Choosing Coventry
This city is a technology hub, that's why many blue-chip companies have chosen to relocate to Coventry.
“Over our 85 years in business, we have seen Coventry grow and develop. Throughout those nine decades, the city has shown a steely determination to succeed and is now a real UK economic powerhouse. With two acclaimed universities and a rich pedigree in engineering research and development, it's very well positioned to thrive as we move forward to a greener, low carbon future.”
Eleanor Deeley, Joint Managing Director of Deeley Group
Advanced manufacturing and engineering
Aerospace
Automotive
Business, professional and financial services
Connected and autonomous vehicles
Digital and creative
Energy and low carbon technologies
Gaming
Low carbon vehicles
Rail
Key business sectors
At the heart of the Midlands automotive and aerospace cluster, Coventry and Warwickshire represent a major centre of advanced manufacturing and innovation, including automotive, rail, aerospace and motorsport. Key business sectors include:
- Advanced manufacturing and engineering
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Business, professional and financial services
- Connected and autonomous vehicles
- Digital and creative
- Energy and low carbon technologies
- Gaming
- Low carbon vehicles
- Rail
Investment and redevelopment
The £200m City Centre South project delivers a major retail and leisure led regeneration scheme linked to Friargate. It will transform the city centre and has outline planning consent to deliver a new anchor store, shops, a cinema, restaurants, hotel and parking.
The extension of Coventry Railway Station is an £82m programme to transform the station and aspects of the surrounding area, such as a multi-storey car park and new bus interchange.
And of course, there’s Friargate itself, a £700m development and delivery priority for both Coventry City Council and West Midlands Combined Authority.
Innovation
Coventry and Warwickshire are home to a number of emerging centres of excellence, including:
- The National Low Carbon Centre at Stoneleigh Park, a unique game-changer in the low carbon and clean tech market
- The Advanced Propulsion Centre located at University of Warwick
The area is a leading centre of university and private sector R&D activity. It has also emerged as a centre for innovative battery technology, successfully facilitating the delivery of UK BIC.
Government
Coventry, and the Friargate development specifically, has drawn increasing interest from government departments over recent years. In 2019, One Friargate welcomed Homes England, which brought hundreds of jobs to the area and made Coventry a key location for the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ and ‘Build Back Better’ ambitions.
Government departments are attracted to Coventry and Friargate due to:
- Existing on-site government occupiers, which is attractive to other government departments considering relocation.
- The city’s highly skilled and diverse talent pool – Coventry University also hosts a unique Civil Service Leadership training scheme.
- Coventry becoming the epicentre for automated vehicles and automotive battery innovation, which requires significant government participation in regards to legislation and policy-making.
Talent pool
The excellent talent pool is a major reason that occupiers relocate to Coventry. With its two universities, Coventry University and University of Warwick, the area has a young, highly skilled and educated talent pool. Well known for its courses in engineering, mathematics and leadership – to name a few – the universities here generate ideal skillsets for aspirational and innovative businesses, as well as those responsible for critical decision-making.
