Welcome to Harlow Business
Supporting Business Success in Harlow
Harlow is ideally located between the global cities of London and Cambridge and is the birthplace of ground breaking fibre optics telecommunications technology for which a Nobel prize was won by Sir Charles Kao. The town continues this innovative legacy with the state-of-the-art Kao Data Centre facility, home to the UK’s most powerful supercomputer (Cambridge 1 NVIDIA Supercomputer).
As one of the fastest growing areas of the country, Harlow is embracing exciting opportunities to build on our existing sectors in health, science and technology, innovation and creativity and provides space for business to innovate and thrive. Harlow has also been chosen as the new HQ for the UK Health Security Agency.
Harlow: Space to Start and Grow
3,900
local business units
30 miles
to Central London
77.5%
of the population are employed
93,400
Population
98%
of Harlow accommodation has Superfast and Fibre coverage
42.1% increase
in the number of local businesses since 2010
£820million
investment for a new hospital/health campus
£100m
committed by the UK Gov for Town Regeneration and other projects
23,000
new homes as part of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town
4 times
above the national average as a sector strong area for life sciences
Excellent connectivity
The town is well connected by rail, road, air and digital infrastructure. Harlow now has two junctions on the M11 motorway and is just 6 miles from the M25. Close to London Stansted Airport, businesses can also access domestic and international flights and freight services. Harlow is on the London Liverpool Street mainline and Tottenham Hale London Underground station can be reached in 20 minutes.
20 mins
to the Stansted terminal building by road or rail
5 mins
to the M11, which directly connects Harlow to London and Cambridge
35 mins
by train to LondonLiverpool Street
Diverse Economy
Harlow is home to high growth sectors such as Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing, and ICT/ Digital. In 2021 Harlow had around 3,200 businesses across a broad range of sectors. A vast majority of local businesses are small-medium enterprises (SMEs) which employee 50 people or less and range from engineering and logistics to medical devices and a micro-brewery. Around 15 large scale organisations employ more than 250 people.
Business Support
Find out about free business services and support for local businesses.
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Business Events
Learn about upcoming business events and networking opportunities.
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Business Centres
Browse Harlow’s business centres including large and small business units, flexible office space and virtual tenancies.
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Harlow’s Future
The future of Harlow is bright, with the relocation of UKHSA, a proposed new hospital, our Enterprise Zone and Harlow Innovation Park, exciting proposals for Town Centre Regeneration, and, the new housing proposed through the development of the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town, there are major opportunities for economic growth.
Want to learn more about some of the current businesses operating in Harlow?
Find out more hereWant to know more?
Contact Harlow Council’s Economic Development Team who can answer your questions and queries.
Contact
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