SME Survival: Bromsgrove’s Struggle & Ceredigion’s Triumph
Picture this: 18 bright‑eyed entrepreneurs stepping into the ring, ready to pitch to Lord Alan Sugar on the latest episode of The Apprentice. The promise? A shot at huge capital and, hopefully, a path to success. But a fresh study by Qardus shows that while some markets are buzzing, others are more like dry‑spice markets.
How the Study Was Built
Qardus sifted through the Office for National Statistics data and boiled it down to six key metrics:
- Growth in active enterprises (2021‑2023)
- Birthrate of new businesses (2020‑2022)
- Death rate of new businesses (2020‑2022)
- High‑growth enterprises per 1,000 people
- Five‑year survival rate of SMEs
- Three‑year survival rate of SMEs
Each metric was weighted and scaled to a 0–10 score, then rolled up to a final score out of 100. The higher the score, the healthier the local SME scene.
Top Ten Local Authorities Where SMEs Are Struggling
- Bromsgrove – 80.75/100
Registered SMEs dropped 30.22 % from 2021 to 2023. Only 5.81 % of businesses survived five years. - Rochdale – 69.75/100
Growth lagged to a mere 1.91 SMEs per 1,000 people. - Worcestershire – 66.12/100
Minus 26.58 % in new registrations; under 20 % survived past five years. - Bury – 64.56/100
Five‑year survival at a chilling 14.52 %. - Rossendale – 64.37/100
Nearly 70 % of SMEs died between 2020 and 2022. - Leicester – 63.89/100
Registration fell by 15.31 %, and only 34.38 % lasted five years. - Cheshire East – 62.92/100
Registered businesses dipped 3.41 % from 2020 to 2022. - Somerset West & Taunton – 62.25/100
- Rhondda Cynon Taf – 62.20/100
- Buckinghamshire – 61.22/100
Top Ten Local Authorities Where SMEs Are Thriving
- Ceredigion – 29.03/100
Three‑year survival at 67.44 %; five‑year survival at 55.81 %. - Selby – 29.15/100
- South Staffordshire – 29.31/100
- South Hams – 29.74/100
- South Derbyshire – 29.95/100
Key Take‑Away
The numbers paint a clear picture: some local authorities hold strong, while others drop the ball at every turn. Notably, none of the London boroughs made the top ten list, hinting that even in the capital, new businesses find survival a tough fight.
Hassan Daher, Founder of Qardus: “The study shows that local conditions matter. Some regions are more welcoming to fresh enterprises than others, and that’s a call for policymakers to step in and tailor support.”
So, if you’re eyeing a start‑up spot, look beyond the buzz and dig into the data. A thriving environment isn’t just about great capital—it’s about a community that sticks around, grows, and supports long‑term success.
