Invest in Ashfield
Why invest in Ashfield?
Businesses come to Ashfield because we have access to a skilled workforce of 78,000 people and a further 1 million plus people within an hour’s drive (NOMIS data, 2021).
Skilled graduates
There is also a cluster of higher education institutions with 7 universities nearby producing world-leading research and 39,020 skilled graduates each year (HESA data, 2019 to 2020). In addition to the skilled graduates the area produces, Ashfield has a fast-growing young population with 5365 aged between 16 to 25 (NOMIS data, 2019).
Strategic transport links
Large companies are attracted to Ashfield because of the close location to strategic transport links, combined with a competitive labour market. Businesses in Ashfield are situated at the heart of the motorway, with easy access to and from the M1, A1(M), and A38. With 87% of the UK population reachable within 4 hours' drive time; that’s millions of customers, suppliers, and connections right on your doorstep.
Future investment plans
The centrepiece of future investment plans is a new Automated Distribution and Manufacturing Centre, which will become a national centre of excellence. It will focus on promoting and providing access to the latest technologies and best practice in automated distribution and help businesses to become more competitive on the global stage.
£100 million plus will be invested over the next 5 years on projects in Ashfield such as:
- New Automated Distribution and Manufacturing Centre
- New Robotics Centre
- New Construction and Civil Engineering Education Centre
- New Library Innovation Centres
- New Science Discovery Centre and Planetarium
- New water sports leisure facility
- New transport infrastructures
- New health and sports hubs
- Multiple town centre transformation projects – including in Kirkby in Ashfield and Sutton in Ashfield.
We will also be developing a new Innovation and Technology Business Park, where the centrepiece will be the state of the art Automated Distribution and Manufacturing Centre. If you would like to know more or wish to discuss your relocation needs, then please contact our business support team.
Thinking of relocating your business to Ashfield?
Then we can help. We understand the importance of supporting relocation decisions with hard data, so this page provides a snapshot of our district's economic profile.
Economic profile
- Working age population (aged 16 to 64) - 77,900 (NOMIS, February 2024)
- Average wages - £605.80 per week (5% lower than regional average of £640) (NOMIS, December 2023)
- Unemployment - 2965 people (This equates to 3.8% of the working age population) (NOMIS, December 2023)
- Average housing prices - £188,519 (This is 32% lower than regional average) (Varbes, August 2023)
- Number of businesses - 4439 businesses (FAME, July 2023)
- Number of business parks - 13 (See the commercial property page for details). An Innovation and Technology Business Park is also planned for development in Ashfield and will offer new build opportunities
- Number of retail shops - 700 (an approximate figure, as this changes periodically)
- Skills most in demand include: Warehousing, Nursing, Auditing, and Mental Health (Lightcast report, January 2023 - September 2023)
- GDP £3.1 billion; Ashfield contributes 0.2% of the UK Economy. (Varbes, 2020).
Major industries
- Health
- Wholesale and retail
- Manufacturing
- Construction
- Transport and storage
- Education
Contact us
If you would like further information, please get in touch with our team:
Page last updated: 7 February 2024