Southampton: City is second strongest tech sector destination in region

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TBM Team

Global real estate adviser CBRE has published Tech Cities, which ranks the top UK tech locations. The report shows Southampton is the second strongest tech sector destination in the South East.

Following CBRE’s inaugural study, Creative Regions, launched in 2017, the report provides a fresh update of the CBRE top 25 UK destinations beyond London for tech businesses. By applying the same methodology as the original ranking, various shifts have been identified in the top UK cities’ creative and tech profiles over the last two years.

Commenting on the report, James Brounger, managing director, CBRE Southampton ,said: “Southampton is the second strongest South East tech sector destination and also features strongly in the UK overall, in 14th position.

“The city has much to offer. It is well situated, widely viewed as the regional centre for central southern England. Its proximity to the coast and countryside make it an attractive place to both live and work. There is a critical mass of talent, high concentration of millennials in the local population, and proximity to two major universities which together produce around 6,500 graduates each year and are engaged in world class research.”

Southampton is well positioned to accommodate growth from the creative and tech sector if it can draw upon and build on its strengths and the businesses already in place. One such example of this is the recent announcement by digital bank Starling Bank that its second office will open in Southampton this summer, employing 150 staff.

Top 25 CBRE UK Tech Cities

City	Ranking	Score
Manchester	1	75.4
Glasgow	2	62.9
Edinburgh	3	62.3
Birmingham	4	62.0
Reading	5	60.2
Leeds	6	60.0
Cardiff	7	59.9
Oxford	8	59.4
Belfast	Joint 9th	59.1
Nottingham	Joint 9th	59.1
Bristol	11^th	57.9
Cambridge	12^th	56.7
Newcastle	13^th	55.2
Southampton	14^th	55.0
Coventry	15^th	54.3
Sheffield	16^th	54.1
Brighton	17^th	53.4
Liverpool	18^th	52.4
Leicester	19^th	52.0
Milton Keynes	Joint 20^th	48.9
Swansea	Joint 20^th	48.9
Portsmouth	22^nd	48.2
Bracknell	23^rd	47.2
Derby	24^th	46.4
Bradford	25^th	45.8

All markets analysed were scored and ranked according to a wide range of locational pull factors for tech businesses, such as level of education, concentrations of tech businesses and employment, cost of living, cost of office space and wage levels.

It is not only the largest office markets that make it into the CBRE top 25. Smaller locations such as Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, Southampton, Brighton and Bracknell also feature, based on their concentrations of tech employment, tech businesses and high education levels.

TBM Team