The Essex businesses making waves
Our county is home to a diverse blend of businesses – from big names exporting all over the world, to the independent traders and one-man-bands making a difference to our communities every day. With our close proximity to London we’re able to benefit from all the perks of a city and a wide consumer market, but enjoy our wide open spaces and beautiful landscapes when the work day ends. We boast a thriving economy, ranging from technology and manufacturing to tourism and agriculture, and a supportive business environment at that – modern business parks, incubators and networking organisations as well as business support organisations dedicated to helping businesses succeed.
Whether it’s a start up born from an idea or a multi-generation business, Essex is a great place to start and grow a business.
Here are five of the top growing businesses in Essex right now – whether it’s through innovating their business, making a name for themselves, or making waves in their respective sectors.
Dead Time - Saffron Walden
With the events of the last few years, trading has been increasingly difficult for many retailers – leaving many turning to changing their business models to adapt to consumer needs and trends. Dead Time, based in Saffron Walden, is a popular physical shop and online store stocking craft beers, cider, specialty wine and small batch gins – and has only expanded over the past two years. Upping their offering and becoming the place to go if you wanted a tipple of a different kind, they’ve seen a big increase in footfall and sales, and this has had a positive impact on other retailers surrounding them – reviving a once neglected area of the town centre. Oh, and they were also winners of Retailer of the Year in 2023 at the Uttlesford Business Awards!
See more about them All about DEAD Time – DEAD Time - Bottle Shop
Austin Motor Company Ltd - Rayne, Braintree
A once worldwide known motoring manufacture, who over the years became absorbed into British Leyland, and for a while was no more. An enterprising engineer called John Stubbs purchased the defunct name at Companies House, and relaunched the business in 2022 - having designed and manufactured a prototype road legal single seater all electric car called the Austin Arrow. Sufficiently creating interest and excitement and putting Essex back on the map for automotive manufacturing, this creative blend of electric car meeting vintage design sparked enquiries from around the world, with increasing demand for a two seater version, which was launched in late 2023 with overseas orders pouring in.
See more www.austinmotorcompany.com
The Pop Up Club Ltd - Chelmsford
Created 7 years ago but hitting a hiatus during Covid, The Pop Up Club Ltd relaunched in late 2022 by Miss Tillie Peel – establishing pop up retail shops in shopping centres needing a bit of TLC. These pop up shops can have a home in their shopping centres for anything from 3 to 12 months, selling anything from art to artisan craft goods, giving small producers without their own retail space an opportunity to sell their wares. With shops set up in Victoria in London, Brighton and Bluewater Shopping Centre too, The Pop Up Club is bringing a new way of doing things to the high street and shopping centres, with suppliers charged an equal share of the shop rent, staff salary and operating costs, and receiving commission on their individual sales – helping to grow small businesses and bringing a new meaning to #ShopLocal!
Find out more about The Pop Up Club The Pop-Up Club (popupclub.co)
Tracked Carriers Ltd - Colchester
Growing rapidly since their launch in 2022, Tracked Carriers designs and manufactures remote controlled and tracked carriers for carrying heavy loads, utilised heavily in the construction sector at the moment, but able to be used across a variety of businesses. All built at their premises in Tiptree, Tracked Carriers sell all over the UK, and have expanded into 8 countries, including Australia!
Tracked Carriers employs 7 people currently, but as demand grows, and having recently outgrown and relocated to a new unit in Witham, the future is looking bright for the business.
Find out more https://trackedcarriers.co.uk/
Uniform7 – Clacton on Sea
Blossoming from a small home business and supported by a grant from The Princes Trust in 2016, Uniform7 was started by Rachael Richards – and the business really came into its own in 2022. An innovative school uniform and workwear service based in North Essex, Uniform7 supplies schools and SME’s across Essex and the UK. Striving to make purchasing school uniforms and workwear easier for schools, businesses and parents alike, Uniform7 offers a solution to an age old problem with social value at its heart. Recently having moved from their home base to the Sunspot Business Centre in Jaywick, Uniform7 now employs 3 people and has won multiple business awards spanning from Best New Business (twice!), Best Customer Focus and Disability Confident in 2022.
Find out more about them Home (uniform7.co.uk)
With so many businesses in Essex starting and growing, our communities are benefitting too – with more jobs for local people, livelier high streets, and our local produce being celebrated not just in our towns, but all over the country.
