The York Narrative

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York’s businesses, large and small, have a vital role to play in shaping, driving and communicating a shared vision for the future of the city. It is in your hands to shape the city as a place where every person matters, and where all can play their part in progressing a thriving and sustainable future.

No matter the size of your business – from international corporation to startup – The York Narrative will help you generate investment, attract and retain staff and boost your marketing impact – and do it in a way which benefits from joined-up thinking and common purpose. By working together, York will stand out from the competition and become clearly associated with the values it stands for.

“I’m pleased that the Chamber has been able to play a role in shaping the development of the York Narrative and to represent the voice of business. Much of York’s amazing heritage exists because of the people who over so many years have lived, worked and grown their businesses here. The values of the narrative form a good platform for continuing that into the future, to the benefit of everyone in York.”

York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce.

“We were delighted to be part of such a comprehensive project that captures what makes York such a great place to live and work. We hope the output will help attract even more people and investment to this fantastic, vibrant city.”

Hiscox

Key Facts

International and national organisations base their headquarters in York, building on its industrial heritage as a city of manufacturing and commerce:

Overall, York’s 8,900 businesses supports 110,000 jobs with the economy valued at over £5bn.

York was ranked in the Top 10 European small cities for business investment by the Financial Times in 2014.

Hiscox UK recently completed a £19m investment in purpose built offices (largest outside London). It has recently been rated #7 in Best Places to Work and 83% of current employees would recommend working at Hiscox to their friends.

Both universities offer undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in relevant areas. Nationally, the University of York ranked 13th for business-related subjects in 2018.

There are strong and active networks in the city including the Chamber of Commerce, Federation for Small Businesses, York Professional Services and York Independents.

Case Study: Phase One Incubator

York Science Park is home to over 130 companies focusing on science and tech. With close links to the University, the Science Park plays a pivotal role in the development of the city’s knowledge, bioscience and tech based enterprises, and has just opened a new incubator space for start-ups.

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The Narrative Toolkit

Whether you want to recruit talent, encourage relocation, design a corporate responsibility policy or make the case for investment, the toolkit is designed to help you adopt The York Narrative with a framework for implementation, how-to guidelines for each stage and downloadable resources for you to adapt and use in your organisation.

View the toolkit