The UK sees a 28% leap in the number of new businesses in 2015
When you are in the business of selling office space, you quickly spot trends in the wider economy and the growth of SMEs in the regions has been the prevailing trend of the past 12 months.
We have seen a strong demand for the UK’s “second cities” in 2015. There has been strong start up growth in the capital too, but the data for the regions makes for compelling reading and, proportionally speaking, is much larger than London.
We can usually approximate the number of new businesses across the UK – and the world – at any given time from the demand for workspace. But to test our theories, we cross referenced our data with that of Companies House to find out exactly where start up registrations were being made, (as every new corporate entity has to be logged on the House’s database).
This data confirmed that the amount of new start-ups has grown by a massive 28% across the UK over the past year. Not only that but, as our data had suggested, the increase in start-ups has been driven by the regional cities, with Nottingham showing the highest concentration of new business registrations with a growth of 68%.
London experienced some of the smallest proportional growth across the UK at just 21% but which, in totality, still demonstrates a significant increase in new start-ups.
The increase in new companies seems to be particularly strong in the Midlands and the North. Cities in these areas grew proportionately faster than their southern counterparts, including the Capital. Key areas for growth included Bristol, which grew by 40% and Birmingham which grew by 39%.
Many of these cities had a tough time during the recession and, understandably, have been slower to recover than the Capital. But as an indicator of business confidence and, in particular, the confidence to take the risk of starting a new business, these numbers are an encouraging sign of a sustainable recovery across the UK.
See the infographic below for a ranking of how each city performed:
A New Way of Working
This aggressive growth in start-ups shows, in our view, a shift in the balance of the workforce and the way that the professional world functions today.
The UK’s contingent workforce – those freelancers, consultants, and one-man companies – are acting as sources of growth and innovation across the country, with the need for flexible office space growing constantly. Over the past year alone we have seen a notable increase in demand for one to two desk requirements in offices across the country. Nottingham, for example, saw a 37% increase in new office enquiries from 2014 to 2015, obviously driven by the increase in start-ups.
At Instant Offices we have seen first-hand how flexible office space is driving innovation. Coworking space in particular has also become a massive growth factor in these regions. It is not just the consultants and start-ups who want to be in spaces that offer collaboration and flexibility. Demand for flexible office space of all types is up 21% in the last 12 months, and that is being driven by corporates and mid-cap firms as much as it is SMEs. Businesses now choose to use flexible office space on projects to help promote collaboration, and to make sure they are close to their clients without the commitment of a longer lease.
We believe we have reached a tipping point, where coworking is emblematic of a broader move to flexible workspace. There is now a change in perception of ‘the office’ across the market. Traditional office rents remain steep and a limited supply has put pressure on vacancy rates. Because of this, more businesses are moving towards flexible solutions to meet their needs and inspire innovation.
As our working world is becoming more collaborative and the popularity of flexible working spaces grows, we are seeing the start-up and business arenas in the regions and further afield thrive. As this trend develops, we are certain that we will continue to see businesses setting their sights on new, evolving cities throughout the country.
Looking for Office Space?
We Operate in Some of the World’s Top Cities:
London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Search more locations