Introducing

Berkshire Thames Valley

Europe's Silicon Valley

The number one small region in the UK in respect of economic

potential, cost effectiveness, business attractiveness and infrastructure.

Source: European Cities & Region of the Future fDi Magazine 2010-11

Situated on the doorstep of London, the Thames Valley boasts an impressive

business community. Home to ten of the top 50 global organisations in the

world and 13 of the world’s top 30 billion dollar brands, the Thames Valley

boasts the headquarter operations of Oracle, Microsoft, Dell, Computer

Associates and Vodafone, amongst many others.

Introducing the Thames Valley

“The Thames Valley region is a magnet for computer technology and talent. It is easy to

attract high quality staff “ Tim Caiger, VP Property & Real Estate, Oracle UK, European HQ, Reading

• The Thames Valley has a population of 1.1 million and labour force of

641,000.

• The UK’s most productive small region 1

• The engine of the South East and the UK with an economy of £32 billion,

which accounts for 19.5% of the regional total

• Reported as one of the UK’s most resilient and best performing areas in

response to the economic downturn 2

• The Thames Valley is ranked number one small region in the UK in

respect of economic potential, cost effectiveness, business attractiveness

and infrastructure 3

The UK’s economic power house

1. Experian 2010. All six Berkshire Thames Valley Local Authorities are in the top 20 of 382 in the UK

2. No City Left Behind Report 2010

3. fDi Magazine Financial Times European Cities & Regions Survey 2010-11

Thames Valley Berkshire, England

London, England

Top five business location drivers

Who’s already here? You’re in good company This is the European hub and headquarter location for international brands. Home to the world’s most

innovative and fastest growing companies – tomorrow’s global brands

Accessibility delivers market opportunity Proximity to London, access to Europe and the rest of the world via Heathrow airport, the UK’s

international gateway. Road and rail networks connect seven million people to the Thames Valley in

under one hour

Talent and innovation to drive your growth People and institutions excel in developing and commercialising innovative IT and healthcare products

and services for the UK and European marketplace

A great way of life Residents enjoy life in a place of outstanding natural beauty, proudly hosting international events,

Royal Ascot, Windsor & Reading Festivals, Henley Regatta, Cartier Polo, Royal Windsor Horse Show

Hit the ground running in a tried and tested business location An international business community with a range of flexible property solutions. Experienced start-up

support is on hand to Launch your UK business at a fraction of the cost of London.

Newbury

Basingstoke

Reading

Bracknell

Slough

Maidenhead

High Wycombe

Oxford

Heathrow

International

Who’s already here? UK/ EMEA Corporate HQs

IT software and services

Thames Valley Park is home to

Microsoft’s UK headquarters and

Technology Centre for Xbox

consoles and games

development, where they employ

over 2000 people.

International access via

Heathrow positions Thames

Valley Park as the hub for

international visitors, hosting

500+ staff from across Europe at

any one time.

The highest concentration of computer services activity in Europe. 11 of the world’s top 15

software companies by revenue 2010 are located in or within 10 miles of Berkshire.

Oracle is the world’s largest business

software company, with more than

345,000 customers - including 100 of

the Fortune 100 - representing

a variety of sizes and industries in

more than 145 countries around the

globe.

Thames Valley Park Wokingham is

home to the European HQ Campus.

Home to the largest cluster of security software companies in the UK with major operations of

Symantec, McAfee and Panda Security.

Computer Associates choose the

Thames Valley as the location for

its new European Headquarters,

at Ditton Park, Slough, opened

by Charles Wang in March 2000.

Today Ca employ over 1000

people in their flagship European

headquarters, which has fine

views over Ditton Manor

parkland, woodland and lakes.

Fixed and mobile telecommunications

Vodafone,

headquartered in

Newbury, is now the

largest mobile

telecoms network

company in the

world.

Slough is home to the fastest growing

company in the world in 2010. Research

In Motion (RIM), the company behind

the BlackBerry® brand, employ over

600 people at their European

headquarters

Home to the headquarters of the world’s fastest growing Smart Phone brands including

seven mobile phone design centres in Berkshire

Telefonica O2’s

flagship UK

headquarters in

Slough employ over

2000 people, trialing

4G mobile devices

in Berkshire.

Hong Kong

owned 3

Mobile chose

Maidenhead

for their

flagship UK

Headquarters

The major operations of the world’s largest players Vodafone, Telefonica O2, and 3 Mobile

reflects a long and successful history in wireless technology development.

