UK shipbuilding areas home to fast-growing enterprise hubs
The nation’s entrepreneurs are thriving in areas with a strong shipbuilding heritage, new GoDaddy research shows.
The research highlights that Belfast North, Birkenhead, and Poplar and Limehouse are among the top five fastest-growing constituencies for small business density in the United Kingdom over the past 12 months. All three are historically known for their connections to the shipping industry.
Meanwhile, small business communities in Stockton, Hartlepool, and Dagenham – all places with historic shipping sectors – are flourishing, as all feature in the top 20.
The new data comes from the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab. This international research initiative studies the economic impact of more than 600,000 small businesses in the UK, as well as the attitudes of their owners. Each constituency in the UK receives a Microbusiness Density growth count. This figure shows the rate at which the number of small businesses per 100 people is increasing year-on-year.
Shipbuilding communities reinvented as small business hubs
GoDaddy’s analysis shows that Belfast North is the UK’s fastest-growing entrepreneurial constituency, and the only area outside of England to feature in the Top 10. Spanning much of the city’s famous docklands to the north of the Lagan Estuary, the constituency saw a 241% increase in microbusiness density across the past 12 months.
The growth in the area follows a concerted effort from Stormont, which launched a programme – ‘Go Succeed’ – to support entrepreneurs across the region, including one-to-one business support and nearly £2m of funding. The city has also worked to ensure that small businesses can find a home in the heart of the capital. Belfast’s ‘Titanic Quarter’ is located on the former Harland & Wolff shipyard. This mixed-use redevelopment has become a hub for small businesses and contributes to the city’s economic growth.
It is a similar picture in Birkenhead, which has a small business density growth rate of +63% year-on-year. The Wirral Waters regeneration project – located on the site of Merseyside’s once-thriving shipbuilding industry – is home to Egerton Village, a hub for start-ups, independent retailers and creative enterprises.
Former docklands foster small business success
Constituencies with rich, historical maritime industries feature throughout GoDaddy’s top 20. Poplar and Limehouse, part of the Tower Hamlets borough, is in fourth place overall, with density growth of +50%. The area has strong shipping roots in the historic London Docklands. Local businesses benefited from an initiative by the borough council to foster enterprise, through a £700,000 investment to support entrepreneurs.
Stockton (+32%), Hartlepool (+29%) and Dagenham (+27%) are in 6th, 11th and 19th places respectively. Hartlepool’s old shipyard and docks have been redeveloped into Hartlepool Marina, now home to many independent hospitality businesses.
UK entrepreneurs show resilience in the face of economic challenges
More broadly, GoDaddy’s research demonstrates that UK entrepreneurs are displaying resilience and maintaining growth ambitions in the face of economic challenges. Only 14% of UK small business owners say they’re confident in the nation’s economy this year, while over half (53%) describe themselves as “not very” or “not at all” confident.
Despite those trends, four in 10 entrepreneurs (40%) expect their business income to grow in 2025, with 18% expecting their revenue to grow “significantly more” against 2024 figures. It’s also never been easier or more cost-effective to get a small business off the ground. Almost one in five small businesses (18%) were created with less than £500 of start-up capital, according to the GoDaddy study.
Alexandra Rosen, global head of the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, commented: “Shipbuilding has long been one of the country’s most important historic sectors, and now we’re seeing these same towns and cities, rooted in a strong industrial past, thriving today through digital entrepreneurship.”
“Findings from the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab show that the nation’s entrepreneurs are confident in their ability to succeed, even in the face of economic challenges. That’s setting a great example for the future.”