Where Industry Meets Opportunity
Growth Sectors
Croydon is positioned for growth as a leading player in half the government’s eight UK growth sectors (the IS8). It is also one of London’s biggest players in the underlying hygiene factors needed for both UK and London Growth .
Four of Eight Priority Sectors
A Borough Built for Industrial Strategy
Croydon is positioned for growth as a leading player in half the government’s eight UK growth sectors (the IS8) – Creative Industries, Professional and Business Services/Financial Services, Advanced Manufacturing and Digital and Tech.
It is also one of London’s biggest players in the underlying hygiene factors needed for both UK and London Growth – Freight and Logistics, Affordable Housing and Skills and Talent.
Recognised by the Mayor London one of the top four future visitor destinations in Greater London, the borough a rare footprint across the sectors driving the UK’s national growth agenda.
Few outer London boroughs can claim that same breadth, from a genuine creative economy and a fast-growing digital and gaming sector, through to established logistics infrastructure and a housing pipeline built for scale. Together, these sectors make Croydon one of the most diverse and resilient economies in outer London, and one of the best-placed places in the country to invest in right now.
A Creative Enterprise Zone
A Hub of
Creative Talent
Croydon is recognised as a Creative Enterprise Zone in the London Mayor’s Growth Plan, home to Fairfield Halls, the birthplace of dubstep, and artists including Stormzy, RAYE, David Bowie and Amy Winehouse. The borough has more creative businesses per capita than Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham, from BOXPARK and Stanley Arts to a thriving digital and tech sector recognised as one of London’s leading gaming hubs. The new CRO-llywood Working Group is turning Croydon’s track record as a filming location, including Batman The Dark Knight Rises, The Crown and Black Mirror, into jobs and investment for local creatives.
The Fourth Largest Office Hub in London
Professional &
Business Services
Croydon is the fourth most significant commercial office hub in Greater London, home to major occupiers including Superdrug, HMRC, The Home Office and EDF Energy. High-quality, relatively affordable Grade A office space at sites including Interchange, Renaissance and Ruskin Square attracts businesses seeking a major London location at a competitive cost.
Business support for those in need is available through Croydon Means Business and enterprise centre Up.
Where Ideas Get Made
Advanced
Manufacturing
Croydon is directly connected to the South East’s medtech, advanced manufacturing and quantum tech hubs, with a commercial base spanning engineering, construction, logistics and financial services. Local businesses include Zotefoams, whose advanced materials support Olympic athletes, and Nexform, which designed Domino’s lockable pizza box for clients including Aldi and the University of Oxford. Third-generation family business Amipak has produced sustainable food packaging from Croydon for more than 40 years.
A Growing Digital Powerhouse
Digital
& Tech
Croydon is recognised as a hub for digital transformation and named one of the leading gaming industry hubs in the London Mayor’s Growth Plan. Companies including Reef Entertainment, Click Entertainment and Testronic operate from the borough, alongside the Creative Digital Lab’s Extended Reality production studio. Croydon is also becoming a data centre hub, home to Pulsant Croydon and CapitaLand Data Centre, both central to the government’s AI growth agenda.
Homes For All
Affordable
Housing
Croydon is one of London’s largest housing growth areas, ranked seventh in Greater London for planned delivery. The Housing Growth Zone targets 14,500 new homes by 2041, part of a wider pipeline of 33,500 new homes planned over the next 20 years. Strong transport connectivity, available land and proven rental demand make the borough one of London’s most compelling locations for build-to-rent investment.
Moving London Forward
Freight
& Logistics
Croydon is home to South London’s logistics industry and the fourth largest player in London by floorspace, with direct road connectivity to the M25 and central London. International operators including DHL, Amazon Logistics, FedEx and UPS operate from Purley Way and Beddington, ranked 11th among London’s industrial innovation locations. Industrial rents here have doubled over the past decade, and the borough’s data centre cluster gives Croydon a distinct role in the UK’s AI infrastructure rollout.