BusinessWire India
Manchester (England) [UK], July 23: As the UK-India Free Trade Agreement comes into power, Invest Manchester, the inward funding company for Greater Manchester, is positioning Manchester because the UK’s premier vacation spot for Asia-Pacific producers looking for to increase into the UK and European markets.
The landmark settlement, which got here into power on 15 July 2026, is projected to extend annual UK-India bilateral commerce by Pound 25.5 billion by 2040. With tariff reductions on superior equipment and manufacturing-related items, the settlement presents new alternatives for APAC producers, with Manchester providing a strategic location from which to capitalise on this rising commerce relationship.
The world’s first industrial metropolis, Manchester is now the UK’s largest superior manufacturing and engineering cluster, residence to greater than 8,000 firms and over 115,000 workers. Having attracted extra worldwide funding than some other UK regional metropolis over the previous decade, Manchester additionally boasts the UK’s fastest-growing financial system.
David Hilton, Director of Investment and Sector Growth at Invest Manchester, stated: ‘The UK-India Free Trade Agreement is a major second for Greater Manchester.’
‘India is already our fastest-growing companion nation for service exports, and the discount in tariffs on superior equipment opens up actual new alternatives for Indian producers seeking to set up a base within the UK.’
‘We have the infrastructure, the expertise and the partnerships in place to make Manchester the pure first selection.’
Manchester affords companies entry to one of many UK’s strongest expertise and innovation ecosystems. With the very best graduate retention charge exterior London, working prices as much as 40% decrease than the capital, and a labour pool of seven.3 million individuals inside a one-hour commute, the town produces roughly 14,000 STEM graduates every year, the most important pipeline of any UK regional metropolis.
The strengthening UK-India relationship is already delivering tangible financial advantages. Total UK-India commerce reached Pound 47.9 billion in 2025, a rise of 10% on the earlier 12 months, whereas India has turn into Greater Manchester’s fastest-growing companion nation for service exports, contributing Pound 337 million yearly to the native financial system.
Indian firms have invested greater than Pound 1 billion in North West England, supporting over 6,700 jobs, whereas almost 540,000 individuals of Indian origin dwell throughout the North of England, creating sturdy industrial and cultural hyperlinks between the 2 markets.
Manchester continues to draw funding from throughout the Asia-Pacific area. Japanese firms have invested almost Pound 118 million within the metropolis over the previous 18 months, together with main commitments from Astemo, Mizkan and Daikin, becoming a member of established companies reminiscent of Hitachi, NGK and Shimadzu. Indian firms together with Tech Mahindra and Hero Cycles have additionally established operations in Manchester, alongside Australian expertise firm SafetyCulture, which has chosen the town as its European headquarters.
The metropolis is exceptionally properly linked internationally via Manchester Airport, with direct hyperlinks to Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Phuket and lots of different world locations. India continues to be an more and more essential marketplace for the UK, with greater than 600,000 annual visits and customer numbers forecast to succeed in a million by 2030.
Manchester’s innovation ecosystem additional strengthens its enchantment for worldwide producers. More than Pound 300 million has been invested in specialist analysis centres throughout the area, whereas the town is residence to Europe’s largest college of supplies and over 180 superior supplies firms.
Major developments together with Atom Valley, a 17 million sq. foot superior manufacturing district anticipated to create 20,000 high-value jobs, and MIX Manchester, providing over two million sq. toes of producing and R&D area adjoining to Manchester Airport, present companies with world-class places to determine and develop their operations.
As a part of its ongoing engagement with the Indian market, a senior Invest Manchester delegation will go to India later this month to strengthen enterprise ties between India and Greater Manchester. The go to will embody conferences with main producers, buyers, trade associations and authorities stakeholders to discover new commerce, funding and innovation partnerships. Across key APAC markets, the company is represented by the International Advisory Council (IAC), serving to companies discover and set up operations in Greater Manchester.
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