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Aerial view of Falkirk Wheel

Investing in the Falkirk Area

Falkirk has undergone a tremendous cycle of change brought about by regeneration and development, all promoted under the banner of My Future's in Falkirk. New business locations|, residential areas, schools, hospitals and shops have transformed our area into one of the fastest growing, most dynamic locations in Scotland.  We want to prove that you can have a successful future in Falkirk.

Falkirk's economy has a long history of business| success and our area has a formidable business and skills base. By responding to the economic challenges of successive decades Falkirk has enhanced its status as a business location of national and international importance.

Falkirk has been named the most enterprising place in Scotland 2010 in the regional heats of the Enterprising Britain awards and also made it through to the final 6 for the overall UK winner.

The Falkirk area is now superbly placed to offer businesses every advantage for growth and success. We want to work with you to realise it.

You can read more about how we're supporting businesses on our Growing Business and Employment| page.

Location

UK mapFalkirk is ideally positioned for businesses needing fast, reliable transport networks:

  • A central location, midway between Glasgow and Edinburgh
     
  • Unrivalled motorway, rail and sea connections, including Scotland's largest container port
     
  • A 20 minute drive from Edinburgh International Airport.
     

See our case studies| page to hear first hand from businesses why they decided to locate in Falkirk. 

 

24 miles from Glasgow
25 miles from Edinburgh
133 miles from Aberdeen

Business Sites and Premises

Falkirk has property solutions for a very wide range of business needs and the area can accommodate large developments.

  • New, modern business parks
  • Development land
  • Industrial sites and premises
  • Warehousing and distribution sites
  • Shopping centres and retail parks

Our Business Property Register| enables you to search online for properties in the Falkirk area.

Business Support

Falkirk qualifies for government investment grants under the Regional Selective Assistance Scheme. Large companies can qualify for up to 15%, medium and small companies up to 25% and 35% respectively, depending on location.

Falkirk for Business| provides business support and assistance locally, delivers Business Gateway services and leads the Falkirk Business Panel, an active forum for business events and networking.

Key Sectors

Falkirk has very strong and well-established business sectors, offering a huge customer and supplier base. 

  • Chemical Industries - Grangemouth is the centre of Scotland's chemical sector, home to Ineos, CalaChem (formerly known as Kemfine), Fujifilm, Syngenta, Dow Chemicals and other international companies.
  • Distribution – multimodal logistics companies located in Falkirk include Forth Ports, WH Malcolm and ASDA Distribution.
  • Manufacturing and Environmental Technologies – 'green' buses from  Alexander Dennis, Britain's leading bus maker, are made in Falkirk.
  • Construction – Falkirk's central location has helped create a concentration of builders, timber merchants, contractors and plant hire operators in the area.
  • Business Services - HEROtsc's contact centre with 500 employees, Thomas Cook Direct and the accountants RSM Tenon are just some of the companies located in the area's modern office parks.
  • Retail – Falkirk serves a fast-growing local population and attracts customers from the surrounding area, making it 7th in Scotland for retail performance.
  • Tourism – the Falkirk Wheel attracts 500,000 visitors each year and the Helix environmental park with gigantic horse sculptures, currently under construction, will further extend the area's tourism potential.

Workforce and Skills

The demand for specialist and general skills from Falkirk's key sectors ensures that our area has a well established supply of skills. 

  • A skilled local workforce
  • An easy to commute to location
  • A locally-based training sector, including one of Scotland's largest and most successful further education colleges

Quality of Life

Over and above Falkirk's advantages for business, the area offers a fantastic quality of life. New residential development and urban regeneration projects have seen the area's population grow 5.3% over 10 years, almost 3 times the Scottish average. Education, health, shopping, leisure and recreational facilities have developed in tandem and now comprise some of the most modern in the country. Falkirk is the first local authority in Scotland to replace all nine of its secondary schools.

Falkirk offers a wide range of both urban and rural locations and throughout the area there is a feeling of space for living|. Yet the area is close to the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh and is very well connected to the rest of the UK.

Want all the facts and figures on Falkirk? Read our Falkirk as a Location (PDF, 166KB)| document.