1. Greater Grimsby
‘Europe’s Food Town’
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2. Grimsby, Europe’s Food Town offers:
around 500 food-related companies
the centre of the UK’s seafood industry
the UK’s largest port complex
one of the largest fish markets in the UK
the largest concentration of cold storage facilities in Europe
proven supply chain of specialist service companies
leadership in new food technology and research
a ready and able, food-savvy workforce
ready-made sites and premises for food companies
the lowest operating costs in the UK
So, if you’re looking for the optimum location for:
processing and manufacturing
research and development
packaging and labelling
cold storage facilities
national and international distribution
Greater Grimsby is the natural choice.
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3. Greater Grimsby
Get it Straight
From the Heart
Greater Grimsby is a straight-talking, no-nonsense place.
We speak our minds and tell it how it is.
When it comes to promoting our area, we give you the facts to make
your own mind up. Big UK-leading facts like, we’ve got:
- the busiest port complex
- the largest concentration of food companies
- the most renewable energy opportunities
- the greenest power station
- the biggest strategic employment sites
- the lowest operating costs
Our towns of Grimsby, Immingham and Cleethorpes, and surrounding
Lincolnshire villages offer very different things. But taken as a package,
they combine to offer cost-effective, well-connected business locations
within a few miles of stunning countryside and great schools.
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4. From the Heart of
the UK to Europe
and the World
Greater Grimsby puts you at the heart of the UK and Europe.
We are centrally located on the east coast of the UK in the county of
Lincolnshire. Our area includes:
- Grimsby – the world-famous port and Europe’s Food Town
- Cleethorpes – the popular seaside holiday resort
- Immingham – a focal point of heavy industry and logistics
- Wolds villages – an area of outstanding natural beauty
Thanks to our maritime and fishing heritage, we are outward looking and
have traditionally had strong international links, especially with
Scandinavia, something that continues today with many commercial
partnerships. Distances from Greater Grimsby
Miles Km
Being 200 miles from London, Edinburgh and Rotterdam, means that we
Sheffield 60 96
are truly central to the UK and Europe.
Leeds 70 112
Our area is an integral part of the Humber region and enjoys close links Manchester 100 160
with the nearby cities of Hull and Lincoln.
Liverpool 130 209
Birmingham 130 209
London 160 257
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5. Greater Grimsby is
Europe’s
Food Town
Nowhere understands food better than us.
Greater Grimsby is home to around 500 food-related companies making it
one of the largest concentrations of food manufacturing, research, storage
and distribution in Europe. That’s why it has been known for more than 15
years as ‘Europe's Food Town’.
Grimsby is world famous as a fishing port and is recognised as the main
centre of the UK fish processing industry. In recent years, this expertise
has led to diversification into all forms of frozen and chilled foods. The local seafood supply-chain
Seafood - Grimsby is one of the single largest centres of fish processing has been recognised as the UK’s
in Europe. More than 100 local companies are involved in fresh and
frozen fish production. leading industrial cluster.
Chilled and Frozen - A European centre of excellence in the production
of chilled prepared meals, Grimsby has the largest concentration of cold Cluster Mark Awards 2010
storage facilities in Europe.
Food-Support Services - Given the extent of our mature supply-chain,
the Grimsby area has hundreds of service providers to the food industry.
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6. UK’s Biggest Port
Uncongested Roads
Rail and Air Links
From Greater Grimsby you can reach more people in less time.
The Port of Grimsby and Immingham is the UK’s largest port by tonnage.
Its prime deep-water location on the Humber Estuary, gives companies
direct access to mainland Europe and beyond.
Uncongested roads and motorways connect to all parts of the UK placing
40 million consumers within a 4-hour drive.
This area is the busiest in the UK for rail freight with a choice of specialist
terminals serving destinations across the country.
