Bristol &
Bath Science Park, the Robotics Lab at
the University of the West of England
and the South West Composites Centre
at the City of Bristol College.
The new multi-billion nuclear power
station at Hinkley Point in Somerset
is providing a significant opportunity
to attract expertise in this sector
and develop the local supply chain.
The development is set to be an
international showcase, providing
an opportunity to benefit globally
from the skills knowledge and
experience gained.
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BRISTOL BUSINESS
SECTORS