The Business Exchange Bath & Somerset Issue 7: Spring 2018 | Page 22

INVEST IN BATH BATH: 2nd best UK city for starting a business Bath has ranked very highly in a list of the top cities to launch a business in the United Kingdom, taking second place behind Aberdeen and sitting ahead of Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester. The research by card payment provider Paymentsense used measures such as five-year start-up survival rates, self- employment rates and average gross weekly pay to compile the rankings. Bath’s five-year business survival rate stood at 49.1%, well ahead of Bristol at 43.8% and more than 10 percentage points higher than that of Liverpool. Bath also scored very well on self-employment with a rate of 12.5%, second only to Brighton & Hove. Bath also has a slightly higher average earnings than Bristol, with average gross weekly earnings of £543.30 in Bath compared to £539.90 in Bristol. The research also pointed out how growth in the software, publishing and business services sectors is broadening and adding value to Bath’s economy, which historically has been driven by tourism and retail. Inspired to start your Bath business? There has never been a better time to start a business in Bath & North East Somerset. Residents can get up to 12 hours of free support and guidance to get started and boost their chances of long term success. To find out more visit: www.investinbath.co.uk/business/ support/free-advice-service The Best cities in the UK to launch a business 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Aberdeen Bath Brighton & Hove Leicester Edinburgh Leeds Bristol Milton Keynes Newcastle Southend-on-Sea Sheffield Cardiff Birmingham Manchester Liverpool Confidence in Bath is on the increase with a number of businesses continuing to grow and invest in the city’s future. Expanding Bath business moves into Royal Mead Move GB goes for growth at the Ice House London and Country Mortgages have taken 6,300 sq ft of commercial property space at Royal Mead in Bath. The team moved in just before Christmas 2017 and will employ approximately 650 staff across their two sites in Bath. Active membership company Move GB has moved from their home at the University of Bath Innovation Centre to the Ice House in Walcot Street. Their fit out plans for the Ice House include a studio, gym and boxing area, a running track, indoor/outdoor working and a chill out area. Move GB hopes to double their staff in 2019. Wild & Wolf expands with move to Manvers Street Gift and lifestyle company Wild & Wolf took up residence in their newly-completed offices at 20 Manvers Street in mid-January. The Bath-born company have enjoyed global success over the past 12 years; with their products now sold in over 60 countries worldwide. Northgate House transformed by Amsterdam-born creative workspace pioneer Spaces has moved into Northgate House providing new workspace totalling 18,000sq.ft The new work hub offices a number of options from occasional hot desking to offices ranging in size from 1 to approximately 70 desks. New residents include Bath e-sports agency Epics GG, a specialist digital collectibles start-up. [email protected] 01225 394285 22 THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2018 Search Star moves into Monmouth Street Studios Search Star are specialists in digital media buying, analytics and conversion optimisation. They became a Google Partner in 2010 and have since been made a Premier Google Partner. They are currently the biggest agency of their type in the south west. Prior to their move to the top floor of Monmouth Street Studios, they were based in Royal Mead and before that the Bath Innovation Centre. If your business is looking for space in Bath contact the Invest in Bath team and they can discuss the range of options available in the area. @Investinbath For more info: www.investinbath.co.uk