40m
Humberside Airport, conveniently located just a few miles from our main
towns, is a key national and international gateway connecting over half a
million passengers to 30 destinations every year, with daily flights to
Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the world’s third largest international
airport.
consumers in a 4-hour drive
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7. UK’s Busiest Port
Specialist Handling
Storage Facilities
Food to and from the rest of the world.
The Port of Grimsby and Immingham is the UK’s largest port by
tonnage. Benefiting from a prime deep-water location on the Humber
Estuary, Immingham provides excellent access to the trade routes
between the UK and mainland Europe and beyond.
Slipways at Grimsby Fish Docks provide access for vessels of up to 800
UK Port Million Tonnes
tonnes, and a wide range of covered and open storage is available
within the port estate. Cold-store capacity of approximately 230,000 Grimsby and Immingham 66.2
tonnes is available on, and adjacent to, the docks.
London 52.7
Grimsby’s fully modernised fish market handles some 21,000 tonnes of Tees and Hartlepool 49.8
fresh fish each year, landed not only from the local catching fleet, but
also from containers arriving from Norway and Iceland, as well as Southampton 43.3
overland from other UK ports. Grimsby’s Royal Dock regularly handles
Forth 36.7
imports of frozen fish from Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and
Russia. Milford Haven 35.5
Liverpool 32.3
Felixstowe 25.7
Dover 25.1
Department for Transport, 2007
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8. Home to the
UK’s Largest
Seafood Firms
The UK’s seafood capital with more than 100 fish-related companies.
Young's is part of the Findus Group, one of Europe’s leading food
businesses and a major employer in the area, with some 2,500 people
based at its headquarters. From its Grimsby base, Young’s has a global
sourcing operation supplying 60 species from 30 countries. The company
supplies all major supermarkets and retail outlets with a wide range of
sustainable fish products, including their iconic Great Grimsby range.
Coldwater Seafood employs more than 700 people across its sites in
Grimsby and is a major frozen and chilled seafood supplier to Marks &
Spencer, Tesco, Morrisons, ASDA, Iceland and Aldi. In 2008, the firm
opened a new Product Development Centre and production facilities.
Other major firms include Five Star Fish, the leading supplier of fish
products to the UK foodservice market whose state of the art factory and
5,000 pallet cold store is at the leading edge of fish processing technology.
Handling seafood from around the world, there are specialists like
Oceanwide Seafood who import and market a wide range of frozen and
fresh exotic fish from SE Asia and South America.
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9. Expanding Food
Firms Choose
Greater Grimsby
New food innovators are choosing to expand here.
Daniels Group - In 2010, the Daniels Group announced the creation of
200 new jobs and an £8.5-million investment with its decision to locate a
major new factory in Grimsby. The chilled food manufacturers, best
known for their New Covent Garden soup range, moved onto Grimsby's
flagship business park, Europarc. According to Daniels Group chief
executive, Rob Burnett, the skilled workforce was the “single biggest
factor” in the decision to choose Grimsby.
“We were looking for a site for a
Headland Foods - A leading manufacturer of Frozen Own Label Ready
couple of years. Grimsby for us
Meals supplying major retailers in the UK, Headland produces over 180
different product lines across the Traditional, Italian, Indian, International
has the best workforce and has
and Healthy sectors of the Frozen Ready Meal Market. A £15m
investment in the new Grimsby site includes the UK’s first fully
a real reputation in making
automated lasagne line, which produces 110 lasagne meals a minute.
great food.”
Nigel Parrot, Daniels Group
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10. 100 Years of
Specialist Skills
and Tradition
This is a place that cherishes its traditional skills.
Greater Grimsby is a major centre of forward-looking, innovative food
companies – but it is also a place where traditional skills are celebrated
and protected.
Traditionally Grimsby Smoked Fish is a case in point. Today the majority of
smoked fish is cured in mechanical kilns, but for a hundred years fish was
smoked exclusively in traditional smokehouses, which are mainly found in
Grimsby where the main developments in the process took place.
