Dublin, Cork and Waterford are among the best cities for independent businesses in Ireland.
In recent years, there has been a bigger spotlight placed on independent businesses, as consumers become more conscious of contributing to their local communities and the impact their purchasing behaviour has on the environment.
Considering the rise in entrepreneurs starting new business ventures, SumUp has revealed the best cities in Ireland for independent businesses. By looking at the top ten industries for independent businesses and assessing how many there are in each city, we’ve created a list of the top five locations. Each city was assigned a final index score and ranked accordingly.
Top five cities for independent businesses in Ireland:
| Rank | City | Average review score | Average number of independent businesses score | Total score |
| 1 | Dublin | 5.4 | 6.1 | 11.5 |
| 2 | Cork | 6.4 | 3.1 | 9.5 |
| 3 | Waterford | 6.95 | 1.25 | 8.2 |
| 4 | Galway | 5.9 | 1.5 | 7.4 |
| 5 | Limerick | 5.6 | 1.65 | 7.25 |
It’s no surprise that Dublin tops the list as the best city for fostering and thriving as an independent business, with a total score of 11.5. The capital is home to the highest number of independent businesses in the top five. With a score of 6.1, Dublin hosts 177 beauty salons, 174 barber shops and 154 takeaways to name a few. The city also received a modest score of 5.4 for the average review scores across all businesses.
Cork lands in second place, scoring high for the average reviews across all businesses. With a score of 6.4 the businesses thriving across the city are beauty salons (average rating 4.8 out of 5 stars), barber shops (average rating 4.68 out of 5 stars) and bakeries (average rating 4.59 out of 5 stars).
Whilst Waterford ranks the lowest among the top five for the total number of independent businesses across the city with a score of just 1.25, the city does make up for quality, boasting the highest score for average reviews at 6.95. This is a common theme among the last two cities, Galway, and Limerick both hosting a small number of independent businesses but boasting consumer satisfaction.
Armagh failed to make the top five ranking, with only two independent convenience stores, eight bakeries and 10 coffee shops. Despite this, Armagh could be an ideal location for budding entrepreneurs within these industries to enter the market with limited competition.
Corin Camenisch, product marketing lead, at SumUp comments: “We’re rooted in supporting independent businesses beyond financial technology. By understanding and spotlighting the best cities in Ireland for businesses to thrive, we’re aiming to provide valuable insights to entrepreneurs. Whilst the sheer number of independent businesses in each city is a crucial part of our research, the quality of the businesses reflected by customer reviews is a powerful indicator of both success and satisfaction within each city.”
For more information, please visit: https://www.sumup.com/en-ie/business-guide/best-irish-cities-for-independent-business/
