In the 19th century Reading became know for its production of beer, biscuits and bulbs. Simonds brewed the beer, Sutton’s manufactured the bulbs and Huntley and Palmer’s made the biscuits. In recent years, in the affluent Thames corridor and by the M4, the area has expanded its light and service industries greatly, and has also become a home to many London commuters. Reading is now seen as the capital of the Thames Valley and was disappointed recently to have had its application for city status rejected.
This seat contains most of Reading town centre and the more commercial and business-orientated parts. The town claims to be the 13th top shopping centre in the UK, not least because of the recent £200m Oracle shopping development. Amongst the businesses based here are BG (formerly British Gas), Thames Water, Microsoft, Prudential, and Yellow Pages. The seat also takes in about half of the campus of Reading University and - more importantly in terms of the election - about three quarters of the student population.