Alastair Welch | Director | Port of Southampton
ABP Southampton
Farnborough Airport
Farnborough Airport
Anthony Climpson OBE | Chief Executive | Go New Forest
The New Forest - Visit Hampshire
Rod Bransgrove | Chairman | Hampshire County Cricket Club
The Ageas Bowl
vehicles pass through Southampton Port every year
in knowledge-intensive services
is one of the world’s largest aerospace exhibitions
of Hampshire’s economic output is exported
A large and diverse business population is a key factor in Hampshire’s sustained prosperity with prominent sectors including Digital, Aerospace and Defence, Marine and Maritime, Life Sciences and Financial Services. We are also home to the strategic operations of many major corporate brands; IBM, Zurich, BAE Systems, HSBC, Airbus, Carnival – all these and more have a significant presence.
Find out more about Hampshire's sectors
The South East of England is the leading innovation hub for the UK, with the highest concentration of corporate research and development activity. Hampshire benefits from key technology specialisms encompassing composites, autonomous systems, IOT, and photonics.
Find out more about the talent in Hampshire
Hampshire is the most export-intensive county and represents over a fifth of all exports in the South East of England. We are a truly international gateway location; close to London and offering excellent access to Heathrow with routes to over 200 destinations, as well as being the UK’s only dedicated business aviation airport, at Farnborough. Southampton Port is the UK’s leading export port, handling £40bn of manufactured goods every year, 90% of which is destined for non-EU markets. We also have ambitions to be one of the first truly 5G connected regions of the UK.
Find out more about connectivity
New research published by the Department of International Trade confirms that Hampshire is a location of choice for US businesses investing in the UK. The report lays the basis for understanding US-owned businesses’ contribution to the UK economy and is designed to demonstrate the benefits of foreign investment to the UK economy and the levelling up agenda.
Hampshire is shown to have more US-owned businesses and employees than both the national and South East average, suggesting the region is an attractive US investment location. Overall, there are approximately 1,100 US owned businesses based in Hampshire generating a turnover of £25.7 billion (2019 prices) and employing 56,000 people.
Notable US businesses based in Hampshire include IBM (Portsmouth and Hursley), Lockheed Martin (Portsmouth and Fareham) and Aerospace company, Gulfstream, which is a recent significant investment success in Farnborough.
Find out more about the role of United States-owned businesses in the United Kingdom
Consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the UK, Hampshire offers a world-class natural environment – including two national parks – and is one of the key sailing centres on the beautiful south coast of England. Hampshire is a glorious piece of England, a place of cricket and Cowes, Jane Austen and the Mary Rose, vineyards and villages.
Find out more about living in Hampshire
Business Hampshire is the economic development service of Hampshire County Council.
© Hampshire County Council 2022