Business in south Wiltshire
South Wiltshire is home to an increasing number of leading companies and organisations.
Some of these companies have long been established in South Wiltshire. Others have moved to the area or established themselves here to take advantage of the area's benefits as a business location.
Business in the area covers a wide range of sectors, including finance, automotive engineering, research and development, electronics and multimedia.
Prominent locally-based companies include:
- Friends Provident
- Thales
- Naim Audio Ltd
- Qinetiq
- HPI Equifax
- Kitigawa Europe
- Salisbury District Hospital
- Wilton Carpet Factory
- Mahle
- James Hay
- PPML
- Pains Wessex
- Castleway Construction
- DSTL
- Health Protection Agency
- BFS Group Ltd
- Wessex Archaeology
- Abbey National
- Edinburgh Pension Centre
- Capio
Healthcare UK Ltd
Breakdown of local economy by industry
| Industry type | Number of businesses | Percentage of total |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 497 | 9% |
| Construction | 542 | 10% |
| Finance, insurance and real estate | 433 | 8% |
| Manufacturing | 454 | 8% |
| Mining | 10 0. | 20% |
| Retail | 1035 | 19% |
| Services | 2053 | 38% |
| Transportation, communication and utilities | 218 | 4% |
| Wholesale trade | 244 | 4% |
| All business | 5486 | 100% |
Research and development
South Wiltshire is a leading public and private sector research and development location. Thanks to the legacy of the Ministry of Defence – which owns thousands of hectares of land around Salisbury and Amesbury – a strong Research and Development cluster has been created.
The major focal point for these activities is known as the Salisbury Research Triangle. This consists of three long-established, world class R&D facilities:
- Defence science and technology laboratories (Dstl): an MOD agency that delivers defence research, specialist technical services and the ability to track global technological developments
- Boscombe Down Qinetiq: one of Britain's largest independent science and technology companies
- Health Protection Agency (HPA): global leader in vaccine development and medical testing
In total, over 3,000 mostly highly-skilled personnel are employed at these agencies.
Private industry is increasingly attracted to this area. In South Wiltshire, companies have the opportunity to participate in joint projects. They can also enjoy shared use of world class facilities, and put themselves at the forefront of innovative research in the UK in the biotechnology, healthcare and avionics sectors.
A number of companies are already based at the newly established Science Park neighbouring the Porton Down site. These include start-up companies located at the Biotech Business Mentoring and Incubator Unit, which was developed in 1999 through funding from the Department of Trade and Industry.
Download our Hi-tech Industries in Salisbury and South Wiltshire 782kb brochure.
Business in south wiltshire
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Contact Details
Telephone: 01722 434677
Postal Address:
Economic Development
Wiltshire Council
3
Rollestone Street
Salisbury
SP1 1DX
Last updated: 5 October 2009