Member Article

Liverpool scrubs up well to clinch international investment awards

Liverpool has won multiple awards in a prestigious city attractiveness ranking.

The city features in several lists for the top cities for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the fDi Magazine’s European Cities of the Future 2014-15.

Liverpool has been ranked 21st in the overall Top 25 European Cities of the Future which was topped by London, with Helsinki and Eindhoven taking second and third places. Liverpool was just five places behind Paris in the ranking.

Other UK cities that made the top 25 were Cambridge, Reading, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham and Derby.

fDi Magazine is a Financial Times company which provides FDI news and through their portfolio of FDI intelligence products, also tracks data for all sectors and global regions.

Liverpool was runner up in the highly significant FDI Strategy Mid-Sized European Cities list topped by Edinburgh; 5th in all European Cities for FDI Strategy, topped by London; 3rd in top Mid-Sized European Cities overall behind Edinburgh and Lyon; and named 8th for all cities in UK and Ireland, again topped by London.

The shortlist was compiled using independently collected data from FDI Intelligence for 468 cities and regions across Europe in five categories - economic potential, human capital and lifestyle, cost effectiveness, infrastructure and business friendliness.

In addition surveys were collected under a sixth category, FDI strategy. Against this category 180 submitted applications, with Liverpool Vision submitting for Liverpool, about their promotion strategy and this was judged and scored by an independent international panel.

Apart from the Top 25 overall ranking, cities were divided into categories based on their population. Liverpool fell into the Mid-Sized Cities category.

Max Steinberg, chief executive, Liverpool Vision, who picked up the award at a ceremony at the MIPIM property and investment festival in Cannes, said: “FDI is a regularly quoted and referenced source when making investment decisions and Liverpool’s presence in this list alone is a positive reinforcement of the progress the city is making.

“Judges were also particularly impressed with our FDI strategy, which we can be very pleased about and we can learn from this report. We want to stay on this list and the report indicates the way. It shows that it is now incumbent on us to continue to develop the right relationships with the right opinion formers to ensure they understand fully our assets and strengths and that we need to continue to develop our growing relationship with London as the largest recipient of FDI in Europe.”

Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, added: “I am very pleased that my economic development company, Liverpool Vision has been successful with these awards.

“It is our continuing ambition to establish Liverpool as a top national and international investment location with dynamic, trade, investment, knowledge and tourism relationships. It is clear from fDi magazine that we are on the right course and that Liverpool is attractive and business friendly.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .