Business

From Chester Wiki

[edit] Business in Chester

Chester has a thriving business community, with many small and medium-sized enterprises based in the city. It's been a tough climate for independent retailers in recent years, particularly in the city centre where high business rates and other factors have forced many local shops to close, particularly on the Rows. In other sectors, however, the climate is good for entrepreneurs. Chester has become a hot spot for financial services providers and there are also a wealth of other service-oriented businesses springing up.

Chester's main business sectors are financial services, retail and tourism. The biggest local employer is MBNA Europe (financial services). M&S Money is also based in Chester as is HBOS. Industry-wise, the Shell refinery is based nearby, as is the ICI chemicals plant at Ellesmere Port. Another major local employer is Airbus, just over the border in Broughton, Wales.

Chester was the first UK city to be granted FairTrade City status, in January 2002. The status has been renewed twice since then.

Despite the small size of Chester, there is a huge number of active business networking groups, as well as funded services to help new businesses get started.

These listings are not comprehensive, so feel free to add pages if we've missed anything. Just make sure you link them properly so can people can find them!

A	B	C	D	E
	Blink Cheshire BNI Chester chapter BRE Chester chapter	Chester Business After Hours Club Chester Business Club Chester Business Park Chester Chamber of Commerce Chester and Ellesmere Port Enterprise Agency Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston Business Forum Chester SpeedNetworking Group
F	G	H	I	J
4Networking Chester group
K	L	M	N	O
P	Q	R	S	T
PROWL
U	V	W	Y	Z
		Winning Women