Wales attractive to businesses according to Royal Mail’s business barometer

Welsh towns and cities are proving attractive to both established companies and new start ups according to Royal Mail’s latest Business Barometer out today.

The Business Barometer*, a detailed analysis of active business growth within the UK, reveals that both Swansea and Newport moved into the top 10 UK towns and cities with the highest business population growth.

In Royal Mail’s business league for October 2005 – March 2006, Swansea jumped 13 places from its ranking in April – September 2005 to take second place with an impressive 4.11% increase. In the previous study, Swansea’s business population growth was 2.23%.

And Newport climbed 44 places to ninth spot with a 2.85% business growth compared with 1.74% previously.

The Royal Mail study also revealed that the Top 100 towns ranked by active business population show an average 2.96% business growth, an increase of 55% on the period April 2005- September 2005, which recorded an average rise of 1.78%.

Stockton-on-Tees in Cleveland topped the latest league table with 4.45% business growth while Liverpool secured third spot with 4.09%.

Swansea’s business increase is attributed to its dramatic economic growth, generated by a structured investment programme, enhancing the City and its surroundings. The recent regeneration activity has raised Swansea’s profile considerably and enabled the city to grow into a modern and cosmopolitan community. Swansea is not only the main regional shopping centre serving South West Wales, but also the home to the National Waterfront Museum, the Wales National Pool and Liberty Stadium home to Swansea City Football Club and the Ospreys regional rugby team.

Local business can now also reap the benefits of the new Swansea Enterprise Park and the surrounding Swansea Vale, providing a prestigious location for business use. These projects are supported by a joint venture between Swansea Council and the award winning Welsh Development Agency.

Council Leader Chris Holley said: "Over the past five years we have seen significant growth in the number of people starting a business in Swansea through the services of the Business Centre in St Mary’s Square in their administration of the New Business Starts Programme.

"There has also been specific support provided to established local businesses seeking to capitalise on opportunities created by the high number of development being seen around the City through initiatives such as the Local Supplier Development Programme. This coupled with other financial and support services provided by the Council’s Business Centre has helped foster a climate where opportunities are clearly visible and the means to secure them is readily available for Swansea businesses."

Alongside Swansea, Newport in Gwent is also experiencing a large business growth supported by Newport & Gwent Enterprise, a leading agency offering key services for business success and providing business advice, training and property letting for new enterprises.

Royal Mail’s Head of Media Development, Antony Miller, said: "Royal Mail’s Business Barometer produces an essential view of business growth in the UK. Since we can deliver to every UK business address, Royal Mail can effectively monitor the changing environment, and identify all business growth from re-locations to start-ups.

"This survey also reinforces the importance of keeping track of business customers as they move around the country; the very reason why Royal Mail’s Business Changes File ® was developed."

Milton Keynes also flourished in the survey and moved from 65th place with 1.61% in 2005 to 15th place with 3.71%. Now approaching its 40th birthday, Milton Keynes has developed into a thriving business centre home to some of the UK’s leading blue chip companies such as Argos and British Telecom.

Carol Undy, National Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "The UK business landscape has changed substantially over the last five years with both current businesses expanding and an increasingly large number of start ups emerging. As a result towns and cities are adapting to support this changing environment and are flourishing as successful business centres. The overall Business Barometer results reflect the increasing trend of new business start ups.

"Since IT improvements and new technologies now give people the option of running a business from home, combined with the ease of selling products and services over the internet, start ups are now becoming a more and more attractive proposition. This trend also follows the rise in popularity of entrepreneurial programmes such as Dragons Den and The Apprentice. As a result in 2006, more than 500,000 new start-up businesses were formed in the UK.

"This survey tracks all UK business movement making it an extremely valuable tool not only as a means for businesses to keep in contact with their customers, but also to identify the success of individual local economies."

The Business Barometer research has been driven by information collected by the Royal Mail Business Changes File®, a database product updated monthly that enables businesses to not only keep track of present customers as they move location, but also to identify new leads from businesses that have just started or have just moved. This is a key time when they are most likely to buy new products and services.

