The Times recently named Nottingham in their top five UK city breaks. Writer Ben Aitken called it “the Queen of the Midlands” and pointed to what anyone who works here already knows: the city runs on excellent independent businesses.
We’ve always known Nottingham is a brilliant place to build a business. But we wanted to dig into the data and give the city its flowers, because the numbers back up what we see every day.
A city built on independents
A 2026 study by Capital on Tap ranked Nottingham as the UK’s third strongest city for independent businesses. The numbers speak for themselves:
- 760 independents per 100,000 residents
- An indie-to-chain ratio of nearly 4:1
- Close to 80% of businesses independently owned
- An average Google review score of 4.59 out of 5, among the highest in the country
ONS data tells a similar story. Nottingham has 12,075 active businesses, and 78.5% are classed as micro businesses, either sole traders or teams of fewer than ten.
This isn’t a city of corporate HQs. It’s a city of people building things.
Yolk, Bear, Bustler, Five Leaves Bookshop, Hopkinson, Sat Bains. The Times name-checked several. Anyone who lives here could add dozens more. The independent food, drink and retail scene isn’t a sideshow, it’s the commercial backbone of the city centre.
Organisations like It’s in Nottingham actively champion this through Independent Advisory Groups and city-wide campaigns. But what makes Nottingham different from other cities with a decent brunch scene is that residents here genuinely back their independents. The 4:1 ratio isn’t an accident. People choose the local option, and independent businesses don’t just survive here, they set the standard.
A creative economy with real infrastructure behind it
Greater Nottingham is home to over 1,600 creative and digital businesses employing more than 15,000 people, sitting within what the city council describes as an £11 billion innovation economy. And the support around it is tangible:
- Create Growth N2, a partnership between D2N2 LEP, Invest in Nottingham, NBV, both universities and both councils, secured £425,000 in government funding for 2025/26
- The programme has already supported 89 businesses and helped them secure over £649,000 in additional funding
- The government’s Create Growth Programme recognised Nottinghamshire as one of six priority areas for creative sector investment
For an agency like ours, this matters day to day. The freelancers, photographers, developers, copywriters and strategists we work alongside aren’t scattered across the country, they’re right here, and the quality of talent in this city consistently surprises the clients we bring into the fold.
Networks like Catena, which started in Nottingham and built its model around facilitated introductions rather than elevator pitches, reflect how business gets done in this city: through relationships, not transactions.
Culture, sport and a talent pipeline that stays
Nottingham is a UNESCO City of Literature. Four of its sites made Lonely Planet’s top 500 UK experiences. And the cultural offer goes well beyond heritage:
- Nottingham Contemporary for visual art
- Nottingham Playhouse for theatre
- Broadway for arthouse cinema
- Nottingham Forest in the Premier League
- Trent Bridge hosting international cricket
- The National Water Sports Centre on the city’s doorstep
Culture and sport create identity, and identity is what gives a city its brand. When The Times wrote about Nottingham, they weren’t describing a place trying to be something. They were describing a place that already is.
The talent pipeline backs it up. QS ranked Nottingham in the world’s top 50 student cities for 2026 and top 10 in the UK, scoring 85.5 out of 100 for student satisfaction, driven partly by the number of graduates who choose to stay after finishing their studies. Two major universities feed a workforce that knows this city and wants to build a career here, not just pass through.
Why this matters for building a business
Nottingham is a genuinely good place to build a business from. Not because it’s cheap (though it’s more affordable than London or Manchester). Not because it’s convenient (though the transport links are solid). But because the culture here is oriented around building real things.
Independent businesses with clear identities. Creative work with substance behind it. A network of people who are collaborative rather than competitive.
We chose to base Rate in Nottingham because the values of this city align with how we think about marketing. Build something with integrity. Back the people doing the work.
The recognition is catching up
So why is Nottingham one of the best cities to build a brand from? Because the ingredients are already here: a city full of independents who understand what it takes to stand for something, a creative economy with real support behind it, and a culture that values substance over noise.
We’re proud to be part of it.