New analysis puts Leeds ahead of London and Edinburgh as best city in the UK to grow a business

Leeds has been named the best city in the UK to grow a business, based on business survival rates, high growth enterprises and employment rates.

The findings come from analysis by The University of Law Business School, which placed Leeds above cities including Edinburgh and London on the list ranking the UK’s 25 largest cities on business growth.

The only other Yorkshire city to rank on the list’s top ten was Sheffield, which came in eighth.

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Dr. Elizabeth Moore, head of leadership at ULaw Business School, said: “These findings are promising for the north of England, where there has been so much investment into infrastructure in recent years. Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of debate around funding in the north of England, with HS2 being a constant talking point. These findings may just provide another strong argument for investment in the north.”

Leeds has been named the best city in the UK to grow a business. Picture by James Hardisty.Leeds has been named the best city in the UK to grow a business. Picture by James Hardisty.
Leeds has been named the best city in the UK to grow a business. Picture by James Hardisty.

Leeds ranked highly for its five-year survival rate (42.9 per cent) and the number of high growth enterprises (180), which has increased 12.5 per cent year-on-year.

Of the cities with the highest five-year survival rates, three are in Yorkshire. Bradford came fourth, with a rate of 43.3 per cent. Sheffield and Leeds came fifth and sixth with rates of 43.2 per cent and 42.9 per cent respectively.

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