There is nowhere that has a greater tradition of expertise in this process
than Grimsby, which is why the European Union has awarded Protected
Geographical Indication (PGI) status for the product and recognition for its
long history of curing.
The traditional fish curers taking part are Alfred Enderby Ltd, MTL Fish
Curers, Atkinson FM, and Traditional Seafoods.
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11. Food Firms Leading
‘Waste to Energy’
Initiatives
Renewable energy opportunities from food waste and packaging.
Food companies in the area are at the forefront of waste management
and green energy initiatives. Several new biofuel facilities in the area will
serve the major food-related businesses by turning food and packaging
waste into renewable power.
In 2009, a multi-million-pound merger placed Grimsby's fishmeal plant at
the centre of northern Europe's biggest seafood by-product operation. “The plant is now part of the
Grimsby Fish Products handles fish waste for processing firms and
produces fishmeal for agricultural feedstock which is then sold on. By- biggest organisation of its nature
products of seafood are also being looked at for their health qualities.
in northern Europe. Grimsby is
Greater Grimsby is perfectly located for green energy projects, given the
Lincolnshire agricultural hinterland and the hundreds of food companies well positioned strategically and
in and around the area.
has a great business model with
a good customer base and
processes.”
Michelle Thomas, Grimsby Fish Products
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12. Innovative Storage
and Packaging
Solutions
Storage and packaging services on your doorstep.
The food industry demands extremely high quality from its storage and
packaging products. We have many world-class companies that are at the
forefront of innovation, design and environmental sustainability.
The UK’s largest port complex and connections to the national motorway
network, means that companies like Tri-Pack Plastics, Ultimate
Packaging, QC Cartons and Styropack can supply the majority of UK and “The area is an ever more
European supermarkets as well as local processors like Young’s.
important hub for fish and
Environmental concerns and traceability are addressed by local firms in
close collaboration with researchers at the Grimsby Institute. The Cool food processing, and,
Blue Box Company is just one example of this, with their unique smart
storage boxes that are fully reusable and embedded with the latest RFID logistically, we are close to
microchips.
customers both here and
There is a strong design industry in the area with experience of all forms
of food packaging. This area can provide the expertise and design abroad.”
packages to produce label designs and promotional packaging with
internationally-renown firms like Teneo (UK) based in Grimsby.
Stephen Clarke, Tri-Pack Plastics
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13. Ready and Willing
Skilled Workers
Growing Talent Pool
You’ll find a proven, hard-working, skilled labour-force here.
Greater Grimsby has a local workforce with:
90,000 people within a 15-minute catchment
350,000 within a 45-minute drive
Recent economic conditions mean that there is a ready-made labour-force, “People have the right attitude.
eager and willing to work.
They know that if they wait, the
Local workers have demonstrated over the years a willingness to adapt
and retrain to suit the needs of different industries. The area offers value of their work will drop. They
companies a range of skills and experience from specialist construction,
engineering and logistics, to laboratory-based research and development know that from the fishing industry
work and office jobs in global headquarters.
and it’s a good mindset. So far it
Grimsby Institute is a key partner in ensuring that the area continues to
produce people with the right skills for the industries of today and the jobs has been the best place in the UK
of the future. Several Centres of Vocational Excellence provide work-based
training ranging from engineering to broadcasting. to work out of.”
Jan Korff, Siemens
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14. Industry-leading
Skills Training for
the Food Industry
National skills academy and specialist centres.
The Grimsby Institute of Further & Higher Education is a key partner in
ensuring that the area continues to provide the skills necessary for the
future of the food industry; it was one of the first accredited academy
training centres within the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink
Manufacturing. Working alongside major food manufacturers in the
area, the Institute has developed a range of bespoke courses including
a part-time foundation and bachelor degrees in Food Manufacturing
Management.
