The business services sector, including IT and communications, is currently the fastest growing sector in Royal Greenwich. The sector is significant in Greenwich town centre, and is also clustering on the Digital Peninsula and in Woolwich, as more new office and light industrial space is developed.

Rent prices

The sector has grown partly on the back of Canary Wharf's growth, spilling across the Thames to Greenwich. Support and back office functions have found it economical to locate due to the closeness to Canary Wharf, at much lower rents.

Construction industries in Royal Greenwich can also benefit from our competitive rents at a pivotal location between central London and the Thames Gateway.

Creative industries

The creative industry is one of the fastest growing parts of the national economy and is a key growth sector in the Royal Greenwich economy.

Attention continues to be placed on the regeneration and the encouragement of facilities. This has resulted in the provision of grade A modern office space for digital media businesses and the availability of affordable workspace for artists.

Creative clusters have developed in the following areas:

• the Digital Peninsula in Greenwich - linked to The O2 and Ravensbourne, the specialist digital technology education provider
• Woolwich - with the establishment of the cultural quarter on the Royal Arsenal
• West Greenwich - centred around the World Heritage Site
• Charlton - due to the availability of affordable and appropriately sized artist workspaces.

Tourism

Tourism is a strong and growing sector, thanks to our rich cultural heritage.

Outside of Maritime Greenwich, many more fascinating tourist attractions are located around the Royal Borough, including Charlton House, Eltham Palace, the Thames Barrier and The O2.

Retail

The retail and wholesale sector accounts for just under a fifth of Royal Greenwich employees.

Royal Greenwich boasts some lively traditional town centres at Greenwich, Woolwich and Eltham. It also prides itself on impressive retail parks at Charlton and Thamesmead.

Construction

Construction is a significant sector in Royal Greenwich, with recent years seeing the redevelopment of huge brownfield sites and the development of Canary Wharf on the neighbouring Isle of Dogs.

The sector is likely to remain buoyant in the foreseeable future as a result of the development of the Thames Gateway, one of Europe’s largest regeneration areas.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing and distribution are traditional sectors in Royal Greenwich, and as such, are a priority for the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The Royal Borough's unitary development plan continues to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of land for industrial employment use and the sector is finding new vibrancy with technological advances and new industrial estates.