The 10 cities with the most successful new businesses  

New research  has revealed Reading, above, as the UK city opening the most successful new businesses in the last five years, with just 0.13% going into liquidation. The study organised by CMC Markets used business intelligence software, Endole, to analyse how many businesses were incorporated in the UK’s largest 25 cities from December 2017 to December 2022 compared to the number that went into administration, liquidation, or were dissolved.

Alongside Reading, Stoke-on-Trent, Plymouth, and Cardiff are also home to some of the UK’s most thriving businesses and entrepreneurs. Reading is the city with the lowest percentage of business closures (0.13%), suggesting this is a hotspot for talented entrepreneurs.

Stoke-on-Trent lands in second place, with 6,228 new businesses opening in the last five years and just 13 reported closures. Plymouth lands in third place with just 0.27% of new businesses struggling to survive, followed by Welsh capital Cardiff with just 58 closures. Scottish capital, Edinburgh, also makes the top five cities for successful businesses, with a closure rate of 0.41%. Bradford also deserves an honourable mention, with just 11 closures out of 2,665 openings.

The 10 cities with the most successful new businesses

City No. of Reported Openings No. of Reported Closures Percent of Closures
Reading 6,877 9 0.13%
Stoke-on-Trent 6,228 13 0.21%
Plymouth 4,744 13 0.27%
Cardiff 18,232 58 0.32%
Edinburgh 17,372 71 0.41%
Bradford 2,655 11 0.45%
Bristol 17,043 94 0.55%
Northampton 8,993 49 0.55%
Derby 8,109 45 0.56%
Belfast 7,819 62 0.79%

 

The 10 cities with the least successful new businesses

City No. of Reported Openings No. of Reported Closures Percent of Closures
Southampton 5,337 162 3.04%
Sheffield 13,241 397 3.00%
Birmingham 16,330 333 2.04%
Leeds 15,377 276 1.80%
Manchester 35,525 622 1.75%
London 23,192 320 1.38%
Coventry 12,900 176 1.36%
Newcastle upon Tyne 7,988 96 1.20%
Kingston upon Hull 6,036 62 1.03%
Nottingham 9,863 95 0.96%

 

SME Publications/ SME XPO 2024

The data reveals Southampton is the city with the highest number of closures in comparison to openings between Dec 17 and Dec 22, with 162 of these businesses ceasing trading. Sheffield is next with 3% of closures, followed by Birmingham (2.04%) and Leeds (1.80%).

Interestingly, despite having the highest number of new business openings overall with a staggering 35,525, Manchester is also on this list, as 622 of these companies closed down within five years. The city of London is also amongst the areas with the least successful new businesses, seeing 1.38% of closures

SME Publications/ SME XPO 2024