The college’s Food Dynamo Training Centre, based at Grimsby Docks,
is a dedicated factory training unit, offering facilities to trial the
production of food products, particularly in the context of new product
development. It also enables individuals to learn in a simulated full
production environment.
The National Traceability Centre opened in 2005 to show the practical
demonstration of the latest traceability systems and designed to
support a variety of business needs across a range of industry sectors
including Ports and Logistics, Food Manufacturing, Automotive, Cold
Chain Supply and Retail.
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15. Investing in the
Future of the UK
Seafood Industry
Humber Seafood Institute.
The £5.6 million Humber Seafood Institute opened in 2008 and is the first
of its kind in the UK. Backed by Yorkshire Forward, North East
Lincolnshire Council and the European Regional Development Fund, the
HSI is home to the Grimsby Institute and the Research, Marine Safety
Services, Training and Accreditation, Legislation, Information Services
and Support Departments of the Seafish Industry Authority.
Based on Europarc Grimsby, the HSI’s state-of-the-art-facilities are
designed to support the future of the UK seafood industry. It will engage in
collaborative research with industry leaders so as to optimise market and
trade opportunities.
Fast-becoming a catalyst for innovation and creativity, the HSI can
provide access to incubation and managed workspace units, new product
development kitchens, refrigeration research facility, chemical and
environmental laboratory equipment as well as process hall and
microbiological laboratories.
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16. World-Class
Chilled and Frozen
Food Research
New facilities that enable collaborative research.
The need to research new and improved methods of storage and
refrigeration is essential for the continued growth of the food industry.
The Grimsby Institute commissioned the first Cells Alive System (CAS)
in Europe, developed by the Japanese company ABI Co Ltd. The
Institute now offers research and experimentation opportunities to the
seafood/food industries. The CAS system is at the forefront of freezing
technology. By rotating a magnetic field within the freezing
environment, it is possible to preserve a wide range of products for
extended storage periods at the highest quality levels – “as fresh”.
The Institute has also commissioned an Ammonia Plant, which has
been designed to provide training in the use and operation of industrial
ammonia refrigeration systems for both the operators and service
personnel. The equipment has been designed and constructed to the
latest industrial standards and it incorporates all the necessary safety
features.
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17. Cost-Effective
Offices, Units and
Development Sites
We have the right premises, in the right places, at the right prices.
Greater Grimsby has a wide choice of modern offices, both in-town and on
high quality business parks, industrial units and development land adjacent
to major roads, a deep-water estuary and major docks.
Many of the key players in Europe’s Food Town can be found on the area’s
flagship business. Europarc, has been designed to attract manufacturing,
distribution and office based businesses with high quality, cost-effective,
purpose-built accommodation, within an attractive lakeside setting.
Property costs and land values across the area are up to 25% lower than in
competitor locations.
The inward investment team at North East Lincolnshire Council provides a
free service to help find the right property for your business.
25%
lower property costs
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18. Specialist Storage
Facilities for
Food Logistics
Just the place for just-in-time.
The Grimsby area is well suited to the just-in-time culture of modern
industry, by being able to provide high quality, well developed and easily
accessible storage and distribution services.
General quayside warehousing is available, together with a wide range of
covered storage facilities. Extensive high-quality paved open-storage areas
are available. Immingham Bulk Park provides 20,000 sq m of high-quality
bulk warehousing and associated outside storage areas, while Humber
International Terminal provides 10,000 sq m of high-quality general
purpose warehousing and extensive open storage. Supply-chain logistics
software is provided by specialist companies like Autostore and helps to
Greater Grimsby has the
ensure that the port is able to provide the very latest IT infrastructure. Largest Concentration of Cold
Grimsby has the largest concentration of cold storage in Europe, with an
enviable chilled and frozen food distribution network. This impressive
Storage in Europe.
infrastructure was created to service manufacturers, and includes specialist
companies such as DFDS, Samskip, Norbert Dentressangle, Associated
Cold Stores & Transport, Quayside and Yearsley.
