Business in Worcestershire- FAQS

I am looking for business premises – where do I start?         

The County Council operates a free, impartial and confidential property search service. We have a database of available commercial premises and land and regularly liaise with property agents to ensure it is kept up-to-date. You can search the database for free – and register to receive alerts when new premises, matching your specifications, are listed.

What financial support could I access to develop my business?      

Finance Worcestershire is an online database of finance accessible to Worcestershire businesses. A simple search provides results personalised to the business type, size and location. Finance options covered include local, national and European schemes, including grants, loans and venture capital opportunities.

How can I do more business locally?       

Finditinworcestershire.com is a Council initiative helping local businesses do more trade locally. The procurement and networking portal highlights public and private contract opportunities and enables local companies to find suppliers. Monthly breakfast meetings provide more networking time and are themed – so attendees can learn more about key topics, from digital networking to 2012 Olympic Games business opportunities. Membership and access to the breakfast meetings are free.

Worcestershire County Council's Research and Intelligence Unit monitors the economic well being of Worcestershire. The (soon to be web-based) Annual Economic Assessment provides local authorities, businesses and partners with a comprehensive picture of local economic conditions and priorities. Each month the unit produces a County Economic Summary containing local and national economic news and unemployment data for Worcestershire. Economic District Profiles provide a summary of key facts, figures and analysis about each district in Worcestershire. Labour market profiles give an overview of labour market information from a number of different sources. Economic data is available from the Research and Intelligence webpages.