Borough of Broxbourne -  Employment Structure & Local Business

The Borough  has a  range of office and manufacturing employers which make a significant contribution the local economy   Employment Structure & Recent Trends  The  latest estimate (Sept. 1996), of  employment within the Borough  was 27,600 jobs,  a marked  increase over the previous year (24,300), but  similar to the 1991 total  (27,100).    Recent employment growth has been supported by the expansion of  retail facilities in the Borough such as the Brookfield Centre, wholesaling ,  vehicle sales and repair and  growth in services to businesses.    Part time employment accounted for 30% of the Borough total, but nearly half  of  all female employment.     Broxbourne shares many of the economic characteristics of its neighbouring London Boroughs in the Lee Valley with a significant share of employment in the manufacturing and retailing/ distribution sectors        While Manufacturing employment declined by 2,200 between 1991 and 1996, its share of total employment has not fallen as rapidly as in most other Hertfordshire districts  Firm Size The 1993  Census of Employment indicated that small sized units of under 25 employees accounted for  30% of total employment  and for over 40% of employment in the manufacturing sector. Whilst the range of small firms in the Borough gives the  local economy some resilience against changing fortunes in the economy there is a   possible over-reliance on a small number of significantly sized companies.     The Borough  does not have the  concentration of large employers and headquarters functions which are likely to attract other companies with common interests or support a network of smaller sub-contracting and supplier businesses.     A Council survey (October 1997) of the Borough’s main industrial estates   identified some 400 firms covering a diverse range of activities. The largest number of industrial units were occupied by companies  in wholesaling  or  the sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles  Major individual occupiers (in terms of floorspace)  include  distribution warehouses operated by Tesco and  Sainsburys  and the  headquarters’ offices of Tesco and Merck, Sharp & Dohme.     Some companies have moved out of the Borough since 1996  including Pan Britannica Industries, Symonds Engineering  and part of Tesco’s headquarters functions  from Cheshunt  to a new site at Welwyn. More positive indicators include the expansion by Sainsburys  of their warehousing facilities in Hoddesdon and the  letting of all 20 starter units in the Borough Council’s Hoddesdon Industrial Centre.    Broxbourne’s Economic Development Strategy  seeks to  broaden the base of the local economy,  provide job opportunities to address the issue of long-term unemployment and raise the district’s profile. Its main objectives also include  bringing  forward the development of  the Borough’s  ‘Key Sites’, measures to  assist the retention and expansion of existing firms and improving the skills of the local workforce.

Borough of Broxbourne: Development Land Availability Report April 1998  Last Updated 29th July 1998