NEWS & EVENTS
National news
Cornwall Lures Enterprises
By Bob Sherwood
Published in Financial Times: November 30 2007
Frustrated entrepreneurs are being urged to relocate to a thriving, supportive business environment: Cornwall.
The far south-west county is hardly top of the list for most knowledge economy entrepreneurs, whose natural homes have been the tech clusters and enterprise hubs of south-east England, the Midlands and the north.
The county's inward investment arm knows it has a perception problem to overcome: it is remote, with a traditional economic base of mining and smuggling, it is loved by holidaymakers and is best known for producing dairy products.
But Cornwall, which has a business start-up rate well ahead of the national average and the highest company survival rate in the country, believes it has the lifestyle and business environment necessary to lure entrepreneurs who feel stifled in the large urban areas. This week it launched an "Escape: Relocate" campaign to promote the county as an enterprise destination.
Lucy Hunt, manager of Cornwall Pure Business, the inward investment body, said: "The work/life balance possible here in Cornwall, coupled with the strength of business networks in the county, means entrepreneurship is not only thriving but in some cases outperforming other areas of the country.
The campaign seeks to highlight the county's changing business environment. Locally matched European funding of £350m over the past six years has been invested in infrastructure to make the region more competitive. Another £440m of European funding is to follow over the next six years.
Hunt claims that 96 businesses have already said they will relocate to Cornwall by December.
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Cornwall Pure Business is a service of Cornwall Enterprise