Press Release: Coventry and Warwickshire strikes London 2012 gold

Figures show Coventry and Warwickshire has received a major boost to the local business economy as a result of the 2012 Games being hosted in London.
With just over a year still to go until London 2012, a total of 303 organisations in the West Midlands region have already landed London 2012-related business contracts with a total value in excess of £515 million.
Coventry and Warwickshire has won 80 contracts, with more likely in the future, after businesses registered through the CompeteFor portal – the system by which organisations can apply for 2012 tender opportunities.
Every parliamentary constituency in the Coventry and Warwickshire region has landed at least one 2012-related contract across a range of industries – the most high profile being the announcement that Exhall-based Premier Group will manufacture 8,000 Olympic Torches for the 2012 Torch Relay.
A total of 23 contracts have been landed across the three Coventry constituencies, while Stratford-upon-Avon secured 15, North Warwickshire 13, Warwick and Leamington 12, Rugby nine, Kenilworth and Southam seven and Nuneaton one.
Councillor Linda Bigham, Coventry City Council cabinet member for city development, said: “These figures are a perfect example of how Coventry and Warwickshire are gaining from London 2012.
“We have been saying for a long time that the benefits of London 2012 would reach far beyond the borders of the capital city and these business successes are real evidence of this.
“These figures also go a long way to underlining the quality of the businesses we have in the city and the region and we should be proud of the successes they have achieved.”
Workshops, detailing how to apply for London 2012 tenders via CompeteFor, were held in the build-up to 2012 across the region by the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games in conjunction with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and funded by Advantage West Midlands.
Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We understood the importance of engaging local businesses with London 2012 and the associated opportunities at the earliest opportunity and that is why we held the CompeteFor workshops.
“Opportunities such as this do not arise very often, so we were determined to support businesses in the region however we could when it came to applying for London 2012-related contracts.
“These figures are pleasing and are a positive reflection of the quality of businesses in the area as well as the value of the support we were able to offer.”
ENDS
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