Cities are hot spots for firms with touch of flair

Analysis of the first 3,000 businesses who have worked with the Government-backed GrowthAccelerator, a national business advice service, suggests that there is no shortage of entrepreneurial flair in our region.

Leeds and Sheffield are ranked third and fifth respectively in the tables compiled on behalf of GrowthAccelerator.

Birmingham is at the top of the list and the London Borough of Westminster comes second.

According to the study, Leeds-based businesses in the manufacturing, media and software sectors account for a quarter of the businesses that have signed up to GrowthAccelerator so far.

The study also found a large number of manufacturing firms around Sheffield and Manchester.

Andrew Brocklehurst, lead for GrowthAccelerator in Yorkshire, said: “While businesses in Sheffield are showing distinct levels of ambition and positivity, it’s also encouraging to note an appetite for growth taking hold among businesses across the wider region.

“We are seeing a common need among high-growth firms for national and international market connections, with 88 per cent nationally expecting to grow their businesses through new market entry.

“In Sheffield, our expert growth managers and coaches ensure every business with the potential to grow is able to achieve their ambitions with tailored and connected support, whatever their sector and however long they’ve been established.”

Len Cruddas, the chief executive of the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “There’s a really strong entrepreneurial spirit within Leeds, which is underpinned by a very supportive business environment.

“Aside from Leeds’ prominence as a financial and professional services centre, the city has a strong knowledge base, has one of the UK’s largest manufacturing sectors and is also increasingly developing a sophisticated skills market, with two large universities and a leading further education college as testament to that.”

The research also demonstrates that growth is not restricted to start-ups: among the initial 3,000 businesses signed up to GrowthAccelerator, most have been established for between five to 10 years, and the majority of businesses in Birmingham, Westminster, Leeds, Sheffield and Bristol who joined the scheme have been established for 10 years or more.

GrowthAccelerator matches business experts to companies with high growth potential, to provide a programme of coaching, workshops and leadership training,

The research was carried out by the Growth Observatory, which analysed GrowthAccelerator data for the first 3,000 companies who had signed up to the scheme in February.

Further information is available at www.growthaccelerator. com