Having already helped to secure over £450m of private sector investment across the East of England – including £250m on Freeport sites and £200m in the wider region – Freeport East has launched a dedicated “Investment Concierge Service” to attract a further £500m of business investment. While the Service is particularly aimed at international investors that are new to the UK, it also supports UK businesses looking to grow in the region.
Freeport East, one of the UK’s Industrial Strategy Zones, is offering free, dedicated support designed to help ambitious businesses and investors establish and grow their footprint in one of the UK’s most dynamic economic regions.
The announcement was made at the annual Sustainability Investment Forum in London, run by the greencrowd Impact Fund, emerging markets specialist DMA Invest and King Stage Business School, where the new service was launched in front of an an audience of investors, policy makers and technology start-ups.
The announcement marks a significant milestone for the organisation. To date, Freeport East has supported the delivery of £250m of investment on Freeport sites, and a further £200m on other sites across the East of England, a combined total of £450m.
Backed by the UK Government to help deliver on the Industrial Strategy, Freeport East is a not-for-profit public-private partnership and does not charge fees for its support.
The Investment Concierge Service provides end-to-end support for companies entering or expanding in the UK, offering guidance on location sourcing, freeport tax reliefs, investment opportunities, company registration, banking, planning and regulatory guidance, university and skills connections, and supply chain and network development. Freeport East also help to channel investment enquiries to specialist experts in the local area, for example in relation to customs, legal and accounting matters and also works closely with other inward investment agencies at the national and local level.
Based around the Ports of Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich, and close to London, Cambridge, Stansted Airport and leading universities, Freeport East and the wider East of England offers significant opportunities across clean energy, digital technologies, defence, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics. The region is home to the UK’s largest concentration of clean energy power assets, alongside world-leading research centres in digital technologies, telecommunications and agritech.
Steve Beel, CEO at Freeport East, said: “We’ve already helped to bring £450m of new private sector investment into the East of England, and along the way we’ve built up real knowledge of what makes businesses thrive here and the support they need. The Investment Concierge Service is how we put our networks, our relationships, our experience as well as our financial support to work to help more international and UK businesses grow their footprint in the region. We want to attract another £500m to the region, and with it, good jobs and sustainable growth.”
The service has already delivered tangible results for a number of international companies. Assan Panel, an international leader in building materials and part of one of Turkey’s leading industrial groups, was supported to identify the optimum location for a £45m manufacturing investment, secure investment incentives, and build strong relationships with government and other key stakeholders. Ukrspecsystems, a leading Ukrainian drone manufacturer, worked with Freeport East to identify the location for a new £200m investment in the East of England, and within just 12 months of first contact had established a new facility in Suffolk alongside a dedicated testing site.
Australian hydrogen storage innovator Rux Energy worked with Freeport East to set up its first overseas subsidiary in the port town of Harwich, connecting with UK university and commercial partners and securing new R&D and skills development funding. Cambridge-based data and analytics company Entopy has, since 2024, been supported by Freeport East to secure new funding, build commercial partnerships and gain greater visibility with key stakeholders to drive growth and workforce development.
Rick Gambetta, Founder and Partner at Greencrowd Partnership who was present at the launch said:
“We are delighted to have had this new service from Freeport East announced at our annual London Sustainability Forum. Since we signed our MoU with them in 2024 we have seen first-hand the role Freeport East have played in linking the investment community with international and UK businesses looking to grow their presence in the East of England. We look forward to ongoing collaboration and would recommend businesses interested in the region as a base for growth to get in touch with Freeport East to see how they can help”.
As one of those businesses who have been supported by Freeport East to date, Assan Panel Managing Director Ihsan Tolga Akar also shared his thoughts on the value that Freeport East has brought to their UK investment:
“Freeport East is the perfect place for us to expand our market into the UK. With the new manufacturing hub, I am confident that Assan Panel will create local job opportunities and accelerate skills and innovation development in the green manufacturing industry in the East of England and beyond.”
To find out more about the Investment Concierge Service, please visit: https://freeporteast.com/investment-support/investment-concierge-service/