Korean mobile handset manufacturer

LG employs 700 people in a 85,000 sq ft

UK headquarters building in Slough. LG

are in good company, neighboring

Telefonica O2 and RIM headquarters.

Home to the established global leaders

Source: www.top100software.org 2010

11 of the world’s top 15 software companies by revenue 2010 located in or

within 10 miles of Berkshire, Thames Valley

Rank Company

Software

Revenue

US $ M

UK Location % Growth in Market Share

1 Microsoft 49,090 Wokingham 80%

3 Oracle 18,582 Wokingham 82%

4 SAP 11,368 Stockley 74%

5 Ericsson 7,595 Reading* 26%

6 Nintendo 6,799 Windsor 38%

7 HP 6,183 Bracknell 5%

8 Symantec 5,565 Reading 93%

10 Activision Blizzard 4,279 Stockley 100%

11 CA 4,012 Slough 93%

14 Adobe 2,796 West London 94%

15 Cisco 2,137 Stockley / Reading 6%

Significant waves of inward investment include computer hardware and software

companies such as Microsoft, Dell, Compaq and HP, followed by internet infrastructure

and content providers such as Cisco and Computer Associates.

Home to tomorrow’s global leaders

Source: www.top100software.org 2010

Nine of the top ten fastest growing software companies in 2010 are located in

or within 10 miles of Berkshire, Thames Valley

Rank Company UK Location Parent

Country

Software

revenues US $ M

Growth

rate

1 Google West London USA 333 455%

2 Kaspersky Abingdon Russia 360 177%

3 Nintendo Windsor Japan 7.245 113%

4 Omniture Egham USA 267 102%

5 Activision Blizzard Stockley USA 4.622 73%

6 Attachmate Staines USA 313 57%

7 Emblaze N/A Israel 296 54%

8 Take2 Interactive Windsor USA 1.452 49%

9 Autonomy Cambridge UK 335 46%

10 Salesforce.com West London USA 959 45%

The Thames Valley is a magnet for new investment from software businesses with 80% of

foreign owned start-ups operating in this sector, developing applications across industry

sectors from mobile to medical devices.

New arrivals – tomorrow’s global brands

Over 2,000 internationally owned companies are established in the Thames Valley, and

each year over 70% of technology start-ups establish within one hour of London Heathrow.

Donald Bauer, Vice-President, Solutions,

Itergy. One of Canada's fastest growing

companies.

Mohan Koo, Managing Director, Dtex

Systems

“Our headquarters give us easy access to our

customers in continental Europe through

Heathrow. Being roughly in the same time zone

also assist us in offering high levels of support

without having to work the night shift –

something our staff certainly appreciate! All

round, we feel closer in every sense to our

customer base”.

“When we first looked at the UK as a European

base I thought we’d have to chose London. But

lower office costs in Reading, the close

proximity to Heathrow and the major IT players

plus access to the Thames Valley countryside

makes the location a great choice”.

Healthcare and Biotechnology

Swiss owned Lonza

Biologics, the global provider

of bio-science manufacturing

services, is voted one of

Britain's top employers based

on excellent working

conditions (2010). Lonza is

headquartered in Slough.

Baxter International, the US

owned bioscience and

medical delivery business,

has a proud history in the

Thames Valley, with over 40

years operating in the UK.

Baxter are headquartered in

Newbury.

The extraordinarily high concentration of research active major bio-pharma

corporations in the Thames Valley is a strong regional differentiator.

Belgian owned UCB’s Slough headquarters boasts the

UK centre of excellence in drug discovery, leading to the

development of cutting edge biopharmaceuticals. UCB

are one of the UK’s top five investors in R&D. Of the 650

employees working in the Thames Valley, 70% are

engaged in research related activities.

Quintiles, the global contract

research organisation,

opened its new European

headquarters in Reading in

2010. Home to 500

employees, the US giant

operates from Green Park,a

technologically advanced

business park.

Heathrow international airport provides Thames Valley businesses with the UK’s widest

choice of international and domestic connections to customers and suppliers.

The world’s busiest airport is on the

doorstep - 90 million passengers

travel through London Heathrow

airport every year, the gateway for

two thirds of all long haul flights from

the UK.

Heathrow provides connection to 181

global locations.

40% of passengers travel to intra

European destinations, reflecting the

area’s role as the UK and European

business hub.