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19. Lowest Operating
Costs Equals
Profitable Location
Property and labour costs are among the lowest in the UK.
Greater Grimsby is a cost-effective business location. Compared with
similar locations, this area has the: Average Wage Industrial Rent Medium Office
£/annum) £/m2/annum £/m2/annum
- Lowest average wage costs
Grimsby 20,577 40 85
- Lowest industrial rents
- Lowest office costs Hull 22,122 45 100
In difficult times, the ability to keep your cost-base to a minimum helps to Lincoln 20,873 45 120
keep businesses afloat and protects jobs.
Nottingham 23,499 55 160
Living costs are low here too with housing among the cheapest in the
country, enabling a choice of urban and country lifestyle. Doncaster 21,420 50 155
Sheffield 23,549 55 165
Teesside 20,689 42 170
Newcastle 21,837 47 210
Manchester 25,494 55 310
Sources: Property Market Report, VOA, July 2008
ONS - 2008 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
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20. Outstanding Beauty
Sun, Sea, Sand
and Happy People
Lifestyles to suit all tastes.
Everywhere claims to have a great quality of life, but few places can
compete with our rich diversity of historic towns, quaint villages, wildlife
sanctuaries, rolling hills and sandy beaches.
Our surrounding countryside is famous for its beauty, with the Lincolnshire
Wolds being designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that is
protected due to its "precious landscape" and "distinctive character".
English country pubs, historic churches and quaint villages are just a few
miles from the towns of Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Immingham.
“The resort is taking care of people
The seaside town of Cleethorpes has been voted as one of the happiest
places to live in the UK. A 2008 survey ranked the town ninth out of 273 UK
who are making the most of the
districts, which is not surprising given the classic mix of sun, sea, and
sand.
weather and the places to visit.
Local shopping and nightlife attract millions of visitors from outside the area
We are making Cleethorpes a
each year and as befits Europe's Food Town, you can enjoy great food
from the world's best fish and chips to award-winning fine dining.
happy place to visit and live in.”
Robert Chalmers, Cleethorpes Resort Manager
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21. Education For All
Choice and Quality
New Investment
Success and excellence from primary to higher education.
Our local schools offer a wide choice for children of all abilities. In the most
recent league tables, three-quarters of local primary schools outperformed
the national average, while half of our schools and colleges outperformed “The reputation the Grimsby
the UK average at A’level.
Institute enjoys with employers,
There are a number of excellent grammar schools in Lincolnshire within
easy reach, that regularly achieve some of the best results in the country. students and Associate
For further and higher education, the Grimsby Institute offers a wide range Universities has been founded on
of courses and has particular strengths in vocational training with several
centres of excellence in fields ranging from automotive technology to digital the quality of our courses and the
media. The Institute is planning a £150 million programme of
development, enhancing links with local schools and creating modern excellent facilities.”
facilities.
Ray Ellis
Grimsby Institute
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22. Practical Support
And Advice For
Your Next Project
How we can help.
Whether you're based in the UK or overseas, North East Lincolnshire
Council has a team of specialists waiting to help you. Our services are
provided free of charge on a completely confidential basis and include:
- helping you plan your expansion or relocation project
- providing research to help you make your decision
- advising on available sites and premises and development options
“The biggest single thing that
- organising personal tours of the area
- providing introductions and liaison with key local advisors
influenced the decision was the
- information about grants and financial assistance that may be available
availability of a skilled labour
For more information on how you can be a part of Europe’s Food Town,
contact:
force. We are very impressed and
Grimsby has a great reputation in
David Robinson
North East Lincolnshire Council
that area. This is an ideal location
01472 324605
david@greatergrimsby.net
for us and for our future growth.”
www.greatergrimsby.net
Rob Burnett, Daniels Group
(New Covent Garden Soup)
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23. Your next move?
www.greatergrimsby.net
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