Croydon has been hailed as a ‘centre for innovation and enterprise’ by the Deputy Mayor of London for Business after an event marking the achievements of Croydon’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over the past year.
The special event marked the anniversary of Croydon’s year for business focussing on the hard work of the entrepreneurial community and the support Croydon Council offers them.
London’s Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, toured some of the borough’s most successful businesses including the TMRW hub and Boxpark.
He met members of the Croydon Good Employer Network, a scheme encouraging business to pay a living wage while supporting Croydon’s economic community, and spoke to an audience of SMEs at a special lunch hosted by Croydon College.
Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor for Business said: “Croydon’s business community is a centre for innovation and enterprise, demonstrating the huge impact that small businesses can make to a borough.
“It was fantastic to meet so many business owners today and see first-hand how they are contributing to the local economy.”
SMEs make up 99% of the borough’s businesses. Other speakers at the lunch will include Andrew Bauer, Chairman of the Small Business Commission, which looks at opportunities and barriers to growth facing Croydon’s SMEs.
“The business community, and particularly our SMEs are the bedrock of our communities and we will continue to do all we can to support them and help them grow.
“Croydon is open for business and the last twelve months have seen major successes including setting up the Croydon Means Business Forum and a business school offering free start-up advice for residents.”
Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed, cabinet member for economy and jobs
