A149 A148 B1355 A149 A148 A17 A140 A47 A47 A47 Norwich A47 A1065 A134 A12 Peterborough A11 A1065 A140 Brandon A143 Mildenhall A11 A14 A134 A12 A10 A14 Bury St Edmunds A140 A1120 Newmarket A14 A143 Cambridge A134 A1 A11 Clare Ipswich M11 Haverhill A505 A12 Felixstowe A134 A134 A10 Colchester A120 A1(M) v A120 vA120 Luton Stansted A12 M11 A414 Oxford M1 A414 M1 M40 A34 Bury St Edmunds Reading M4 v Heathrow Bury St Edmunds is the One of the main strengths of the A14 and rail network. The arrival of A322 town’s economy is the sheer diversity fibre optic broadband has created largest town in West Suffolk of businesses. Many companies are more opportunities. M3 still linked to agriculture and food M25 (population 41,000 and A34 production; British Sugar opened its growing) and part of the factory in 1926 and Branston Pickle is made in Bury. IT, financial services prosperous Cambridge and retail have now joined these A31 sub-region which benefits traditional sectors. M3 A3 greatly from being on the The 12 business parks and industrial estates around the town, with more A14 corridor linking planned, provide premises of varying A272 Felixstowe with the Midlands. sizes, but all with easy access to the Southampton Portsmouth Bury St Edmunds’ regional role will be enhanced over the next few years with the development Nine of the top 100 companies in Norfolk and of Suffolk Business Park, one of Suffolk are based in Bury St Edmunds, with the newest commercial areas. In turnovers ranging from £50 million to £1.2 billion summer 2014, the government confirmed £5 million towards a (East Anglian Daily Times/Eastern Daily Press Top 100 companies in Norfolk and Suffolk, 2014) new £15m road linking the existing employment area with the A14. This significant development £££ comes a few years after the borough council initiated a £100m investment in the town centre. As an historic market A 68-hectare extension to the business park town, Bury St Edmunds has is expected to create up to always attracted people for 15,000 jobs shopping and leisure, but the and estimated to attract opening of the Arc shopping £275m investment centre repositioned the town as to the local area. It will also pave the way for a regional destination. hundreds of new homes, a school and local services. Special events and regular marketing organised by Shop Footfall rate Ourburystedmunds, the town’s October 2014 Business Improvement District, vacancy rate (Compared to October 2013) have attracted many more October 2014 visitors, as have regular events like the Christmas Fayre which is now one of the biggest in the country and brings millions of pounds into the local economy Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds in just a few days. 6.5% 3.6% Bury St Edmunds Chamber of Commerce (part of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce) UK UK Message from Colin Knight, Chairman 0.8% 10.6% “One of the great things about running a business in Bury St Edmunds is being part of a thriving and exciting economy where firms large and small work together and support each other. It is one of the reasons why our local economy continues to thrive and grow. While many town centres have The shop vacancy rates in Bury We’re proud of our market-town heritage and even prouder struggled to adapt to changing St Edmunds are well within of the businesses which operate here. Bury St Edmunds is habits in retail, the arrival 5-10%, the rate considered home to a wide range of fantastic expertise, hard work and of more high street names, healthy by the Association of entrepreneurial spirit. together with an unusually large Town and City Management. number of independent shops, Bury is also bucking the It is an important time for the West Suffolk economy. We has seen Bury St Edmunds’ trend with increasing footfall are seeing consistent growth and more people in work. popularity grow. Footfall rates compared to the decreasing The chamber of commerce is working in partnership with are also rising, up 2.4% while national footfall rate. chambers across Suffolk delivering new benefits and services the UK average was falling 1.4%. to members in Bury St Edmunds as well as a joined up voice on important county-wide economic issues.” Distances from Bury St Edmunds Hourly rail service to Cambridge and Ipswich Stansted Norwich Cambridge A11 M11 Cambridge Central London Felixstowe Port Birmingham Cambridge Ipswich Airport Airport Airport 11 miles 35 miles 29 miles 82 miles 40 miles 125 miles 42 mins 30 mins 48 miles 44 miles 26 miles Connections to London King’s Cross & Liverpool Street ‘Handsome town’ A wealthy heritage gets ever more Bury St Edmunds can trace its attractive prosperity back 1000 years. The town grew up around the The 18th Century novelist Benedictine abbey built as part Daniel Defoe described Bury of the programme of cathedral St Edmunds as ‘a town famed and church building