Two areas of Greater Manchester have become magnets for microbusinesses — being named in the top five places to start a new venture in the UK outside of London. While one of those areas is obvious, the other might surprise you.
The areas, based on parliamentary constituencies, are Manchester Central — which takes in sprawling city centre shops, Northern Quarter bars, and Longsight markets — and Stockport’s Hazel Grove. It includes Hazel Grove itself, suburbs like Marple, Romiley and Bredbury, and rural villages such as High Lane.
New research from tech firm GoDaddy says Manchester Central has 1.91 microbusinesses for every 100 people, with Hazel Grove having 1.75. Manchester Central’s score is top of the non-London list, whereas its Stockport counterpart is good enough for fifth.
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The results have been welcomed by the Federation of Small Businesses’ Robert Downes. He told the Manchester Evening News it continues to show the area is a ‘good place’ to start-up.
“Greater Manchester is a good place to be doing business,” the FSB’s development manager said. “It is seen as the second city, so it does not surprise me there are areas that feature.
“What we have seen because of the pandemic is an uptick in people starting business, possibly after losing their job and having a go at being their own boss. It is probably on the wishlist of many people — the benefits of self-employment are long, but there are challenges, too. It is good to see that Greater Manchester is featuring in these lists.”
Small businesses might be firmly in the focus of restarting the UK’s post-pandemic economy — but are poorly understood, the firm behind the research says. Ben Law said: “There are 5.3 million microbusinesses in the UK but very few studies focus specifically on companies with under 10 employees.
“As a result, microbusinesses are under-researched, misunderstood and under-served. GoDaddy’s Venture Forward project demonstrates the importance of microbusinesses to their communities. At GoDaddy, we empower everyday entrepreneurs and it’s our mission to help create opportunities for anyone to succeed, particularly in areas outside of London. After all, microbusinesses are the engine of the British economy. When they thrive, we all do.”
