Business areas
The Thames Valley has one of the most buoyant economies in the South East and generates more wealth than any area in the UK apart from London. Easy access to Heathrow Airport makes the region a magnet for multinationals, with world leaders such as GlaxoSmithKline, Microsoft and Vodafone amongst the 100,000 businesses which have chosen to locate themselves in the Thames Valley.
Re-named the 'Silicon Valley', the Thames Valley is dominated by hi-tech industries. Information and communication technologies is the major business cluster, while the life sciences and biotechnology sectors are steadily gathering momentum. The automotive industry is also well represented by the likes of Honda, BMW and Volvo.