From major international companies to family-run SMEs, our local businesses are the backbone of the Bolton community. We are investing in regeneration across the borough and working with our partners to create the vibrant, exciting, and prosperous neighbourhoods that all businesses will benefit from.

Alongside this, our dedicated Business Bolton team offer local businesses access to a varied range of support services to help them grow and thrive. 

Bolton: The home of innovation

We are proud to be sponsoring the Innovation category at this year’s Bolton Business Awards 2023. Bolton is no stranger to innovation, from the industrial revolution of the 19th Century to the new and exciting ways we are meeting today’s challenges by reimagining our town and district centres.

Anyone visiting the town centre recently will have noticed how we are working with our development partners to deliver new housing, modern offices, and improved public spaces.

Innovative new projects can be seen right across Bolton Town centre, including the conversion of the Wellsprings building into a £11m flexible workspace for digital and creative start-ups. Elsewhere, a renovated Bolton Market which will make an ideal space for small businesses of all kinds to start out.

The Bolton News: The Wellsprings building is being developed into a £11m business and innovation hub, a dynamic environment for digital start-ups to come together and thrive. The Wellsprings building is being developed into a £11m business and innovation hub, a dynamic environment for digital start-ups to come together and thrive. (Image: Bolton Council)Meanwhile, the Moor Lane and Central Street residential developments will bring thousands of new customers to the doorsteps of our town centre businesses. Outside the centre, the Bolton Institute of Medical Sciences is a £40m new skills centre that will train 3,000 learners every year from 2024.

Farnworth, Horwich, Westhoughton and Little Lever are being developed thanks to our District Centre fund which aims to invest £16m in these vital commercial centres. This regeneration work is backed by council strategies to create communities where people want to live, work, visit, study and invest in the local economy.

We aim to build on our reputation as a host of world-class events and major cultural attractions like the Octagon Theatre, Bolton Museum, and the Albert Halls.

Last month’s Bolton Food and Drink Festival brought half a million visitors into the town, giving a major boost to the local economy. Our Cultural Strategy will build on these success and boost footfall all year round.

All of these developments will be very good for business, and we urge business owners to talk to us about the many exciting opportunities ahead.

The Bolton News: This year’s Bolton Food and Drink Festival attracted half a million visitors, giving a massive boost to local businesses. This year’s Bolton Food and Drink Festival attracted half a million visitors, giving a massive boost to local businesses. (Image: Bolton Council)For more information, visit: investinbolton.com

Business Bolton: Support you can rely on

Our Business Bolton team are on hand to offer you support, advice and guidance whether you are an existing company or looking to invest.

We work with local and regional organisations across Greater Manchester to take your business to the next level and can connect you to both council and local services including business rates, procurement, and licensing.

Our team are also on hand to offer advice on development of your business plan, financing business growth and new ways to take a product or service to market.

Our business support hub is open every Wednesday from 10am-12pm in the Business Zone of the Central Library at Crompton Place.

Call us to find out more 01204 336222. Email businessbolton@bolton.gov.uk and sign up for our newsletter at www.businessbolton.org.