Mid Suffolk district is home to a range of numerous and diverse businesses ranging from world famous brands such as Dulux and Bosch, down to entrepreneurial small 'niche market' companies. Did you know that the malt in the centre of every Malteser comes from Stowmarket!

The district has a strong cluster of quality food and drink businesses from growers of fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit to manufacturers of interesting and tasty produce for your kitchen - and don't forget the restaurants and pubs, many of which serve locally produced food and drink as well!

Many are members of Tastes of Anglia (opens new window) - an organisation that promotes the fine food and drink produced in the East of England.

There are also clusters of successful manufacturing and engineering, haulage and logistics companies within the district.

Mid Suffolk has the LOWEST number of recorded redundancies for any district in Suffolk along with one of the lowest levels of unemployment rates.

What's new:

• Stowmarket gets its first Town Centre Manager- Mark Strachan started on 1st May 2010 
• A website has been created for businesses to find out more about the variery of contracts arising from both the construction of  new facilities for the London Olympics and the actual games themselves.  A leaflet about generating new business from the 2012 games is available from the Economic Development Officer 

The East of Englands FIRST Independent Retailers Strategy

Mid Suffolk have produced the first strategy in the Eastern region specifically to support and encourage local and family run shops in Stowmarket. The town wants to retain it's local distinctiveness and not become a 'clone town' full of the same high street shops that you see everywhere else. Already there are a range of interesting and different goods for sale in Stowmarket, ranging from designer clothes to local food. For further details please contact Dawn Easter, Economic Development Officer, telephone: 01449 724635 or email: Dawn.Easter@MidSuffolk.gov.uk 

Growth Prospects
Mid Suffolk is within the Haven Gateway sub-region, which has been given growth point status by the government. Much of the future growth in the district is expected to come as a result of the £240m expansion of the Port of Felixstowe.

Our excellent links to the Midlands and the Continent via the A14 make the district an ideal base for logistic and other port related businesses. The direct rail links to Cambridge and London by the rail stations at Elmswell, Stowmarket and Needham Market make the area a popular choice for communters too.

Our largest town of Stowmarket has recently grown at 4 times the rate of the average Market Town. It will be the focus of significant housing growth in the future as well, managed by the Stowmarket Masterplan and Stowmarket Area Action Plan. New allocations of employment land will be made to compliment the housing growth, providing better opportunities for people to both live and work in the town. The Town Centre will shortly be undergoing a multi-million pound redevelopment to increase both the number and size of retail units. Stowmarket currently has plans for over £50m of investment projects in the next 3 years.
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