Whether you’re starting a business or thinking of moving your existing business somewhere else, choosing the right office location is an important part of the process.
Where you base your business will influence its potential growth in lots of ways, some obvious and some more subtle. Generally speaking, cities offer the best opportunities, with dense populations, strong transport links, and lots of local amenities to take advantage of.
But what’s the best city in the UK to start a business or grow your existing one? We’ve put together a guide to the best UK cities for businesses to help you decide between the options.
What makes a great city for business?
There are lots of factors that go into judging a city’s suitability for your business, all of which are worth considering as you evaluate your options. The most important ones to think about are:
- Office and coworking space availability: If you’re planning on having a workspace, whether you’ll be using it full-time or as part of a hybrid working arrangement, it’s important to choose a city that has plenty of available offices or coworking spaces that are in your budget and suitable for your needs.
- Transport infrastructure: The best cities to start a business or move an existing business to will have excellent transport infrastructure. This should include options to travel around the city itself, as well as great connections for travelling into and out of the city to facilitate commuters from nearby. And, if your business works with international customers or clients, it’s also important to consider proximity to airports.
- Access to top talent: The local talent pool in a city is an important factor for your business, ensuring you can hire the right people to build towards success. Even if you’re not planning on hiring in the immediate future, access to talent is an important factor in long-term scalability.
- Business landscape and support: The general business landscape, including the main sectors that are represented, can be influential in deciding the perfect city for your business. Tech businesses, for example, often cluster together in specific locations which creates a local ecosystem that’s ideal for other tech businesses to join. Certain cities will also offer funding or support schemes that can benefit your business.
- Nearby amenities: Finally, the quantity and quality of relevant local amenities like cafes, shops, gyms, and more can prove important in providing your employees with everything they need nearby. While this is more for quality of life than business performance, it’s still worth considering and can even be the deciding factor between two closely-matched options.
Outside of these factors, which are all measurable and comparable to a certain degree, you’ll also have to factor in yours and your employees personal preferences.
The 5 best cities to start a business in the UK
London
The UK’s capital has countless qualities that make it a top contender for businesses looking for the perfect city to call home. It’s a commercial powerhouse, both playing host to the headquarters of huge multinationals and acting as a breeding ground for innovative startups.
There’s an unparalleled talent pool to draw from, with a massive population of skilled workers and lots of highly-regarded universities based in and around the city. Superb transport infrastructure keeps you well connected, with the London Underground making it easy to get around within the city, mainline stations offering services across the UK, and a choice of nearby airports for international travel.
It’s also home to the most well-developed office and coworking space sector in the country, with lots of options to choose from catering for all sorts of businesses.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the most populous city in Scotland, and the third largest city by population in the whole of the UK. It’s Scotland’s main commercial hub, and offers a vibrant, dynamic atmosphere and a culture of innovation and creativity.
Just like London, Glasgow has great transport links that make getting around the city and to other destinations across the UK easy. It’s also home to a thriving business sector and several universities, meaning there’s plenty of local talent to pull from across diverse sectors.
Glasgow has a great selection of office and coworking spaces to choose from, and workspaces are generally available at a cheaper rate than in London.
Birmingham
Birmingham is the UK’s second city, with the second largest population, a wonderful central location, and a thriving business scene that makes it well-worth considering as a base for a business.
It is home to a highly-skilled workforce, with several universities throughout the midlands generating a constant supply of talent in diverse sectors. It’s also one of the most popular areas for business conventions and events, with several world-leading venues that host a year-round calendar of events and attract all manner of businesses. And, in terms of transport infrastructure, Birmingham has several major train stations and an international airport that make getting around the UK and Europe seamless.
The city is a growing commercial force in the UK, and Birmingham offers a growing selection of offices and coworking spaces to choose from spread across diverse areas of the city.
Manchester
Manchester is the de facto capital of the north of England, with a thriving business scene made up of companies that span diverse sectors, from creative to finance, fuelled by the city’s entrepreneurial talent and world-class universities.
It features several major train stations and an international airport that make getting around the UK and Europe easy. That includes links to nearby Salford, home to MediaCityUK which is renowned as one of the county’s main media and broadcasting hubs. It also offers a great environment for startup businesses, with a dynamic community of collaborative businesses and a constant schedule of business events, meetups, and conventions.
There’s also a good choice of coworking spaces and serviced offices throughout the city, providing lots of options for businesses seeking a central workspace.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital city and the seat of the Scottish government, making it the Scottish equivalent to London in some ways. That includes its position as the country’s leading financial centre and a powerful digital and tech business hub.
It’s home to a diverse business community and several major universities, which means there’s plenty of local talent to attract new businesses to the city. And great transport links including easy access to Glasgow and direct trains to London make it relatively easy to reach from other major business hubs across the UK.
There is also a growing network of flexible workspaces and coworking venues across the city, albeit at a slightly higher average office cost than Glasgow.
How to choose the best city for your business
Making a decision between the cities listed above, and others across the UK including Liverpool, Bristol, and Newcastle, can be tough, but creating a workplace strategy that outlines what your business needs from a location is a good start.
Fundamentally, all major cities in the UK offer a viable environment for new, growing, or established businesses to thrive. Choosing the perfect one for your business depends on your priorities, whether that’s keeping costs low or ensuring access to world-leading amenities.
Boutique Workplace Co offers a range of flexible serviced offices and coworking spaces across some of the best locations for businesses in the UK, including London, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Cheltenham and Birmingham. Take a look at our workspaces and find the ideal option for your business.
