Centre for Cities

Year of publication: 2016

This report explores the reasons firms locate to the places they do, whether that is in city centres or non-urban locations. The research focuses on firms that sell goods and services outside their immediate area, to regional, national or international markets.

It finds a difference between the location preferences of goods and services exporters, revealing that service exporters exhibit a clear preference for urban locations, while goods exporters generally opt for non-urban locations. This is due to a combination of cost factors, skills, workforces and physical space.

With a view to boosting the performance of the national economy, the report recommends that industrial policy recognise the different advantages places offer to businesses.

Content type: Anchor institutions

Tags: Report

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