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Starting a business in Aberdeen

Scotland’s third largest city has a lot to offer for new businesses.

Located on the east coast of Scotland, Aberdeen sits amongst some of the most picturesque scenery the UK has to offer. With a population of 227,130, it’s Scotland’s third largest city after Edinburgh and Glasgow, and is perhaps most well-known in industry for its close proximity to the oil and gas reserves of the North Sea.

Aberdeen’s easy access to natural resources makes it a top choice for manufacturing, engineering and energy businesses. Nearby granite quarries supply the raw materials needed by many in these sectors, simultaneously providing a pull to start-ups looking to enter into the industry. And when it’s all right on your doorstep, what better place to go than Aberdeen?

‘Best-placed city for growth’

In 2011, Aberdeen was named the ‘best-placed city for growth’ by the Centre for Cities thanks to its large number of high-performing private businesses and growing talent base. But because it’s considered as a centre of industry, it can be an expensive place to build a business. The Scottish city has the highest office rental prices outside of London – a squeeze for small businesses or start-ups on a tight budget.

Like most big cities, Aberdeen has excellent transport links, both national and international. Aberdeen Airport is a convenient 15 minutes’ drive from the city centre, and from there you can fly to Gatwick in little over an hour. But if your preferred method of transport sees you going by car or train to the UK’s capital, expect your journey to take 9 hours or 7 hours respectively. And if you’re looking to travel from Scotland’s other major cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh are both around a three-hour drive each way – worth bearing in mind if fast city links are high on your business priorities.

All set for energy, engineering and tech

For small businesses in the aforementioned energy, tech and engineering industries, Aberdeen offers a whole host of support that’s invaluable if you’re starting up or growing your business. The launch of the Aberdeen Centre for Entrepreneurship is set to establish Aberdeen as a top city for supporting and developing entrepreneurs in the energy and tech sectors, and is expected to act as a magnet for new businesses from around the world – a great opportunity for small businesses to really get into the thick of it.

Future-proof city

Aberdeen is set to become Scotland’s first ‘Gigabit City’ with the launch of Aberdeen CORE, a pure fibre network that’s being rolled out across the city and wider area. This future-proof fibre network will transform Aberdeen’s connectivity and revolutionise efficiency across the board, from government and healthcare through to education and the economy. Businesses will benefit from gigabit-speed connectivity that’s 10-100 times faster than most current business connections, giving Aberdeen’s infrastructure a world-leading boost.

Get in touch

If you are looking for business broadband or phone line in Aberdeen, call us free on 0808 256 6969.

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