IHK location survey: Good accessibility and leisure facilities as plus points for Bestwig

Good accessibility by road, a wide range of sports and leisure facilities, an outstanding quality of energy supply and numerous shopping opportunities are the main factors that score the municipality of Bestwig highly with local companies. This is the result of this year's location survey, which the IHK Arnsberg - Hellweg-Sauerland has now carried out among its member companies. IHK Managing Director Jörg Nolte and Team Leader Sina Sossna have now presented the results for the municipality of Bestwig to Mayor Ralf Péus and Bestwig Economic Development Manager Alexander Böer.

In each case, 41 per cent of the participating companies rated the municipality of Bestwig as a business location as "very good" and "good" or "satisfactory". The municipality of Bestwig achieved an overall score of 2.83 - almost exactly in line with the average of all municipalities in the IHK district (2.75), as Managing Director Jörg Nolte stated. For Bestwig, this is "a good and reasonable result - you are on the right track." 24.2 per cent of the companies surveyed attested to the positive development of the municipality of Bestwig as a business location over the past five years; 68.2 per cent rated the situation as unchanged and only 7.6 per cent saw a deterioration.

The participating companies also tended to be satisfied with the parking situation in the municipal area and local road traffic as well as the availability of commercial space. In contrast, the companies saw a need for action in terms of mobile phone network coverage and broadband supply. Mayor Ralf Péus emphasised that the current expansion of the fibre optic network in particular should soon lead to noticeable improvements in "fast internet".

The availability of suitable trainees as well as workers with and without vocational training are issues that are "burning under the nails" of companies in the municipality of Bestwig and in the IHK chamber district as a whole, as IHK Managing Director Jörg Nolte was able to report. Labour without vocational training is also very important for local companies. This makes it clear that not only academics are in demand, but that in-company training in skilled trades or services also opens up excellent career prospects, according to Jörg Nolte: "Not everyone has to go to university - some people are much better off working directly in the company."

A total of 70 out of 464 IHK member companies in the municipality of Bestwig took part in the location survey. This corresponds to a rate of around 15 per cent - a normal figure for such surveys, emphasised Jörg Nolte. Small companies in particular took part - which also largely corresponds to the corporate structure of the IHK member companies. Further information on the results of the IHK location survey can be found atwww.ihk-arnsberg.de