Are you looking to grow your business in the coming years? There are several decisions you can make right now to increase the chances of that happening, and one of the biggest ones is choosing the right business location.
While there are 76 official cities in the UK, there are some that stand out from the crowd, some of which have been hand-picked in this article. Expanding in these cities may even help take your business from a small startup to a fully-fledged, profitable company.
Of course, you’ll need to go about it the right way, so here’s how to do it in any of these UK locations. This covers three distinct areas, all with different price points.
Balancing Opportunity with Affordability
Before you decide on the perfect city for your business, it helps to consider that you’ll need to balance opportunity with affordability. After all, some locations are far more expensive than others. As a general rule, any city in the south of England is going to be more expensive, whereas northern cities tend to come with lower office rental prices.
That’s why it’s a good idea to look at each popular city individually to weigh up what it can offer your company, alongside how affordable it is.
1. Manchester
Let’s start with a bustling city in the North West of England: Manchester. Manchester has plenty to love about it, as it’s solidified itself as the second-best city for tech companies (only falling behind London, the capital). As such, there are plenty of amazing opportunities for tech companies looking to expand – here are some ways to do it.
Choose a Flexible Workspace
In terms of affordability, Manchester is cheaper than many southern UK cities. However, because of its rapid growth, it isn’t the most affordable city in the north, and renting workspace there can get more expensive if you don’t choose the right options. The good news is that there has been a significant rise in flexible offices to rent in this well-loved city. Companies like BizSpace, Regus and Bruntwood are all providers of suitable solutions. Flexible workspaces in Manchester allow businesses to rent a space without lengthy or rigid terms, allowing for easy scalability. Plus, they tend to be more affordable than traditional office spaces (where you have to cover utility bills and internet).
Use Manchester’s Support System
Manchester has a lot to offer businesses looking to grow. For example, the GM Business Growth Hub. This is a business-to-business service in Manchester that helps firms of all sizes evolve. You can even access funding to make using this service more affordable.
This is just one of the ways Manchester stands out – it’s a collaborative, community-driven location where people like to lift one another up.
Pick the Right Manchester Location
There are several areas in Manchester that stand out for businesses wanting to grow.
- Media City: Media City sits just outside Greater Manchester in Salford. It’s a hub for all things media and tech, with major businesses like the BBC owning space there. It’s a modern area with lots of potential for anyone with innovative ideas.
- The Northern Quarter: Located in the heart of Manchester city centre, The Northern Quarter is where all the creatives make a home. There are plenty of exciting independent businesses in the area, creating a dynamic, bustling space prime for collaboration.
2. Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital of Wales, which naturally means it holds a lot of prestige and has plenty of growth opportunities for businesses. At the same time, this city offers balance, as it’s not as expensive as some other UK cities, such as London. Still, it has a high business density, great access to talent from local universities, and a thriving tech environment. Here’s how to get growth right in this location.
Use a Cardiff Growth Program
There are plenty of programs to help Cardiff-based businesses grow, such as the Business Growth Programme that helped support 75 entrepreneurs scale up their companies, with the goal of driving even more economic development in this Welsh zone. If expanding to Cardiff, keep an eye on business growth programs. They could help catapult you to success.
Use Targeted, Local Marketing
When you expand into Wales, you have the chance to target the local community with your marketing. You can advertise yourself as a business located in Cardiff, and many people will be drawn towards that. To do this, you could get in touch with Cardiff news outlets to see if they’ll run a piece on your business. Or, you can advertise in local community groups on social media.
Pick the Right Cardiff Location
If you choose Cardiff as a place for your business to grow, you have several options when it comes to the exact location.
- Central Square: As the name suggests, Central Square is located in the heart of Cardiff. It’s a premium business district that sits right next to the city’s main train station and is particularly popular with media and law businesses.
- Cardiff Bay: In past years, it was an industrial port, but now Cardiff Bay is a thriving hub for creative businesses and tourists, making it a great spot for business growth. Plus, the South Wales Metro now means that accessing Cardiff Bay is easier than ever.
3. London
It’s hard to make any top UK city list without mentioning London. While there’s no denying London comes with premium costs, it’s also worth remembering that it’s a global hub with plenty of growth for all kinds of businesses, including access to the best talent from all over the world. If you want to grow here, this is how you do it.
Utilise Public Transportation
You don’t have to be right in the centre of London to grow here. You can always use the great transportation system that London has to offer. The efficient public transport (such as the always-expanding underground network) means you can get from one area of London to another in barely any time at all. So, you could rent a space on the outskirts but still feel like you’re in the heart of this capital city.
Pick the Right London Location
- Canary Wharf: This area was known for serving big banks, but it’s now also a great hub for technology and health companies. The infrastructure is captivating, as it offers 5G connectivity, great transport links, green spaces, and historic areas all in one.
- Soho: Soho is a historic hub that has already helped catapult many creative businesses to success. It’s known as a place for film, TV, and artistic industries, so if your company wants access to creative people, it’s the place to set up space.
Worthy Mentions
Beyond these three locations, other worthy mentions include:
Aberdeen: Known as the oil capital of Europe, Aberdeen has a lot to offer beyond oil and gas. That includes industry experts, many of whom boast amazing skills in technology, research, and future energy systems. These kinds of minds can help your own business grow.
Bristol: As one of the best-known hubs of innovation and creativity, it is a fantastic location for up-and-coming creative media businesses. Thanks to its strong startup culture and sustainability focus, industries of all kinds are moving here to scale up with more confidence.
Leeds: Leeds is considered one of the fastest-growing financial and digital hubs in the country, making it a desirable option for those in the finance industry and digital marketing. This is only strengthened by the young talent coming from the universities here.
Whether you choose Manchester, Cardiff, or London, each location offers plenty of benefits to a business.
