Starting up in Eastleigh: what the figures say

Eastleigh rarely makes the headlines, and its business figures explain why it should not be overlooked. The borough sees around five hundred new businesses a year, sits between Southampton and Winchester on the main line, and has an employment rate above the South East's. This piece looks at what the official figures say about starting a business there, how they compare with the county and the country, and where Eastleigh's founders can find support and other people doing the same.

How many businesses, and how many new ones

In the UK Business Counts for March 2026, Nomis counted 5,350 enterprises in Eastleigh:

• 4,750 micro businesses with nine or fewer people (88.8%)
• 490 small (10 to 49)
• 85 medium (50 to 249)
• 25 large, with 250 or more

For new businesses, the measure is the ONS's business demography, which counts the "births" of businesses that register for VAT or PAYE. In its 2024 reference tables, published on 20 November 2025, Eastleigh had:

• 535 business births in 2024, after 575 in 2021, 555 in 2022 and 565 in 2023
• 465 business deaths in 2024
• 5,710 active enterprises in 2024

So the number of new businesses has been steady, at a little over 500 a year, with slightly fewer in 2024 than in the years before. Births still outnumbered closures by 70. Across the Hampshire County Council area the same tables give 5,650 births and 5,220 deaths in 2024.

How that compares with the UK

Nationally, the ONS reported that "the number of UK business births increased from 316,000 to 317,000 between 2023 and 2024", and that business deaths "fell from 310,000 to 280,000", the lowest death rate since 2016.

Company registrations are another measure, and they include companies that never trade or employ anyone. Companies House counted 193,789 incorporations in the UK between July and September 2026, against 214,754 dissolutions, with 5,485,994 companies on the register at the end of September.

Over a full year the picture is similar. Companies House's annual release for April 2025 to March 2026 counted 815,277 incorporations, "an increase of 13,413 (1.67%)" on the year before, and 787,120 dissolutions. Many people start a company, and many close one, every year; the register grows slowly.

Finance for new firms is also moving. The government-backed Start Up Loans programme said in September 2026 that it made 3,215 loans in June, July and August 2026, up 12.8% on the same months of 2025, and that "85% of loans were taken out by entrepreneurs located outside London". In October 2026 it said the programme had made 140,000 loans since it began, "amounting to more than £1.4bn".

Why location helps

One practical advantage is the borough's connections. The Office of Rail and Road's station usage estimates for April 2024 to March 2025 give:

• Southampton Airport Parkway: 1,444,254 entries and exits, with London Waterloo the most common origin or destination
• Eastleigh: 1,191,848 entries and exits

Together that is more than 2.6 million entries and exits a year at the borough's two main stations. For a founder, it means clients in Southampton, Winchester and London are a short train ride away, and a meeting in Eastleigh is easy for others to reach.

The jobs figures point the same way. Nomis gives Eastleigh an employment rate of 81.1% for July 2025 to June 2026, above the South East's 78.8% and Great Britain's 75.6%, and 71,000 jobs in the borough in 2024.

Where to get help

Eastleigh Borough Council's business support page says there is "independent support and advice available to businesses of all sizes", and points to the Hampshire Growth Hub (run by Hampshire County Council), Business South, the FSB, the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Business Hampshire, the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Skills Bootcamps. The council's older start-up service, Platform 4, no longer has a page on its site, so check the current list rather than older guides.

Several of the bodies on that list also run events that we list, including Business South, the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and the FSB, so their organiser pages are a quick way to see what is coming up. Our own business support page sets out the kinds of help available and lists events run by support bodies.

What this means if you're going to events

• Most local groups are regulars. The dates we list in Eastleigh and Chandler's Ford include a weekly referral chapter, a business club, another regular group and a property networking event. Early on, a regular group gives you the same faces each time, which is what turns contacts into recommendations.
• Look along the line. Southampton is a short train ride away, and its talks and after-work events suit founders who want to learn as well as meet people. Winchester is in the other direction.
• Use a workshop as your first event. A talk gives you something to discuss, which takes the pressure off. Our guide to your first business event has a short checklist.
• Bring one line, not a pitch. Say what you do and who you would like to meet.

Where to start

The events below are Eastleigh's and Chandler's Ford's listed dates at the last build, from the organisers' own listings. For more, see the Eastleigh breakfasts, the Southampton and the Solent area page, or this week.

Correction: an earlier version of this article said Eastleigh's startup community was on the rise and its workspace affordable. The figures show new business numbers holding steady, so those claims have been removed.