Small business start-ups - East Enders lead the way

East London and Ilford have been placed firmly on the map, with the highest percentage of business start-ups across the UK, according to a recent Royal Mail report.

The Royal Mail Map of Business Start-Ups plots key areas for new business across all of the UK’s 121 postcodes and highlights that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and kicking in the East-end with postcode region ‘E’ taking the top spot for start-up activity.

The top five postcodes for business start-ups also included Birmingham, Sunderland and Manchester in 3rd, 4th and 5th place respectively, all demonstrating a higher than average percentage of businesses that are start-ups. Although the East-end was placed first for business start-ups this was surprisingly one of only two London postcodes featuring (E and SE London) in the top 10 of start-up locations.

Royal Mail Top 20 Business Start-Up Locations

1. London E
2. Ilford
3. Birmingham
4. Sunderland
5. Manchester
6. Falkirk
7. Glasgow
8. London SE
9. Milton Keynes
10. Medway
11. Crewe
12. Colchester
13. Edinburgh
14. Romford
15. Cleveland
16. Enfield
17. London W
18. London N
19. Northampton
20. Chelmsford

Richard Wilson, Head of Business Policy at the Institute of Directors, said: "It is encouraging to see small towns playing host to entrepreneurs across the UK. The advances in information and communication technology mean that people can more easily work from home or in small towns than perhaps was the case in the past without missing out on crucial business opportunities."

Tim Rivett, Head of Small Business said: “The research shows that business success doesn’t have to be restricted to the traditional commercial centres across the UK. Royal Mail enables businesses in the remotest parts of the UK to the big cities to effectively communicate with their suppliers and customers.”