First North Warwickshire Business Expo is a great success
“This area is a hidden gem but we need it to be less hidden."
The Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub hosted the first North Warwickshire Business Support Expo on 2nd April, to raise the profile of the services, information and advice it provides to help businesses throughout the area to grow.
Around 40 business owners and representatives of business support programmes attended the event at Atherstone Memorial Hall in Long Street.
Steve Maxey, acting chief executive of North Warwickshire Borough Council, said the area was home to a good mix of well-known names such as Aldi and HORIBA MIRA as well as a range of SMEs.
“North Warwickshire’s economy is doing very well,” he said. “We are one of the driving forces in the region in terms of economic development and closing the productivity gap. We have the advantage of being a large borough and we have a fantastic location. Our economy is growing and over 20,000 people from across the West Midlands come into our area for work each day.
“This area is a hidden gem but we need it to be less hidden. Productivity is high and we are increasing the number of high-value jobs that are attracting investment to the area.
“The CWLEP Growth Hub is perfectly positioned to help businesses to grow or move to North Warwickshire and I would encourage business owners to get in touch with them to see how they can help.
Bill Blincoe, of the CWLEP Growth Hub, who introduced the event, said the Growth Hub was set up to help entrepreneurs as well as large companies in all sectors.
“We are very keen to raise the profile of the business services that we provide to companies in North Warwickshire,” he said. “We are a one-stop shop to provide access to everything, ranging from access to finance and property to grants and mentors. Each business we work with is given a key Growth Hub contact who will work with them to assess their business and identify the right support available – whether they are wanting to expand, buy new machinery or relocate.
“This was the first Expo we have held in North Warwickshire with the support of North Warwickshire Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund."
The event was attended by support providers and advisers from Warwickshire County Council, the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Coventry City Council, the Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust, Coventry University, the University of Warwick and North Warwickshire Borough Council who explained the business support services they provide.
The Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, and supported by the local authorities of Coventry & Warwickshire. The Growth Hub provide a one-stop shop to advise and signpost businesses to the full range of business support that is available in the area. Contact them on: T: 0300 060 3747 / E: contact@cwgrowthhub.co.uk / W: www.cwgrowthhub.co.uk