Central London:
Home to over 80,000 businesses and responsible for generating in the region of 7 per cent of the nation's GDP, Central London is the UK's primary business centre and unrivalled in Europe.

In a global economy becoming increasingly dependent on knowledge and innovation, companies in Central London find themselves adjacent to a wealth of locally based expertise in almost every field of business and a network of world class universities and research institutes committed to creative, productive business collaborations. Central London's reputation in this area is second to none. Global enterprises benefiting from collaborative relationships with Central London universities include AEA Technology, Marconi, Halliburton Shell UK, BP International, GlaxoSmithKline, Nokia, Fujitsu and Unilever.

Financial services are at the forefront of the global shift towards a serviced-based economy. Central London is the heart of the UK's financial and business services industry, responsible for around 60 per cent of London's business, and by far the larger contributor to the UK's overall output. With more overseas company listings than any other in the world, a daily turnover of around $637 billion, which is more than New York and Tokyo combined and over 32 per cent of global turnover, the London Stock Exchange is the largest in the world. As the world's only self regulated shipping market, over half the world's new and second hand tonnage is bought and sold on The Baltic Exchange in a market worth around £5 billion pa. Central London also represents the world's largest international insurance market.

Central London is also the focal point for London's tourist, leisure and entertainment industries and has one of the highest concentrations of media industries in the world.

Office space in Central London is generally in short supply and consequently expensive. In response to this, in areas such as Mayfair or Victoria in the West End, many blue chip companies choose the smaller period buildings for corporate headquarters as an addition to larger offices, call centres or R&D facilities in the less expensive Greater London region. This ensures a prestigious Central London address whilst Central London's comprehensive integrated transport system ensures effective communication between the locations.

On a daily basis, the public transport system services a commuting population of over 1,000,000 people. Beyond that, easy access to large local domestic and international markets makes Central London the operational hub for a considerable proportion of European business.