Previously it was a greenfield site, it was designated as an Enterprise Zone in 1990 in response to the decline of the area's former ship building and coal mining industries.
A partnership between Sunderland City Council and Goodman Property (formerly Akeler Developments Ltd.) has seen the creation of 1,350,000 sq ft (125,000 m2) of high-specification offices, with the private sector partner investing around £200 million.
The availability of telecommunications and a skilled workforce has been instrumental in the success of Doxford International, which is now a location for corporate HQs and contact centres serving the financial and customer service sectors.
[citation needed] One business that located on Doxford International is mobile phone operator EE Limited, which has a customer support centre that now employs around 1,000 people.
Citifinancial – part of the US-based CitiGroup – was one of the businesses that has reinvested in Doxford International, with an expansion project that brought additional jobs to Sunderland.