Good growth in every postcode 4th September 2026

Andy Burnham’s pledge to the country is “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart”. What would this look like in practice? The answer lies in the economic success stories of British companies – big, medium and small – across the UK and in building on these successes across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Each week, Paul Dimoldenberg looks at economic news from across the country to identify what “good growth” looks like in a diverse set of local communities to deliver the much-needed economic growth to power the economy and deliver new jobs, increased wealth and additional tax revenues to pay for improved public services. This week we feature:

• New logistics facility for Volvo in Coventry (CV8)
• Bristol Robotics firm to expand wind turbine technology (BS34)
• British Steel welcomes 70 apprentices and graduates in Scunthorpe (DN16, TS6 and TS13)
• Mayor Claire Ward takes control of East Midlands Freeport (NG11)
• Car finance firm opens first out-of-Manchester office in Bournemouth (BH12)
• Artisan bakery opens two new cafés in Bath and Bristol (BA1 and BS1)
• £3m Government grant to Runcorn lithium extraction business (WA7)

Coventry: New logistics facility for Volvo (CV8)

Construction is underway on a 91,000 sq ft industrial and logistics facility at SEGRO Park Coventry to be occupied by Volvo Group UK. Located within the 215-acre SEGRO Park Coventry development, south of Coventry Airport, the wider scheme has outline planning permission for up to 3.7 million sq ft of industrial and logistics accommodation, supporting manufacturing, distribution and warehouse occupiers.

The new facility has been pre-let to Volvo Group, which recently announced a £24m investment in the site to create a Regional Distribution Centre serving the UK and Ireland. Sabrina Loyer, general manager, service operations and technology, Volvo Group UK, said: “The move to Coventry represents a significant investment in the future of our parts distribution network and a key milestone in supporting Volvo Group UK’s continued growth.”

 The Regional Distribution Centre is expected to fulfil more than 1.3 million order lines each year. 

Bristol: Robotics firm to expand wind turbine technology (BS34)

Perceptual Robotics, the wind turbine inspection and maintenance technology company founded by three University of Bristol students, has secured more than £4m in funding so far this year. The funding will help the company, based in Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Future Space, expand what it offers to the wind industry, increase its presence across existing and new markets, strengthen its offshore capabilities, and continue scaling the products that customers rely on every day. Founded in 2016, the company has expanded internationally, across Europe, North America, Latin America and beyond. Its technology now supports inspections in environments ranging from the forests of northern Sweden to the Caribbean and some of the world’s largest wind turbines.

The company’s development has been driven by ongoing conversations with operators, service providers and blade experts about the practical problems they face, whether it is inspection speed, damage prioritisation, or finding better ways to manage growing fleets. With the new funding, Perceptual Robotics aims to move faster, delivering more products, more capability, and support for more turbines, while continuing to build tools that help the wind industry keep turbines generating power and blades in service for longer.

Scunthorpe: British Steel to welcome 70 apprentices and graduates (DN16, TS6 and TS13)

A total of 70 apprentices and graduates will be joining British Steel in September. In Scunthorpe, 36 electrical, mechanical, and structural apprentices joined British Steel, and a further 17 apprentices will take up similar roles for British Steel’s Northern mills in Teesside and Skinningrove, and one at the company’s R&D centre in Sheffield. At the same time, 16 graduates will join British Steel – the first to do so since 2022 following this year’s relaunch of the company’s graduate recruitment programme. British Steel, which was nationalised by the Labour Government in July, received more than 1,000 applications when the roles were advertised earlier this year.

Earlier this year, British Steel reopened its Scunthorpe apprentice training centre to support its commitment to skills development. Training for the Scunthorpe apprentices will be delivered by tutors from British Steel’s training provider, CATCH, alongside experts within the business. Their first year will largely be classroom-based before they spend three years getting hands-on experience on the Scunthorpe site. Apprentices for Teesside and Skinningrove will start their studies with TTE in partnership with Middlesbrough College Group before going on-site.

