New research from Fair Fix, the online boiler engineer service, reveals that the number of plumbing and heating businesses operating in the UK has increased by 3% in the past year, despite what has otherwise been a difficult year for the wider UK economy and many other small businesses.
In 2022, there were 2.8 million operational businesses in the UK. In 2023, this number fell by -1.5% to sit closer to 2.7 million businesses. However, the plumbing and heating industry has managed to buck this trend by increasing its number of businesses by 2.9% in 2023 so that total enterprises number 44,630.
The West Midlands has seen the largest regional growth with the number of businesses now totalling 3,420 after increasing by 4.7% on the year.
Wales has recorded an increase of 4.1%, followed by Yorkshire & Humber (3.9%), the East of England (3.5%), and Scotland (3.4%).
The rate of growth has been slowest in London where the number of businesses increased by just 1% on the year.
It’s the South East that has the most businesses, with 8,095 accounting for 18.1% of the national total, followed by the East of England, home to 13.2% (5,870) of the UK’s firms, while London ranks third with 11% (4,890).
Founder of Fair Fix, Tye Ekrem, comments: “It comes as no surprise to see that, despite difficult economic conditions, the number of plumbing and heating firms in the UK is on the rise. That’s because we are seeing first hand the rise of self-employed, sole traders operating around the country.
“The best engineers are increasingly seeing the benefit of going it alone once they have gathered the necessary experience and expertise. And with the likes of Fair Fix there to support their ambitions and send customers their way, they aren’t looking back.”
