Sci-Tech Daresbury businesses achieve sales and export growth

Businesses at Sci-Tech Daresbury achieved double-figure sales growth in 2015, delivering over £90m in sales and creating 87 new jobs at the Cheshire-based research and innovation campus.

A survey of 82 firms operating at the site found that they achieved £92.4m in sales last year, which is a 25% increase against figures from 2014.

In total, 21 companies now pull in sales of more than £1m per annum from their Sci-Tech Daresbury operations, with six of those boasting annual sales figures above the £5m mark.

Seven out of 10 of those surveyed were trading overseas. Exports now account for 41% of total sales or £37.9m for Sci-Tech Daresbury-based businesses, up from 37% the year previous.

Sci-Tech Daresbury represents a private-public partnership between the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Halton Borough Council and developer Langtree.

The site is currently undergoing a transformation, with work on Techspace Two, a two-storey, building offering 10,000 sq ft of office and lab space, due to round off soon. Work on the the scheme’s sister building, Techspace One, is progressing, with completion due this autumn.

Langtree chief exec John Downes, chairman of the Sci-Tech Daresbury joint venture company, believes the figures are an encouraging indicator of the site’s continued success.

He said: “These figures come at an important time for the campus as we bring forward our new Techspace developments which will see a further 350 jobs created over the coming year.

“We have now seen an average annual 30% sales growth over the past five years, which is a significant achievement.”