Why Wales

As part of the UK – and its market of 66 million people - Wales offers a business-friendly environment to expand, trade and invest.

It’s a mature, high-spending consumer market with an open, liberal economy and a wealth of expertise, world-class research facilities, and highly qualified talent in our universities and colleges, with 225,000 students from around the world.

Sharing a language and time zone with London, Wales also gives you access to a range of support to help your business grow.

Working together is key to success here, whether that’s collaborating with other companies, tapping into the expertise and facilities at our universities, or connecting with our public sector agencies.

Our priority sectors are: creative, fintech, food and drink, compound semiconductors, high value manufacturing, cyber security, life sciences, renewables, and tourism.

All these sectors have dedicated industry forums, and the clusters work alongside each other by sharing expertise, capability and skills, with input from government agencies, universities, and other businesses.

The UK has one of the lowest corporation tax rates in the G20 and is highly competitive in Europe.

And Wales offers economic advantages of its own - industrial property here is among the most affordable in the UK, office rents in our capital, Cardiff, are the lowest for any major city in the UK, and commercial property costs around 40% of London prices.

We have eight accelerators and 26 incubators – that’s the second highest concentration of incubators in the UK. And if you’re looking to expand your businesses into the UK and European market, we can introduce you to key ‘soft-landing’ spaces throughout Wales.

There’s plenty of talent here, with 225,000 students in full and part-time education in our eight universities and 13 further education colleges.

Wales has the highest rate of active graduate start-ups in the UK, and investors here can easily recruit from the pool of half a million graduates each year from around the UK.

A range of funded programmes can help you find the best people for your business and bring them on board, while Business Wales can advise and support you - from developing the skills of your existing team to recruitment and training.

We’ll offer you the best innovation support and guidance to help build your business - from fundamental research to marketing your new product.

The Welsh Government can connect you to collaborators or academic support; outside expertise or new designs; advice on IP or funding towards new equipment.

And through our SMART business innovation programme, you’ll have access to industrial research, experimental development, and feasibility studies to transform your innovative ideas into successful new products or processes.

Wales is committed to establishing a fully digital economy – and that means supporting businesses like yours to embrace all areas of digital innovation.

The Digital Strategy for Wales is shaping a national vision which can help your business through a focus on internet of things technologies including wireless network technologies and 5G.

We’re already well placed, with Swansea in the top five UK cities for the fastest broadband and Cardiff having its own internet exchange iXCardiff and the second largest number of customers connected outside of London. Cardiff is also home to the biggest data centre in Europe.

When it comes to lifestyle, Wales offers stunning natural beauty, friendly people, and a vibrant culture.

Over the centuries, many visitors have put down roots here, creating a nation with a strong international outlook and cultural ties to every corner of the world.

A quarter of the Welsh landscape is either a National Park or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and there are countless ways to enjoy it - biking along forest trails, hiking in the mountains, kayaking on crystal-clear lakes or watching seals and seabirds from the 870-mile Wales Coast Path.

Wales is known as the land of song, but it’s also a land of theatre, literature, film and every other kind of artistic endeavour.  We have a rich and distinctive cultural heritage, and the Welsh language, one of the oldest in Europe, is part of everyday life, spoken by around a fifth of the population.

Wales is a hotbed for sports too – not just Wrexham FC, but a wealth of top-level international teams and events.  

All this plus lower living costs than the UK average. But, while rents and property prices are low, our cities and communities rank highly in quality-of-life surveys.

Wales was the first country to appoint a Future Generations Commissioner, ensuring our policymakers always think about the long-term impact of their decisions.

We were also the first nation to declare a climate emergency and are among the top three countries globally for recycling. More than £110 million has been invested in renewable energy infrastructure in Wales, backing 11 marine energy projects, and we are aiming to meet 100% of our electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035.

Wales is looking to the future in every way. Why not be part of it?