Inward investment agency Invest Bristol & Bath is on track to hit its target of helping to create 1,380 jobs over two years, new figures show.
Since its launch January 2013, the organisation has assisted in generating more than 1,200 jobs by attracting a number of high-profile businesses to the area – and it has sufficient projects in the pipeline to reach its goal. 
Invest Bristol & Bath champions the West of England’s major sector strengths in hi-tech, creative and digital, aerospace and advanced engineering, and low carbon on a national and international stage.
Among its key inward investment successes have been Somo, the world’s largest independent mobile solutions company, Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, and Just Eat, the leading online takeaway service.
Other investment projects secured by Invest Bristol & Bath recently include Kainos, the Belfast-based specialist independent software company which has opened an office in Bristol city centre, and Sanoh, the international automotive industry manufacturer originating from Asia, which has opened a new site in Bristol.
Invest Bristol & Bath head of inward investment Matthew Cross said: “Our strategy is focused on attracting new investment that creates jobs in the Bristol and Bath region and we are delighted that we have now surpassed the 1,000-mark in this respect.
“In fact, to date, we have helped to create 1,234 jobs in the region and we are on track to achieve our two-year target of generating 1,380 jobs, 529 of which were created last year. Our success in attracting a string of international businesses to the region has boosted these figures significantly.
“Looking ahead, there is a strong pipeline of inward investment activity with solid interest from numerous companies looking to invest in the region.”
Bristol and Bath’s hi-tech industry and the region’s aerospace sector – Europe’s largest – were among only 12 UK economic clusters to be highlighted as ‘globally-significant’ and ‘fast-growing’ in an influential Centre for Cities /McKinsey & Company report earlier this year. The region’s tech cluster was the only one of its kind in the UK outside London to be categorised in this way.
Bristol’s European Green Capital award for 2015 will also be used to attract investment associated with the high-growth low-carbon and green-tech sectors.
Invest Bristol & Bath supports foreign direct investment, UK national companies and those companies already in the region as they grow and expand with hands-on advice and intelligence, for example introductions to key local influencers, support in finding a suitable property and recruitment-related advice. The Invest Bristol & Bath team also undertakes trade missions to global markets as part of its efforts to attract companies to the region.
It works with partners such as UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and the private sector to help establish connections through direct leads and networking, then providing compelling intelligence to prospective investors that will secure the investment.
