A large, place-based organisation such as a hospital, university or local authority that is unlikely to relocate and whose employment and purchasing shape the local economy.
In more detail
CLES lists local authorities, NHS trusts, universities, trade unions, large local businesses and housing associations as typical anchors. Community wealth building asks them to direct spending, hiring and investment to local suppliers and residents. In Preston the anchors included the City and County councils and UCLan; Evergreen in Cleveland tied cooperatives to the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University. REDF (2015) found that executive support did not always reach procurement managers, so anchor sales fell short of plans.