Invest in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s thriving economy is recognised as the principal growth engine for the Scottish economy. As a capital city and home to the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh is the ‘Gateway to Scotland’.   

With the quality of life regarded as one of the UK’s best and a long history of innovation, Edinburgh is an ideal location for both employers and employees.  The city is flourishing and aspires to be the most successful and sustainable city in northern Europe by 2020. 

The Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life and John Menzies are all indigenous companies that have experienced huge growth.  Big names such as CitiGroup, Harvey Nichols and Quintiles have also gained a foothold in Scotland through investing in the city region.

The City of Edinburgh Council and partners work with potential new businesses and investors to assist development in the city.

• Edinburgh's key assets
• How the Council can help potential investors

For more detailed information on investing in Edinburgh, see the Inspiring Capital website. 

Edinburgh’s key assets:

• Size: With a city population of 460,000 and a city region population of 1.26 million. Edinburgh’s growth in population, currently increasing by 5600 a year, far outstrips the Scottish average
• Diversity: Recognised as one of the leading financial centres in Europe, the city also has strengths in science and technology, business services, tourism, health, creative industries, education and electronics.  The city also boasts centres of academic excellence and commercialisation in the knowledge economy.  This strength in diversity makes for an economy that is robust enough to accommodate any short-term shocks and long-term changes.
• Key development opportunities: The city has ambitious plans for growth including a major redevelopment of the city centre, the Waterfront, BioQuarter and west Edinburgh (the area around the airport). 
• Highly-qualified workforce: With 46% of the workforce holding degree or degree-equivalent level qualifications and almost half the workforce being professionals, Edinburgh has among the most qualified workforces in Europe. 
• Vibrant culture:  Known as ‘the City of Festivals’, Edinburgh is a lively, contemporary, cosmopolitan city with a rich and diverse heritage.  Edinburgh’s city centre has UNESCO World Heritage status and the city is also UNESCO ‘World City of Literature’.

How the Council can help potential investors

The Council’s Economic Development staff have excellent working relationships with Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International (the agency charged with bringing investment to Scotland),  Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce and other key stakeholders in the city to provide a comprehensive investment promotion service.  The Council’s services include:

• Information and research: Provision of economic statistics, business information, research documents and publications, labour market data and key sector analysis.  Capital Review, the Council’s quarterly economic development bulletin, is also produced. www.capitalreview.co.uk
• Key contacts and introductions: Access to a list of contacts in key areas such as planning, property, business rates and transport. We can also facilitate introductions to Civic and Council officials, economic development and business support agencies and business leaders.
• Visits: In conjunction with partners we can organise tailored fact-finding visits for potential investors to look at key development opportunities and experience the quality of business life in the city.