Our history

Our Way of Success

The Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1882 when it broke away from the long established Exchange Committee. The first President of the Chamber was Benjamin Carver, a prominent Manchester businessman who along with his brother, William had developed strong links with Gibraltar since the 1840s.

At the time the Chamber’s remit was “for the promotion of measures calculated to benefit and protect the trading interests of its members and the general trade of Gibraltar”.

Over 125 years later the Chamber’s role is as important today as it was then.

This site aims to assist you whether you are a Chamber member, a business or individual thinking about becoming a member or if you are just looking for information about Gibraltar’s business community.

Gibraltar, West Side

  • 1882Chamber established by breaking away from the Exchange Committee

  • 1914Outbreak of World War I leads to the Chamber helping to establish the Price Controls Committee

  • 1921Formation of the Gibraltar City Council

  • 1939Outbreak of World War II leads to the suspension of the City Council and a year later to the evacuation of the civilian population from Gibraltar along with the introduction of import and export quotas and rationing

  • 1951Civilian population returns to Gibraltar

  • 1954Post war rationing comes to an end

  • 1969Closure of the frontier with Spain resulting in the loss of one third of Gibraltar’s workforce along with restrictions being imposed by Spain on air traffic to and from Gibraltar

  • 1972Chamber helps to mitigate the effects of the General Strike

  • 1973The UK and Gibraltar join the EEC

  • 1978Consumer Protection Act replaces the Price Control legislation

  • 1981Partial reopening of the Spanish frontier to pedestrians

  • 1985Full reopening of the Spanish frontier

  • 2002Gibraltarians reject joint sovereignty with Spain and vote (98.97%) to remain British

  • 2006Gibraltar adopts a new constitution and the House of Assembly becomes the Gibraltar Parliament. Signing of the Tripartite Agreement in Cordoba

  • 2009Chamber publishes study on Gibraltar’s economic impact on the Campo de Gibraltar

  • 2010End of the Tax Exempt regime for qualifying companies

  • 2015Chamber publishes updated study on Gibraltar’s economic impact on the Campo de Gibraltar

  • 2016UK referendum on EU membership. Gibraltar votes 96% to remain but has to follow the UK

  • 2020UK and Gibraltar leave the EU

  • 2020Chamber lobbied the Government to develop a comprehensive set of measures known as BEAT to protect jobs and assist companies in dealing with the effects of the pandemic