Ulverston - a small town that casts a wide net (From The Westmorland Gazette)
When news happens, text KENEWS and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Ulverston - a small town that casts a wide net
1:10pm Tuesday 10th July 2012 in Business
By Helen Perkins, Reporter
A CUMBRIAN town has raised its online trade so dramatically, it has become one of the country’s top 10 areas for e-growth.
Web giant Google revealed Ulverston is the UK’s ninth fastest-growing area for internet business.
The town beat others, in the under 13,000 population category, to make the search engine’s list of top digital trailblazers Ulverston’s online sales are estimated to have grown by 30.4 per cent in the last year.
The top area in the list was Braunton, which had a growth of 43.5 per cent, shown through analysis of the areas’ online economic activity.
Google UK managing director Dan Cobley said: “Ulverston may be considered small in size, but has proven itself to be a formidable entrepreneurial centre, as seen by its exceptional growth in online business.
“We want to recognise this achievement by releasing our Rural Digital Trail-blazers list, hoping to inspire more country businesses to boost their enterprises eight times faster by using the Internet.”
Playground design and landscaping specialist Primary Landscapes was chosen by Google as an excellent example of a web-savvy enterprise.
Andrea Wilson, who runs the Ulverston-based company, said: “We run a small business so it’s imperative to reach potential customers from across the country.
“After we established our website five years ago, we immediately noticed a 70 per cent increase in enquiries for our land-scaping services.
“The Internet is without a doubt the most efficient and cost-effective way of spreading the word about your business.”
Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock said: “I am proud to represent an area with such an entrepreneurial spirit.
“The Internet is playing a leading role in Ulverston’s economic growth and really helping to boost local businesses while contributing overall to the wider British economy.
“I hope this encourages others to get online and grow their businesses using the internet’s tools.”
