Cardiff and Southampton are similarly sized business centres with 30,086 and 22,823 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 30,086 active companies compared to 22,823 in Southampton — 7,263 more.
Cardiff has a higher 2020s company formation rate (61.0%) compared to Southampton (52.7%).
Both cities share these top industries: Activities of other holding companies n.e.c., Buying and selling of own real estate, Information technology consultancy activities, Management consultancy activities other than financial management, Other business support service activities n.e.c.. Cardiff is uniquely strong in Business and domestic software development and Other, while Southampton stands out in Development of building projects and Freight transport by road.