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East Midlands Freeport: Mayor Claire Ward takes control of East Midlands Freeport (NG11)

Claire Ward, Labour Mayor of the East Midlands, has become the accountable body for the East Midlands Freeport, taking responsibility for overseeing public funding from Leicestershire County Council. The change comes as the Government seeks to align freeports, investment zones and regional growth programmes more closely with mayoral authorities under its industrial strategy.

The East Midlands Freeport is the UK’s only inland freeport and centres on three key development sites: the former Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands Intermodal Park in South Derbyshire, and the East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster in North West Leicestershire. The Freeport is forecast to add £9bn to the regional economy over the next 25 years, create 28,000 jobs and generate £1bn in retained business rates for local reinvestment. The governance change also brings the Freeport under the same strategic umbrella as the East Midlands Investment Zone, a £160m programme focused on advanced manufacturing and clean energy sectors.

Bournemouth: Car finance firm opens first out-of-Manchester office in Bournemouth (BH12)

Car Finance 247 has opened its first office outside Manchester in Bournemouth to support growth and recruitment. The new sales hub opened on 1st September, will initially house 12 team members, including existing employees based in the Bournemouth area. The company plans to scale the office quickly by early 2027 and is actively recruiting.

The office is located within Victoria House in Westbourne, a former Liverpool Victoria headquarters that has undergone a £5m refurbishment. The 21,000 sq ft building is close to Bournemouth town centre and key transport links. Car Finance 247, which launched in 2006, has over 500 employees at its Manchester headquarters and a field-based sales team across the UK. The Bournemouth office will focus on direct-to-consumer sales, supporting customers nationwide while working alongside the centralised operations in Manchester.

Bath and Bristol: Artisan bakery opens two new cafés in Bath and Bristol (BA1 and BS1)

Swindon-based artisan bakery Pipp & Co has opened two new cafés in Bath and Bristol, creating jobs and expanding its presence across the region. The new Bath café opened in August on New Street, while a second Bristol site on Redcliff Street is opening in September. The Bristol opening will complement the company’s existing café on College Green. All bakery products will continue to be produced at the company’s central premises in Swindon.

The company says it uses no artificial ingredients, flavourings or additives, sources ingredients locally where possible, and uses a 48-hour fermentation process for its brioche dough. Pipp & Co won the 2025 Best Doughnut Award in PETA’s annual vegan food awards. The family-run business initially established its reputation through local farmers’ markets and pop-ups before moving into high-street retail. It also sells wholesale to independent retailers, farm shops and corporate clients, and direct to customers via online ordering.

Runcorn: £3m Government grant to Runcorn lithium extraction business (WA7)

Watercycle Technologies, a Manchester University spin-out, has secured £3m from the Government towards a £6m project to establish a demonstration-scale manufacturing line capable of recovering and refining lithium from waste streams for use in electric vehicle batteries. The Runcorn-based business operates Europe’s first commercial direct lithium extraction (DLE) plant. The project will design, build and operate a new pilot-to-demonstration-scale lithium production facility, using Watercycle’s proprietary DLEC technology to recover lithium from sources that would otherwise be treated as waste. These include industrial wastewater and lithium-bearing materials arising from battery recycling.

The recovered lithium will be refined into high-purity lithium salts suitable for use in electric vehicle battery production. The project aims to demonstrate that battery-grade lithium can be produced reliably and competitively in the UK from circular sources, rather than relying solely on lithium mined and refined overseas. The technology also offers an opportunity to recover valuable critical minerals that would otherwise be lost while treating industrial wastewater and reducing the environmental impact associated with its disposal.

Lithium is identified as a critical mineral by the Government and demand is expected to increase substantially as electric vehicle and domestic battery manufacturing grows.

The UK currently has no significant domestic lithium refining capacity and remains heavily reliant on imported lithium chemicals.

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