Cardiff and Preston are similarly sized business centres with 30,780 and 19,701 active companies respectively. This close match makes their industry mix, growth trajectory, and formation history all the more interesting to compare. Both cities share strength in Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. and Buying and selling of own real estate.
Cardiff has 30,780 active companies compared to 19,701 in Preston — 11,079 more.
Cardiff has a higher 2020s company formation rate (61.7%) compared to Preston (54.6%).
Both cities share these top industries: Activities of other holding companies n.e.c., Buying and selling of own real estate, Management consultancy activities other than financial management, Other business support service activities n.e.c., Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate. Cardiff is uniquely strong in Business and domestic software development and Information technology consultancy activities, while Preston stands out in Development of building projects and Dormant Company.