following for its pleasant situation and the Norman Conquest. It was wholesome air’. A later visitor built on the site of earlier was Charles Dickens and in churches protecting the shrine Pickwick Papers he calls Bury ‘a of the martyred St Edmund. handsome little town, of thriving and cleanly appearance’. International pilgrims to the shrine of St Edmund and The two novelists would still the businesses which grew recognise the town’s Georgian up around the abbey laid architecture, many of the brick the foundations for today’s and rendered facades covering commercial success. the original medieval timbered frames. The town centre is laid seat Apex, the cinemas, art out on a grid pattern created gallery, the annual music and BuryBury St StEdmunds Edmunds was by the monks at the abbey and arts festival and a growing café rankedwas ranked as the as 25th the many of the most expensive society and choice of places to 25thBest Best Place Place properties in the town are eat, all makes Bury St Edmunds to Live in Britain by marketed on the strength of a top visitor attraction and an being in ‘the grid’. interesting place to live. The Sunday Times. Visitors are coming in growing “ numbers as tourism becomes an increasingly important part of the local economy. Among ” the town’s attractions are the magnificent Abbey Gardens, created around the ruins of the 12th Century abbey; the restored Georgian Theatre Royal; the Nutshell – reputed to be the smallest pub in England – and the cathedral. This, coupled with live music and entertainment at the 750- Case study Treatt Treatt, which supplies The company was founded in Bond Group Financial Director Richard Hope Street, London, in 1886 and moved its believes their West Suffolk base is an ingredient solutions to headquarters to Bury St Edmunds in important factor. “Around 90% of our the flavour, fragrance 1971. Their expertise in spotting market trade is overseas, buying and selling trends and successfully predicting products in over 90 countries, so efficient and consumer product demand has seen the company go from transport links are crucial for our industries, is a West strength to strength, with their share exports.” price nearly trebling since mid 2012. Suffolk success story. Although their horizons are global, With 175 staff, Treatt is among the top Treatt is also very much part of the 10 employers in Bury St Edmunds. It has local business community and has won manufacturing sites in the UK, USA and several awards for its innovation and Kenya and sales offices in France and success. Richard Hope believes the help China. and advice offered to businesses by the “Bury works for us; the high West Suffolk Economic Development calibre staff and excellent Daemmon Reeve became Group CEO team demonstrates the commitment to transport links to the port of in August 2012. In the last five years support local growth and prosperity. revenue has risen from £56m to £74m Felixstowe, as well as being on in 2013, thanks to a strategy to increase the periphery of the Cambridge margins and greater use of information hub, is a real advantage to us.” technology. Case study Servest Servest provides many Through their 15,000 staff they “The recruitment aspect, particularly But above all, it’s the lower overheads supply services from security to waste the calibre and availability of staff, is which are attractive. “Without a doubt of the day-to-day management, from school meals to excellent. We have managed to build being in West Suffolk is a much more services businesses gourmet dining. up an incredibly loyal and enthusiastic cost-effective solution to being based in workforce,” says Andrew. a major city. In fact, we are saving up to need, with clients in the Their impressive client list includes five times as much by being here,” added McCain Foods, Barratt the developers, Being close to Stansted Airport and Andrew. retail, leisure, public, the House of Commons and the Hilton London helps the business maintain its commercial, transport Hotel on Park Lane. international standing, but there are Although Servest has experienced benefits closer to home. “Avoiding the outstanding growth recently, including and logistics sectors. From offices at Fornham All Saints, just London commute is something many winning a number of multi-million pound outside Bury St Edmunds, the group has of our employees comment on, another contracts, Andrew says there are no undergone rapid growth in recent years pleasant side effect of being in West plans to move. to become an internationally renowned Suffolk. In fact, being away from the industry leader. large cities gives a different, positive feel Andrew Sugars, Executive Director in to the business.” Corporate Development, sees West Suffolk as the ideal location for the headquarters of an international “Regardless of how big we go, we will always see West Suffolk operation.