Cardiff and Southampton are similarly sized business centres with 27,021 and 22,454 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 27,021 active companies compared to 22,454 in Southampton — 4,567 more.
Cardiff has a higher 2020s company formation rate (57.7%) compared to Southampton (52.6%).
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 Southampton stands out in Development of building projects and Freight transport by road.