Invest in Leamington

Leamington is an attractive, prosperous and culturally rich location with opportunities to invest or grow your business in the heart of England. The town offers a warm welcome, practical support and collaborative networks to help you realise your organisation’s ambitions.

Leamington Business Meeting

Why Set Up Business in Leamington Spa?

Place, Culture & Lifestyle

Royal Leamington Spa is a beautiful and prosperous town located in the heart of England, right on the doorstep of Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon and historic Warwick, with excellent local and wider connections. With a current population of 51,000 (2021) there is a vibrant and engaged community and cultural offering. The town also draws on a wider catchment of over 500,000 working age people (2016) who live in Coventry, Warwickshire and surrounding villages.

Regency architecture, tree-lined avenues, glorious gardens, and the River Leam running through the heart of the town, set the scene for a quality business environment where you will find distinctive shopping, galleries and a lively evening economy with an impressive array of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.

Named as one of the best places to live in the Midlands (Sunday Times 2023), visitors will find a welcoming and engaged community. There is also plenty to enjoy, as the town’s diary is filled with many free-to-attend events and festivals throughout the year.

Historically, the town’s growth was largely due to the natural spa springs that were discovered and commercialised by local innovators in the nineteenth century. In modern times, the spirit of creative innovation has seen the town grow into a hotbed of digital creative excellence.

Facts & Figures

  • Located in the heart of England
  • 1hr 22min – Direct Train to London Marylebone
  • 25 min – Direct Train to Birmingham International
  • 51,000 – Local population (2021 census)
  • 500,000+ Working-age people in the wider area (Coventry & Warwickshire)
  • 5500 Warwick University Students and home to 500 Staff
  • 50 Games Development Studios in Leamington, 84 Warwickshire-wide
  • 3500+ People employed in Leamington’s Creative Tech & Games Development Industry
  • Home to 10% of the total game development employment in the UK
  • 400 Staff moving into the new SUMO town centre headquarters in the heart of Leamington
  • £10 million Future High Street Fund (FHSF) investment secured
  • 8 Major opportunity areas across different sectors
  • Opportunities for further town centre office space, retail and residential
Royal Leamington Spa - Train Station

Joined & Connected

The town enjoys a fantastic location with tremendous road (M40, M6, M42), rail and air links. Direct trains from the town centre, link visitors to London in 1 hour 22 minutes, while Birmingham, Coventry, and Birmingham International Airport under 30 minutes away. This immediacy to major cities, along with the smaller yet equally special towns of Stratford upon Avon and Warwick, give it a unique and broader appeal.

The town centre is compact, walkable and combines the modern shopping area with an attractive independent character, giving it real colour and texture as a place.

This central position in the UK along with the assets that surround it make it an attractive proposition.

Royal Leamington Spa - Train Station

Skills & Talent

Royal Leamington Spa has a close relationship with the nearby University of Warwick, which attracts students around the world and fosters strong links with nearby automotive, technology, and gaming clusters.

The town is home to over 5500 Warwick University students and 500 staff, who make an estimated annual economic contribution of over £64.5m and rising (Invest Leam 2015)

Equally important are the close links to Coventry University, Warwickshire College and the newly-established SAE Institute, which opened in the town’s Creative Quarter in 2023, offering bespoke courses to develop talent and retain young people in local industries.

Local Organisations to Help Your Business

BID Leamington - Supporting Royal Leamington Spa

BID Leamington

In 2008, local businesses and property owners voted to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) within Royal Leamington Spa. Since then, BID Leamington has made excellent progress in delivering services and projects, which increase the appeal of the town and improve trading conditions.

BID Leamington encourages new business initiatives and supports organisations wishing to move to the town. If you are thinking of starting a business in Royal Leamington Spa, BID Leamington would be delighted to hear your ideas, advise you on suitable locations and share how the team can support your new venture.

Please contact BID Leamington to arrange a meeting.

Web: bidleamington.com
Email: info@bidleamington.com
Tel: +44(0) 1926 470 634

WDC Business Enterprise

New Businesses – WDC Enterprise Team

Warwick District Council Enterprise Team provides business support for existing and new businesses.

If you are thinking about starting a new business and want to find out what help and advice is available, contact the Enterprise Team at Althorpe Enterprise Hub.

The Enterprise Team can also provide practical support offering business premises for new or early start-ups.

Web: wdcbusinessenterprise.co.uk
Email: enterprise@warwickdc.gov.uk
Tel: +44(0) 1926 333 222

Silicon Spa Logo

Silicon Spa

As well as being neighbours to global organisations such as National Grid and Wolseley, Leamington also boasts one of the strongest clusters of video gaming companies in the UK.

There are over 3000 employees across 50 games development studios operating in the town and that number continues to grow, earning it the name ‘Silicon Spa’.

This makes it the largest games cluster in the UK, outside of London and the South West. For information or support please contact:

Stacy O’Connor
Digital Creative Industry & Inward Investment Specialist
E: stacyoconnor@warwickshire.gov.uk
T: 01926 418001

BID Leamington - Supporting Royal Leamington Spa

Invest Warwickshire

Warwickshire County Council has an inward investment team that is focused on supporting businesses that are looking to relocate to the region or resize. They can support your business directly with site search, and signpost to other support including skills and recruitment, and access to finance. Their approach is bespoke to the need of the client and offers a single point of contact giving you direct access to an extensive network of skills, knowledge, and assistance.

Web: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/invest
Email: enterprise@warwickdc.gov.uk
Tel: +44(0) 1926 412140