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The Gatwick Diamond has become a location of choice for the fast-growing and export-focused MedTech industry. Many leading medical technology companies with world-class R&D infrastructure are located here, along with their suppliers, creating a cluster of medical technology, diagnostics, digital health and biopharma companies including small start-ups, established companies and global manufacturers.
MedTech and life science companies located in the Gatwick Diamond include Pfizer, Elekta Oncology, Fisher Clinical, Novo Nordisk, Roche Diagnostics, Welland Medical, and Siemens Healthineers.
South East England as a whole boasts the UK’s largest life sciences cluster of more than 1,200 companies, employing some 48,000 people. In the region area, there are around 200 businesses employing around 5,000 people, and the number of businesses and jobs has increased by 48% and 11% respectively over the last five years.
Professional services industries – already a key sector of the Gatwick Diamond economy – are rapidly embracing the disruptive nature of technology. The industry is an enabler of activity across firms that operate in financial services such as banking, funds management, pensions and insurance, as well as the legal, accounting, management consulting and technology sectors.
PProfessional and financial services companies located in the Gatwick Diamond include American Express, B&CE Group, BDO, Deloitte UK, DMH Stallard, Grant Thornton, Birketts, Handelsbanken, HSBC, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, Mayo Wynne Baxter, Royal Bank of Scotland/NatWest and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Aviva (Leatherhead), Fidelity (Tadworth), Aon (Reigate) and Axa Insurance (Redhill).
The UK has one of the world’s leading financial services sectors, currently accounting for 8% of GDP and the financial and professional services sector is one of the largest in the region, accounting for 18,000 businesses and 95,000 jobs in the Coast to Capital area alone. In East Surrey, the Financial and Insurance services sector is strongly connected to the London economy.
As well as servicing local markets and customers, these companies are taking advantage of the Gatwick Diamond’s proximity to London and global connectivity through Gatwick Airport. As new technologies change the way these companies operate, there are opportunities for financial technology (FinTech) companies to leverage the market and grow their footprint in the Gatwick Diamond.
Technology firms and inward investors are needed to boost the Gatwick Diamond’s FinTech ecosystem in areas such as payments, crowdfunding, lending, wealth management, blockchain and artificial intelligence and the Gatwick Diamond Initiative is keen to support collaborations between start-up businesses, investors, industry and corporate organisations to ensure our professional services companies remain at the forefront of their industries as they evolve and embrace the technological revolution.
Technology applications are driving the development of the Gatwick Diamond as a leading centre for e-commerce, advanced logistics, distribution, and warehouse operations, with manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers investing in significant operations here.
The concentration of fulfilment operations in the Gatwick Diamond extends beyond distribution centres to high-level operational and logistics hubs, supporting manufacturers and a technology ecosystem that includes software, digital content and publishing companies.
There are more than 8,000 ICT, media and creative businesses in the Gatwick Diamond market area, and with the sector worth almost £110 billion per annum, ICT provides one of the most important investment opportunities in the UK economy.
Coast to Capital’s ICT, media and creative sector is made up of around 11,000 businesses which employ around 42,000 people. The sector has seen an increase in business and employment numbers of 23% and 17% respectively over the last five years.
The concentration of fulfilment operations in the Gatwick Diamond extends beyond distribution centres to high-level operational and logistics hubs, supporting manufacturers and a technology ecosystem that includes software, digital content and publishing companies.
In recent years, the Gatwick Diamond has become a hub for aviation and defence manufacturing and training, attracting investment from some of the world’s most advanced companies.
London Gatwick is a key institution in the UK aviation industry. It supports aerospace operations, transportation of freight services and aerospace operations. It collaborates with innovative companies to run the airport more efficiently. London Gatwick works closely with other airports in the global VINCI network, sharing research and knowledge.
Manor Royal Business District, the Gatwick Diamond’s and one of the largest business districts in Europe, has attracted investment from Dutch companies Avion Group and IAGO, which have established a new flight training centre together. The new centre enables customers to have a unique experience with Avion’s A320 full flight simulator, which recreates 97% of aircraft behaviours.
Thales is also important, as it has significant manufacturing and engineering facilities serving the international defence and space sectors. It joins global companies such as Smart Aviation, AerFin, Allaero, L3 Commercial Aviation, and CAE Aviation—both of whom have invested in large new training facilities where pilots will be instructed on flight simulators and a production hall where the flight simulators are produced, assembled and tested before being dispatched around the world.
The UK airports industry is at the forefront of airport development and offers robust, pioneering responses to today’s and tomorrow’s key industry challenges.
High-tech manufacturing is an important and rapidly growing sector across the Gatwick Diamond and is likely to create significant demand for commercial property. It currently employs 19,900 people, 12% higher than in 2019, across 900 businesses.
A particular specialism relates to computer and consumer electronics manufacturing, which is 2.7 times more specialised in the region than across England.
The highest concentration of businesses is in the Gatwick Diamond area, with particular clusters in Brighton & Hove, Croydon and Worthing. Companies such as Vent Axia, Tesla Engineering, Sony, Siemens, CERES Power and HPC Engineering lead the sector.
The Gatwick Diamond and Croydon market areas are home to the largest share of food manufacturers in the UK. They include Nestlé UK, Unilever UK, and Yoplait UK. The area has 130 businesses and 3,700 employees, and the sector has grown rapidly in recent years, with 24% business growth and 6% employment growth.
The surrounding area has also been identified as a significant growth opportunity for viticulture thanks to its sun-soaked slopes and chalky soils reminiscent of northern France. In Sussex alone, there are 138 vineyards, representing a quarter of Great Britain under vine.
With its picture-postcard villages, bustling ancient market towns and rolling hills, the Gatwick Diamond region is renowned for its attractiveness as a place to live, work and sightsee.
It includes two areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Surrey Hills, Kent Downs national Landscape as well as the High Weald – a medieval landscape characterised by its ancient woodlands – as well as the South Downs National Park.
Between rural communities in the south and east to urban areas on the fringes of London, around 70% of the region’s land area is Metropolitan Green Belt. A further 45,000 hectares of land is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or subject to other special landscape designations.
The Gatwick Diamond region is celebrated for its diverse attractions and events, catering to a variety of interests both nationally and internationally. Highlights include the grandeur of Hampton Court Palace, the historic charm of Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, and the peaceful scenery of Boxhill and the Long Man of Wilmington. Cultural aficionados can enjoy the vibrant Brighton Pride or explore the architectural wonders of Hever Castle.
Thrill-seekers have options like racing at Brands Hatch or hiking the scenic South Downs Way. Sports enthusiasts can experience premier events such as the Epsom Derby and premiership football at the Amex Stadium in Brighton.
The region is the centre of the UK’s wine industry also known for its top-tier vineyards like Ridgeview, Denbie’s or Gusborne, appealing to wine lovers. Additionally, the region boasts a robust MICE tourism and business travel sector centred around Brighton and the renowned Brighton Centre, enhancing its attractiveness as a prime destination for both leisure and business visitors. Notably, the area also hosts the UK’s second largest outdoor event, the internationally acclaimed Goodwood Festival of Speed, adding to its prestige and appeal.
Pre-pandemic (2018) tourism in West Sussex and its districts accounted for 10% of all employment, with a total of 24,376,000 trips made (including both day trips and overnight stays) with a total tourism value of £2,048,871,000. Pre-pandemic tourism in Mid Sussex accounted for 8% of all employment with a total of 3,290,000 trips made (including day trips and staying) with a total tourism value of £280,219,000.
The Gatwick Diamond
Freedom Works,
Astral Towers,
Betts Way,
Crawley, RH10 9XA
England
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