Record number of firms set up (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Record number of firms set up

SWINDON has become one of the country's hotspots for new business.

According to new figures showing the number of start-ups in 2004, Wiltshire has seen the biggest growth outside London, with a five per cent increase on last year's figures,

Swindon itself has been highlighted as one of the best towns for growth with 1,800 businesses setting up over the 12 months, up by six per cent on 2003's figures.

Nationwide was a one per cent increase in 2004 compared to the previous year.

In total, the number of new businesses has grown by 13 per cent since figures were first collated in 1988, from 400,000 to 453,000.

Andy Reeve, the business start-up adviser manager at Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire said: "There is clearly a great deal of entrepreneurial spirit in Swindon and Wiltshire.

"The UK has long had a reputation for being a nation of entrepreneurs and these figures wholeheartedly support that view."

Mr Reeve said construction was a major growth area with about 40,000 businesses nationally setting up over the year, the highest number ever recorded.

He said these figures are bolstered by traditional trades, such as plastering which had a 60 per cent increase and carpet installation which saw a 50 per cent increase.

"It's particularly gratifying to see towns from this county high up on the list, proving that Wiltshire is the place to be when starting a new business," he said.

"This can only be good news for the county because it means there is more money going into the local economy."

Mr Reeve also said the increase in small businesses might have much to do with recent large-scale redundancies at a number of firms in Swindon, which might have given people money and the confidence to start their own business.

"It's clear that many people in Wiltshire are finding that running their own business can be lucrative and rewarding in terms of self-expression, flexibility of working hours and overall job satisfaction," he said.

"By identifying the skills and personal qualities they can bring to their company, they are finding the path to success."

Nick Oldland is one of the county's entrepreneurs. He began his firm, Anything Stone UK in Swindon with his business partner Nick Hockin after being made redundant from mobile phone service provider Cellular Operations.

He said: "I have no doubt that the numbers of new businesses springing up has much to do with the wide scale redundancies from Motorola, BMW and Cellular Ops.

"We were lucky that we worked for an entrepreneurial firm, it was encouraged, and when we left we didn't want to work for an archaic firm.

"We decided to take the risk and now I am working many more hours but it is far more satisfying working for yourself."

For more information, advice and access to experts on issues relating to running or setting up a business contact Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire on 0845 600 4141 or visit the website at www.blbw.co.uk

Anthony Osborne