Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon business support

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is an excellent location for doing business.

Local infrastructure

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon businesses benefit from direct access to markets across the world.

The M1 motorway running across the council area links to Belfast and the economic corridor to Dublin. A cross-border rail link between Belfast and Dublin includes a stop at Portadown Station.

Belfast International Airport and Belfast City Airport are both within an hour's travel time from the council area. The motorway network also provides fast and reliable access to major ports at Belfast, Larne and Dublin.

The council area has direct road access into the European Union - find out more about cross-border trade support with InterTradeIreland.

Local workforce and business supply chains

There are around 218,656 residents in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon.

There are 9,390 businesses operating in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, which is 12% of all businesses in Northern Ireland. The majority of the base is micro and small businesses:

• 90% micro (0-9 employees)
• 8% small (10-49 employees)
• 1% medium (50-249 employees)
• 0.3% large (250+ employees)

Some major business investors in the council area include Almac Group, Thompson Aero Seating, EOS IT Solutions, Alternative Heat and Classic Mineral Water. Service businesses make up the largest sector in Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon:

• 52% services
• 26% agriculture
• 14% construction
• 7% production

You can download an Invest NI council briefing on Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (PDF, 3.39MB).