The top 20 towns, based on active business growth between October 2005 and March 2006, are:

RANK TOWN COUNTY UNIVERSE NETT
MOVES NEW
SITES TOTAL %
1 STOCKTON-ON-TEES CLEVELAND 3,641 2 160 162 4.45%
2 SWANSEA WEST GLAMORGAN 7,425 -1 306 305 4.11%
3 LIVERPOOL MERSEYSIDE 15,671 99 542 641 4.09%
4 ROTHERHAM SOUTH YORKSHIRE 5,214 16 191 207 3.97%
5 ROMFORD ESSEX 4,033 -6 166 160 3.97%
6 BRADFORD WEST YORKSHIRE 8,802 4 342 346 3.93%
7 TELFORD SHROPSHIRE 4,248 2 163 165 3.88%
8 SUNDERLAND TYNE AND WEAR 4,161 -2 163 161 3.87%
9 NEWPORT GWENT 4,804 -4 189 185 3.85%
10 WAKEFIELD WEST YORKSHIRE 4,680 18 162 180 3.85%
11 PLYMOUTH DEVON 7,342 -5 287 282 3.84%
12 NORWICH NORFOLK 12,249 14 447 461 3.76%
13 HALIFAX WEST YORKSHIRE 3,962 -1 150 149 3.76%
14 STOKE-ON-TRENT STAFFORDSHIRE 10,363 7 378 385 3.72%
15 MILTON KEYNES BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 7,600 -8 290 282 3.71%
16 BRIGHTON EAST SUSSEX 7,368 -31 304 273 3.71%
17 MAIDSTONE KENT 4,949 10 173 183 3.70%
18 CHESTERFIELD DERBYSHIRE 5,488 5 197 202 3.68%
19 WIGAN LANCASHIRE 5,464 -6 206 200 3.66%
20 WIRRAL MERSEYSIDE 3,912 8 135 143 3.66%

The top 20 towns, based on active business growth between April 2005 and September 2005, are:

RANK TOWN COUNTY UNIVERSE NETT
MOVES NEW
SITES TOTAL %
1 WIRRAL MERSEYSIDE 3,983 9 102 111 2.79%
2 TELFORD SHROPSHIRE 4,234 0 115 115 2.72%
3 LOUGHBOROUGH LEICESTERSHIRE 3,652 22 71 93 2.55%
4 SUNDERLAND TYNE AND WEAR 4,161 -4 108 104 2.50%
5 BOURNEMOUTH DORSET 7,057 -25 196 171 2.42%
6 WAKEFIELD WEST YORKSHIRE 4,721 17 97 114 2.41%
7 DERBY DERBYSHIRE 8,919 23 192 215 2.41%
8 CHELMSFORD ESSEX 6,002 6 138 144 2.40%
9 LIVERPOOL MERSEYSIDE 15,874 98 278 376 2.37%
10 COLCHESTER ESSEX 7,675 9 171 180 2.35%
11 LEICESTER LEICESTERSHIRE 16,770 8 384 392 2.34%
12 ASHFORD KENT 4,118 -5 100 95 2.31%
13 STOCKTON-ON-TEES CLEVELAND 3,634 4 78 82 2.26%
14 IPSWICH SUFFOLK 7,010 4 153 157 2.24%
15 SWANSEA WEST GLAMORGAN 7,415 2 163 165 2.23%
16 MAIDSTONE KENT 4,974 16 94 110 2.21%
17 NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE TYNE AND WEAR 10,457 -28 258 230 2.20%
18 MANCHESTER LANCASHIRE 28,343 54 560 614 2.17%
19 DUNDEE ANGUS 4,530 -6 103 97 2.14%
20 PETERBOROUGH CAMBRIDGESHIRE 7,519 -19 180 161 2.14%

Ends

Issued by Eulogy! On behalf of Royal Mail.
Tel: 020 7927 9999
Email: [email protected]

Notes to editors
* Research findings from Royal Mail’s Business Barometer are based on an analysis of the UK’s top 100 towns and cities by business growth from the full list of 1,497 postal towns, during the period October 2005 to March 2006. These top 100 towns account for nearly 50% of the total business growth. The business growth was compiled from leading business information group D&B (formerly known as Dun & Bradstreet) as well as from Royal Mail’s own business movers data.

For further information and enquiries on the Royal Mail Business Changes File ®, please call 0870 600 4404, visit www.royalmail.com or email [email protected].

The top 100 town listing for active business growth is available on request from Eulogy!.

www.royalmail.com