Worthing proves its value as UK’s Silicon Valley

What imagery does the West Sussex town of Worthing conjure up? A faded seaside resort with tumbleweed blowing along the promenade? Hordes of grannies with knotted hankies on their heads? Well, you couldn’t get further from the truth.

Worthing is in fact the “most profitable town in the UK”. Gasp! It is a hi-tech hotbed of small, entrepreneurial companies in the IT, software and related industries.

For the second year in a row, the humble coastal community has beaten 284 other towns and cities to claim the title.

A survey of 250,000 companies carried out by global information services company Experian shows the average profit margin of companies in Worthing have increased from 20.9 per cent in 1998 to 24.7 per cent this year.

But the chart-toppers are not all clustered around the south coast. Llandudno in Wales is the second most profitable town in the UK, with Redcar in Cleveland in third place. Perth heads the Scottish list and is seventh overall.

Silicon Valley had better watch out – Worthing’s merry band of computer tycoons is on a roll.