Birmingham will be the entrepreneurial heart of the UK'ss economic recovery over the next few years, according to a new KDB (http://www.knaulagedb.co.uk) analysis of shareholder-directors across the country, which ranks the Midlands capital in the top slot.
However, London and its environs continue to dominate the top ranking postcodes for entrepreneurial vigour, boasting six of the top ten rankings.
The new study, from data analysts KDB, examines the most recent records on 2.5m British companies. It identifies areas of the UK where shareholder-directors are most numerous and
concentrated. These business leaders represent the country'ss entrepreneurial community and will be the most significant contributors to the UK'ss return to economic health following the
recent financial markets crisis.
Other entrepreneurial hotspots outside of the capital and its environs revealed in the KDB study include:-
o Brighton (3rd)
o Bristol (7th)
o Nottingham (8th)
o Leicester (11th)
o Sheffield (12th)
o Warrington (13th)
o Manchester (15th)
o Peterborough (17th)
o Bournemouth (18th)
o Coventry (20th)
The regional aggregated picture is even more revealing, showing that regions away from the capital are most likely to provide the engine room of economic recovery. The four regions
registering significantly above the national average score of 100 are, in order:-
o The Midlands
o Anglia
o The North West
o South Central
In Scotland, although below the national average as a whole, there are key entrepreneurial hotspots, including:-
o Glasgow (Index 125)
o Aberdeen (Index 114)
o Edinburgh (101)
Similarly, Welsh hotspots are found in:-
o Cardiff (122)
o Swansea (111)
Matt Boot, Chief Analyst at KDB (http://www.knaulagedb.co.uk), comments, Recovery from the current economic slowdown will require wealth creation
and strong leadership from companies large and small. Large firms, which employ ranks of clever economists to factor in cyclical changes such as that we are experiencing now, have no
doubt predicted the current tough times, even if they might not have foreseen its severity. However, large companies, with over 500 employees only represent 41% of the country'ss
turnover. The rest is delivered by smaller businesses. In fact, firms with fewer than 100 employees represent 43% of the nation'ss turnover - two percentage points higher than large
companies.
Therefore, economists looking beyond the current troubled times towards a period of recovery, will be very interested in where the most dynamic, wealth creating firms are likely to be
located in the country. On a tactical basis, marketers will also be interested in this picture, in that it helps to identify the most vibrant local economies, and therefore the most
fertile markets for sustaining current revenues
For government, economists, and indeed banks, the findings of this study are significant, when it comes to directing initiatives designed to stimulate health and recovery in the 'sreal
economy's following the recent financial markets crisis. A high concentration of shareholder-directors is also indicative of the health, robustness and resilience of local economies.
The findings are also of interest to marketers targeting high-net-worth individuals around the country, whether for investment products, property, motor vehicles, high-value retail
products, luxury holidays, and many more
About KDB (http://www.knaulagedb.co.uk)
KDB is a data and database marketing consultancy whose services include analysis for campaigns, insight into customer patterns and behaviour, database hosting and campaign management. KDB
is retained by household name organisations in the retail, financial services, travel and utilities sectors.