Summary
Manchester secured 37 FDI projects in 2018, maintaining its position as the top-performing city in the north west and the only location in the region to reach the top 10 nationally. Within Greater Manchester, Salford and Stockport each gained two projects, while other north west cities including Liverpool (eight projects) and Bolton (two) attracted significantly fewer investments.
The north west region as a whole received 70 FDI projects, down 33 per cent from 2017's record 105, and ranked fifth in the UK behind London, Scotland, the South East, and the West Midlands. The decline reflects investor caution amid Brexit uncertainty, with foreign investors concentrating on larger cities seen as safer bets rather than distributing investment more evenly across the region.
Digital and business services dominated investment across the north west, accounting for 27 projects and attracting 1,390 jobs in total. EY's north west managing partner Bob Ward flagged concern that Manchester's dominance—accounting for more than half of all regional investment—masks an unhealthy concentration of inward investment away from smaller cities and towns.
Read the full story at Manchester Evening News
This is a summary written for the Manchester Business Services register. The full article belongs to Manchester Evening News — read it at source.
Common questions
- What is this article about?
- Manchester attracted 37 foreign direct investment projects in 2018, more than any other UK city outside London and accounting for 53 per cent of all north west projects, according to EY's latest UK Attractiveness Survey. However, the overall number of FDI projects in the region fell sharply year-on-year, reflecting broader uncertainty around Brexit and a shift towards larger cities.
- When was this published?
- This article was published on 6 June 2019.
- Who published this article?
- This article was published by Manchester Evening News.