Bexhill one of the top 20 areas of the UK for microbusiness boom

The findings come from Venture Forward, an international research initiative from GoDaddy that analyses data from more than half a million digital microbusinesses, typically defined as having 10 employees or fewer, with a unique domain and an active website.

GoDaddy calculates a 'microbusiness density' score for every UK constituency, mapped against each 100 residents.

According to the data, Bexhill and Battle saw a 23 per cent growth over the past year, more than four times the national average, which is five per cent, and feature in the top 20 highest climbers.

Other coastal areas of the UK the data highlights include Bournemouth West, which saw a 29 per cent growth, East Devon which contains Sidmouth, which saw a 23 per cent increase, the Isle of Wight, Totnes, and Portishead in North Somerset, which all saw growth of 13 per cent, and St Austell and Newquay, which had an 11 per cent growth over the past year.

Howard Martin, president of Bexhill Chamber of Commerce, said: “This report is recognition of the hard work that our Chamber have put in to attract businesses to Bexhill. Following Covid we worked hard to make Bexhill a business environment that welcomes digital nomads who very often work from home. Key to this was our success in persuading the high speed internet providers to build infrastructure in Bexhill four years ahead of schedule.”

Bexhill MP, Huw Merriman said: “It comes as no surprise to me that Bexhill is at the centre of a microbusiness boom.

“One of the key reasons I set up the Bexhill Jobs Fair in 2016 with other local stakeholders, was to highlight the incredibly diverse range of businesses which were already operating in the town which people were completely unaware of.

“Many of these are small or microbusinesses, some of which operate on a global level. This sector has continued to grow in Bexhill year and year. The pandemic delivered improved communication tools which have made it so much easier to operate a business from home or remote locations.

“Local partners including Rother District Council have worked incredibly hard to support microbusinesses in the area. We have a fast-growing creative sector in which young local talent is supported by the successful Talent Accelerator programme.

“There is also a wealth of support and business training offered by the Sussex Chamber of Commerce; our local Bexhill Chamber is there is provide vital networks and support to new businesses. Bexhill is a great place to live and work so it makes a lot of sense to start a microbusiness from one of the best coastal towns in East Sussex.”

Andrew Gradon, head of GoDaddy UK & Ireland, said: “The UK's small business community is in good health and we've seen growth in microbusiness density in most parts of the country. Many iconic coastal towns have been at the heart of this boom.

“The trend is particularly pronounced in the south of England, as people have moved out of London post-Covid. However, seaside towns in northern areas have not fared as well. With the rapid advancements in technology and tools to help entrepreneurs set up websites quickly and efficiently, we hope to see the north-south seaside divide start to close in the near future.”