READING is the best place to launch a successful business according to new research looking at companies that set up shop over the past five years.
Of the firms that started trading between December 2017 and December last year, just a handful – 0.13% – ceased trading according to CMC Markets.
Business intelligence software Endole was used to analyse business launches in 25 of the country’s biggest cities, and then compare it to the number that went into administration, liquidation, or were disolved.
And it was the Ding that was top of the business tree, with 6,877 companies starting, but just nine closures.
It was second to Stoke-on-Trent, which saw 6,228 openings, and 13 closures, a ratio of 0.21%.
The worst place to start was Southampton, which saw 5,337 firms start, and 162 close, a ratio of 3.04%.
Among the highest number of new firms was Manchester, which had 35,525 launches, with 622 going under, a ratio of 1.75%. This was higher than the 23,192 openings in London, and 320 closures, a ratio of 1.38%.
