AN increase in the number of businesses has provided a much-needed shot in the arm for the local economy.

Latest figures released by Scotland’s chief statistician show the number of registered businesses in both Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire has rocketed since 2010.

The increase in Renfrewshire is 12 per cent, while East Renfrewshire has fared even better, with numbers growing by more than a fifth.

There are now almost 3,000 registered enterprises in East Renfrewshire and more than 5,000 in Renfrewshire.

Laura Molloy, president of East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, puts the recent success down to lots of people choosing the area for their micro-business.

She said: “We have been able to see from our membership base that there are a lot of start-up businesses in East Renfrewshire now, with a big rise in the number in the services sector.

“There has also been quite a significant rise in the construction sector.

“It is brilliant that people have confidence in the area.”

However, Allan Henderson, of the Johnstone Business Consortium, pointed out that, despite the positive figures, many high streets have suffered from shop closures in recent years.

He said: “These stats are all very well but the retail sector in Renfrewshire is crying out for help.

“Lots of us are struggling at the moment. I can only put the increase down to start-up businesses, as I can only see a downturn in the high street.”

The statistics also show a rise of more than a quarter in the number of foreign-owned enterprises in Renfrewshire since 2010, with almost 250 now in the area.

Foreign-owned businesses in East Renfrewshire also rose by a quarter in that time, with 40 now operating.

However, there are concerns over the impact that Brexit could have on local businesses.
Ms Molloy said: “We are pushing all our members to go online and find out how they can prepare for Brexit.”