5 businesses you might not realise are based in Surrey

News | 11-07-2022

You might not have realised that Surrey is home to a number of well-known businesses, but it’s true! The county is a great place to do business and live, due in no small part to its proximity to London and access to good transport links. We’ve picked out five of the best-known companies that you might not have thought of as being based in Surrey… 

McLaren 

McLaren Automotive is a British automaker and Formula One racing team. Formed in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, the company built its first car in 1985, the McLaren F1. The brand has since expanded to include several additional models including supercars, road cars, and even hypercars like the P1 and Senna.

McLaren’s headquarters are located in Woking, Surrey (a mere 30 minutes from London). After starting out as an automotive constructor for Ford Motor Company in 1966 before acquiring his own team for Formula 1 races — which he later sold to Teddy Mayer — Bruce McLaren founded his own company with Mayer as director of operations at age 33. 

The company was originally called Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd., but changed its name to simply “McLaren” following Bruce’s death in 1970 at age 32 from injuries sustained during practice for that year’s Can-Am race at Mosport Park near Toronto, Ontario (Canada). In 1981 they merged with Ron Dennis’ Project 4 Racing team which had won two drivers titles under their charge including Niki Lauda who would later become one of their drivers when they bought out Walter Wolf Racing Team after its withdrawal from F1 racing due to economic reasons following 1982 season finale held at Brands Hatch circuit just outside London England on August 15th 1982 where he finished 2nd place behind Prost by only 6 points which meant nothing since both were tied together anyway due “one point per position finish” rule 

Samsung

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a South Korean multinational electronics company headquartered in Suwon, South Korea. It is the flagship subsidiary of the Samsung Group, accounting for 70% of group revenue and employing about 306,000 people as of 2017 (excluding subsidiaries). Samsung Electronics has assembly plants and sales networks in 80 countries and employs around 308,745 people. Its main products are electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, digital appliances (including home appliances), computer monitors and televisions. Other major industries include shipbuilding; financial services; biotech/life sciences; machinery building; aerospace components & equipment manufacturing (for example: aircraft engines); heavy industry equipment such as construction equipment or shipbuilding machines 

GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was founded in the UK in 1998, after a merger between Glaxo Wellcome and Smith Kline Beecham. It’s now one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, with more than 100,000 employees across 120 countries. 

The company’s roots date back to 1853 when Samuel Gee started manufacturing alkaloids and thyroid extract at his pharmacy in Lincolnshire. Alongside their range of over 2000 products for human health, GlaxoSmithKline is best known for producing vaccines such as MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) or influenza vaccine Fluarix® which helps protect against seasonal flu strains like swine flu H1N1 (2009). 

In addition to its headquarters based at Brentford Gate Business Park near London Heathrow Airport, GSK also has sites located around Surrey including: Eshott Hill Research Centre (near Newcastle), Chobham R&D Centre (“Chobham”) and Guildford Innovation Centre (“GIC”).

Netflix 

Netflix is a streaming site that you’re probably familiar with. It has revolutionised the way we watch television, providing access to a huge library of content from all over the world. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in California, but it has studios all over the world including one in Surrey! 

Netflix has been around for a while now, and as such there are hundreds of shows available to watch on your own terms – whether that means bingeing them all at once or watching them at a more leisurely pace. It can also be helpful when wanting to keep up with current affairs or politics as there’s always something new on Netflix! 

And if you’re not into TV shows or movies then don’t worry; Netflix also offers documentaries for those who want something educational. There’s even options for kids (like Peppa Pig) so everyone will find something they like! 

Silent Pool Distillery

Silent Pool Distillery, which produces gin and vodka, has been named the best gin in the world. The distillery sits on the bank of a lake, surrounded by woodland and water. It’s also very pretty from above, so you can gaze at its beauty from one of their luxury hang-gliders. 

Silent Pool produces Silent Pool Gin and Silent Pool Vodka amongst other gins and vodkas with names like Elderflower & Ginger or Rhubarb & Ginger. The company won Best Craft Spirit Producer at this year’s World Spirits Awards in London as well as being awarded Best International Branding at last year’s Spirits Business awards. 

These are just a few of the names that call Surrey home… 

There are many more business that are based in Surrey. With over 50,000 registered businesses and a thriving economy, it is no wonder that so many companies have chosen to set up shop here. 

Surrey also offers plenty of support for budding entrepreneurs. The county’s Business Gateway network provides advice and support for small businesses looking to grow their operations locally or nationally. 

The expertise of local experts can be invaluable when starting out on the path towards becoming an entrepreneur in your own right – so if you’re not sure where to begin, the best place to start is with the experts! 

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