In recent years, there has been a bigger spotlight placed on independent businesses, as consumers become more conscious of their local communities and the impact their purchasing behaviour has on the environment.
Considering the rise of Britons starting new business ventures, SumUp1has revealed the best cities in the UK for independent businesses.By looking at the top ten industries for independent businesses and assessing how many there are in each city, we’ve created a list of the top ten locations. Each city was assigned a final index score and ranked accordingly.
Top 10 cities for independent businesses:
| Rank | City | Average review score | Average number of independent businesses score | Total score |
| 1 | London | 4.85 | 8.55 | 13.45 |
| 2 | Bristol | 6.35 | 5.7 | 12.05 |
| 3 | Birmingham | 4.1 | 7.45 | 11.55 |
| 4 | Glasgow | 5.25 | 6.2 | 11.45 |
| 5 | Leeds | 5.45 | 5.95 | 11.35 |
| 6 | Edinburgh | 5.7 | 5.5 | 11.2 |
| 7 | Manchester | 4.8 | 6.4 | 11.2 |
| 8 | Sheffield | 5.45 | 5.55 | 11 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 5.3 | 5.65 | 10.95 |
| 10 | Belfast | 6.1 | 4.5 | 10.6 |
It’s no surprise that London tops the list as the best city for fostering and thriving as an independent business. The capital boasts an impressively high score of 8.55 for the number of independent businesses the city hosts, home to 213 beauty salons, 201 barber shops and 166 coffee shops to name a few.
Bristol takes second place. Whilst scoring somewhat on the lower end for the number of independent businesses they host, the city boasts the highest score for average reviews among the cities in the top 10. With a score of 6.45, the industries thriving the most in the city, with the highest average ratings, are barber shops (average rating of 4.83 out of 5), beauty salons (average rating of 4.71 out of 5), and bakeries (average rating of 4.67 out of 5).
Birmingham ranks third, also boasting a high score of 11.55 for the number of independent businesses in the city.
Other cities to highlight include Belfast, whilst placing last for a limited number of independent businesses, the city boasts the second-highest score for their average reviews across all businesses.
The cities that failed to make the top 10 include Nottingham in 13th place, and Cardiff in 14th. Brighton surprisingly placed in 15th place, despite being known for independent businesses across The Lanes.
Corin Camenisch, Product Marketing Lead, at SumUp comments:
“We’re rooted in supporting independent businesses beyond financial technology. By understanding and spotlighting the best cities in the UK for businesses to thrive, we’re aiming to provide valuable insights to entrepreneurs. Whilst the sheer number of independent businesses in each city is a crucial part of our research, the quality of the businesses reflected by customer reviews is a powerful indicator of both success and satisfaction within each city.”
For more information, please visit: https://www.sumup.com/en-gb/business-guide/best-uk-cities-for-independent-business/
Methodology:
1. The data was pulled from Google Maps in January 2024. Please note, “independent” * refers to three or fewer of the same independent stores across the United Kingdom /each city. Chains and franchises have not been included in the ranking.
The methodology involves ranking 80 cities in the UK based on their suitability for independent businesses by gathering data on 18 factors per location, normalising these factors to scores between 0 and 1, summing the normalised values, and subsequently ranking the locations from high to low based on their total score. Factors such as the number of businesses and their average reviews are considered, with higher numbers garnering higher scores and lower numbers receiving lower scores in each category.
