Revealed: the best cities for budding beauty salon owners
By Helena Biggs | 01 March 2024 | Movers & Shakers, News
London, Bristol and Birmingham are the best cities in the UK for independent businesses to thrive, according to research by global fintech company, SumUp.
The study ranked 80 cities across the UK, taking into consideration the number of independent businesses in each location and their average review score.
These ‘independent businesses’ are those with three or fewer of the same independent stores across the UK.
Top 10 cities for independent businesses:
- London
- Bristol
- Birmingham
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Edinburgh
- Manchester
- Sheffield
- Liverpool
- Belfast
The research found that London is home to 213 beauty salons, 201 barber shops and 197 nail salons. It boasts some of the highest rated businesses within the hair and beauty sector, with an average barber shop rating of 4.9 stars and 4.78 stars for nail salons.
Bristol takes second place. While scoring on the lower end for the number of independent businesses it hosts, the city boasts the highest score for average reviews among the cities in the top 10. With a score of 6.45, the industries thriving the most in the city, with the highest average ratings, are barber shops (average rating of 4.83 out of 5) and beauty salons (average rating of 4.71 out of 5).
Nail salons surveyed received an average review score of 4.55 out of 5.
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 the UK for businesses to thrive, we’re aiming to provide valuable insights to entrepreneurs.
“While 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.”