The profile of business across East Hampshire - and the wider area of Hampshire - is diverse and is very well supported by local skills, research capability, good connectivity and distribution.
Hampshire's economy is worth some £48.5 billion, and is the largest sub-regional economy in the South East. Key sectors in East Hampshire include advanced manufacturing, engineering, digital services and travel and tourism. Agriculture accounts for a relatively small amount of employment nowadays, although two thirds of East Hampshire is farmland, mostly arable, but plays a wider environmental and food security role. There are 67,000 enterprises in Hampshire and 70,000 local business units with 667,000 people in work. East Hampshire also has one of the lowest unemployment claimant rates in the country so there is competition for talent and resources.
But 90% of businesses in East Hampshire employ less than 10 people, which is a picture repeated across the South East and much of the UK. In fact, small businesses account for 48% of the whole private sector in the UK.
And we have some real gem SMEs here - award-winning Hattingley Valley Wines near Alresford, innovative online company Feefo, based in Petersfield and micro brewery, Triple fff in Four Marks. And many, many more.
So, the challenge remains to support the many businesses across the area, with the right resources they need to grow. There is useful information for SMEs on the Hampshire County Council website including the South East Business Portal, which brings small businesses and local authorities together.
Business East Hants is also full of useful information for existing and new businesses in East Hants, including information about the rural grants that are available.
To find out more about Hampshire's economy, visit https://businesshampshire.co.uk/