Market opportunity through a global reach

Connectivity to London and beyond

Investment in high speed rail and multi modal connections to London opens a talent pool

of seven million people for Berkshire, Thames Valley business locations.

23 districts outside Berkshire each supply more than 1000 people to the Berkshire

workforce. This is testament to the excellent transport links in the Thames Valley.

Location London

Milton

Keynes Cardiff Birmingham Manchester

Slough 18 min 1 hr 33 2 hr 07 2 hr 09 3 hr 20

Reading 25 min 1 hr 44 1 hr 33 1 hr 50 3 hr 27

Windsor 30 min 1 hr 46 2 hr 21 2 hr 40 4 hr 30

Bracknell 1 hr 2 hr 32 2 hr 25 2 hr 25 4 hr 09

Basingstoke 45 min 2 hr 14 1 hr 58 2 hr 20 4 hr 20

Newbury 56 min 2 hr 32 2 hr 20 2 hr 16 4 hr

Maidenhead 31 min 2hr 06 2 hr 04 2 hr 04 3 hr 33

Oxford 55 min 1 hr 05 2 hr 1 hr 11 2 hr 58

Wycombe 35 min 2 hr 04 3hr 18 1 hr 40 3 hr 45

Source: National Rail 2011

Talent & Innovation that drives growth

• Fujitsu developed it’s world leading analogue and digital semiconductor process in

Maidenhead

• Wireless Technology that enabled Britain's first mobile phone call between Newbury and

London in 1985 was developed here

• The first truly hand held mobile phone in the world was designed by Technophone, a

Nokia company, in Camberley (within six miles of Berkshire)

• R&D in Berkshire, Thames Valley takes place on a larger scale than surrounding areas

including London, Cambridge, Oxford

• 8% of work places with more than 200 employees are engaged in R&D activity

(compared to less than 4% in Oxford and Cambridge)

• Berkshire has both the highest number of IT professionals in the South East (15%), and

the highest density of IT professionals in the whole of the UK.

Berkshire, Thames Valley has a long history in commercialisation and technology

innovation, driven by 82,000 professionals with technical IT skills.

The Thames Valley is home to one of the UK’s largest clusters of research intensive

corporate headquarters.

Talent & Innovation that drives growth

World class capabilities

and critical infrastructure

support exists for

software systems

architecture and

development,

optoelectronics,

nanotechnology

materials science,

telecommunications

including mobile and

wireless, hardware,

semiconductor and

electronic design

Top 46 Research intensive HQs

Universities in the Thames Valley Region

Examples of local academia

1 The University of Surrey,

Guildford 2 Brunel University, West

London, Egham 3 Royal Holloway, University of

London, Egham 4 Thames Valley University,

Reading and Slough

5 The University of Reading

6 Oxford Brookes University

7 The University of Oxford

8 Bucks New University

Employers are served by 20 universities and Higher Education Institutions within a 50 miles

radius. These establishments contribute over 66,000 graduates to the market place each year.

1

2

3 5 4

6

7

8

4

Within a one hour radius the local area boasts world class centres of excellence,

collaborating with international businesses in cutting edge research.

The University of Reading is ranked as one of the UK’s 10 most research-intensive

universities and as one of the top 200 universities in the world. It enjoys a world-class

reputation for teaching, research and enterprise. 87% of the University’s research is ranked of

international standard.

Areas of excellence include: Meteorology & Climate Change, Food Biosciences, Typography

and Construction Management

The Information Security Group (ISG), Royal Holloway is one of the largest academic security

groups in the UK. It offers world class PHD programmes and postgraduate study in Information

Security. The group is also the home to the Smart Card Centre of Excellence, founded in

collaboration with Vodafone and Giesecke & Devrient.

Centre for Communication Systems Research (CCSR), University of Surrey is

the UK's largest and most well-known academic research centre in Mobile and

Satellite Communication Systems.

CCSR research is focused on future communication systems including mobile and

wireless communications, satellite communications, multimedia systems, networking

(management, protocols and security) and media applications and services.

Talent and innovation that drives growth

A great way of life

Windsor Castle, the River Thames, Henley, Eton and Wentworth are just a few of the

attractions the Thames Valley has to offer.

The Thames Valley is one of the few regions in the UK where it really is possible to live and

work in a picturesque setting. Almost half of the region is made up of areas of outstanding

natural beauty. It is tucked away from the noise and environmental pollution of a big city and

offers a full range of housing and offices for all budgets.

