The Great British Buzz: 157 per cent surge in baking businesses following hit show
Ahead of The Great British Bake Off final next week, business insurer Simply Business has revealed there was a 157 per cent increase in home baking businesses across the UK between 2019 and 2020.
With 9.2 million fans tuning in to watch the series final last year, the surge of new businesses shows how more and more Brits are inspired by the Channel 4 hit: baking their cooking passions into business projects.
The fastest growing region in the last year was the South West, with a 222 per cent increase in new firms.
This was closely followed by the Midlands at 200 per cent and South Central England at 157 per cent.
Even in the capital, which was the slowest-growing region, saw the number of home baking businesses almost double.
Analysis of new insurance policies taken out over the course of two-years shows home baking businesses are showing no signs of crumbling, with the number consistently rising year-on-year.
Alan Thomas, chief executive at Simply Business, commented: “The Great British Bake Off is a mainstay of UK television and appears to be inspiring thousands of bakers across the nation to rise up and start their own independent business.”
“Small businesses are vital to the recovery of the UK economy, so the fact that so many aspiring cake makers are taking the leap is extremely encouraging.”