Liverpool’s Superport launches first international marketing campaign

The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) recently launched the first stages of an international marketing campaign, which aims to promote and attract new users to the facilities of the Liverpool City Region Superport.

Superport, which now has a web and social media presence, is the umbrella brand given to the integrated cluster of logistics facilities in the wider city region.

Currently undergoing a £1bn investment, these facilities are hoping the region reclaims its place at the centre of UK trade.

Crucial to this regeneration is Peel Ports’ £350m investment in a new deep water container port on the River Mersey: Liverpool2. Identified as the country’s most central container port and geographically the first port of call to Europe from the Americas, Liverpool2 will enable the largest post-panamax container ships dock in the city region for the first time.

The first vessel is expected to sail into the Mersey Estuary before the end of 2015.

Superport’s other key assets include: the largest concentration of distribution warehousing in the UK, the Manchester Ship Canal, intermodal logistics facilities at 3MG in Widnes and the northern rail and road networks.

The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership has billed Superport as one of the four key drivers of the city region’s economy. Along with low carbon, knowledge and the visitor economy, Superport will help drive forward future economic growth.

Mark Basnett, the the LEP’s executive director, said: “The figures associated with Superport are just staggering.”

“We have over 35 million people within 150 miles of the region and half of the UK’s container market is closer to Liverpool than other deep water ports in the south. There are already a series of significant distribution centres operating out of the city region with hundreds of thousands of square metres of potential new space on the drawing board.

“The new website and social media channels are designed to help tell the story of Superport to the world and will underpin our presence at international logistics conferences and events. It is the first step in what will become a concerted international marketing campaign which will include us reaching out in a variety of ways to target markets.

“Superport has the potential to shift the gravity of international trade back to the North West and drive growth in the city region; rebalancing the UK economy as part of the “Northern Power House” This means more jobs for local people and greater international profile which will result is a positive feedback loop of more jobs and further investment.”