Consistently high performing state schools and a selection of prestigious international and

private schools give choice in your children’s education.

With a diversity of arts, cultural and culinary delights the area is well geared to meet the needs

of its expatriate residents. A short train ride to London makes it easy to pop in for shopping,

eating out or catching the latest west end shows.

Operating your business in a well connected, desirable area makes

attracting the key first hires to drive your business forward that much

easier.

Tried and tested by international business

International companies establishing their first presence in the UK often seek flexibility and a

fully serviced property solution during the early stages of market entry.

The Thames Valley is home to a range of privately owned and global serviced office providers

to suit every desired corporate image. Locations range from refurbished heritage buildings at

Henry VII Gate Windsor Castle to the largest serviced office in Europe neighbouring HP and

Dell.

The sector is competitive and well versed in accommodating technology businesses.

Currently providers such as MWB and Regus are quoting between £300 and £500 per person

per month.

As your products and services gain a foothold in the UK market

and the number of personnel increases, a range of award-

winning business park developments and town centre locations

provide next stage accommodation.

Thames Valley occupiers in serviced and conventional lease

offices enjoy rental costs on average 30-40% lower than

comparable space in central London.

Award winning commercial property

Commercial properties range from award winning headquarter buildings on landscaped

business parks to flexible executive offices in prime business and University campus

locations.

Stewart Turkington Photography & One World, One Camera

There are over 600 buildings: the estate is home to 400

tenants from countries including America, Italy, Japan,

Germany and Korea supporting 20,000 jobs. Companies

using the park include O2 Telefonica, GlaxoSmithKline, Mars

Confectionery, ICI Paints, the datacentre operator Network-I,

OKI Printing Solutions, and LG Electronics.

Today, occupiers include leading international

corporations such as Cisco Systems, Symantec

Software and Logica, and widely recognised names

such as Regus and HSBC. With office suites from

500 sq ft, accommodation also caters for emerging

companies looking for room to grow.

One of the biggest

developments of its

type in Europe,

Green Park,

Reading is truly a

park for business,

combining an

attractive landscape

with first class

amenities.

Slough Trading Estate

consists of 486 acres

(1.97 km2) of

commercial property in

Slough and provides

7,500,000 sq ft (697,000

m2) of accommodation

to 500 businesses. It is

the largest industrial

estate in single private

ownership in Europe

Examples of popular locations for international businesses

Hit the ground running - getting started

Introducing Thames Valley UK - Launch Pad Team

Thames Valley UK Launch Pad is a service co-ordinated by the Chamber of Commerce to

help companies new to the area significantly reduce the time and cost in planning,

establishing and growing a Thames Valley presence.

The programme is tried and tested and has already received credit from new investors

highlighting the benefit of a package of support which offers competitive advantage to new

businesses looking to accelerate into the UK market. The programme provides the

following benefits:

• An offer of free and discounted office space in prime business locations

• An offer of free and discounted professional services

• Assistance to access a network of 2000 Thames Valley Chamber members

Launch Pad complements existing local, regional and international UK Trade and

Investment services. Together we have assisted over 30 technology companies to

establish in 2010.

The Thames Valley has extensive experience in foreign investment and can help your

company to be successful by supporting its UK and European growth.

Hit the ground running - getting started

Summary of Thames Valley UK Launch Pad benefits

• Genuine cost savings for businesses

• Reputable partners supporting Launch Pad initiative

• Professional and committed group of advisers on hand to help

• Marketing package – introductions into the Thames Valley business

community

• Wide choice of strategic locations in one of Europe’s leading powerhouse

region

Visit www.regus.co.uk/tvep for further information on the 14 Launch pad

business located across Thames Valley Berkshire.

Hit the ground running - getting started

Thames Valley Chambers of Commerce (TVCC)

TVCC are a not-for-profit organisation accredited by the British Chambers

of Commerce. TVCC works with business across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire,

Oxfordshire and Wiltshire to help them achieve their full business potential.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the national body for a

powerful and influential Network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce

across the UK; a Network that directly serves not only its member

businesses but the wider business community.

For further information please contact:

Paul Britton, Inward Investment Manager

Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group

t +44 (0)1753 870509

e: paulbritton@thamesvalleychamber.co.uk

www.thamesvalleychamber.co.uk/641/