Liverpool Business Tips

(Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK)

The main businesses in the Liverpool and Merseyside area are tourism, retail and hospitality. Once the second city of the United Kingdom, Liverpool is a busy city, with tourists and visitors arriving throughout the year.

The economic regeneration of Liverpool has resulted in a thriving shopping centre and the trendy Albert Dock area, which has brought much wealth in recent years. Home to the world-famous Beatles, the city has numerous Beatles-related attractions in and around the centre, which are always huge tourist magnets, such as the Cavern Club.

Liverpool has certainly grown as an important financial city in the area and throughout the city you will find a number of large businesses and stylish office blocks, with notable business parks including the southerly Estuary Commerce Park, close to the John Lennon Airport.

Business Hours and General Etiquette

Normal business courtesies should be observed in the Liverpool and Merseyside area, such as dress and general manners. The degree of actual formality depends upon the nature of the business, with computer and media organisations understandably being much more informal than financial and legal professions.

Business hours in the Liverpool and Merseyside area are generally from Monday to Friday, between 09:00 and 17:30, although many offices do close later. Shops are open longer and often throughout the weekends, and a number of Liverpool's supermarkets are now open 24 hours. Banks tend to open from 09:00 to 17:00 and some banks also open on Saturday mornings in the busy centre.

Working lunches are a particularly popular way to do business in Liverpool and many locals are quick to use first-name terms on these occasions. Reliable centrally located eateries can be found lining roads such as Cook Street, Princes Street, Stanley Street and Victoria Street, next to the Cavern Walks Shopping Centre.

Greeting Someone

A brief and friendly handshake is usually the customary greeting in Liverpool and generally throughout England. New acquaintances are often addressed on first name terms.

Smoking

Liverpool restaurants have a strict 'no smoking' policy, together with public transport and all public spaces. All of the offices and businesses in the Merseyside area are also 'non-smoking'. If you find yourself needing to light up where smoking is allowed, it is still polite to ask those around you first.