Boom in Party-preneurs as 'Middleton-effect' Kicks in

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Dec 22, 2011, 07:01 ET

LONDON, December 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

18 per cent increase in start-up party planning businesses in 2011 (following a 20 per cent dip in 2010)
10 per cent increase in bouncy castle hire businesses
81 per cent of party planning businesses are started up by women

The so called 'Middleton-effect' sweeping the nation in 2011 has sparked a craze in 'party-preneurs', according to new data from Simply Business, the UK's largest business insurance broker.

Simply Business has seen an 18 per cent increase in quote requests from start-up party planning businesses this year, as entrepreneurs seek to emulate the success of the Middleton's party planning empire and recent party planning book deal for Pippa. The figures are based on over 250,000 quote requests received by the insurance broker so far this year, of which 366 were from party planning businesses.

The party planning industry had been suffering a lull in popularity before the royal wedding cast a bright spotlight on the Middletons' business empire, with a 20 per cent drop in start-ups between 2009 and 2010. However, in the month directly following the royal wedding, quote requests for new party planning businesses shot up 55 per cent.

Following in the footsteps of Carol Middleton, who founded Party Pieces in 1987, 81 per cent of party planning businesses are set up by women and it is now the 16^th most popular female start-up business, up 19 places since 2009.

The new vogue for throwing the perfect children's party also seems to be having a knock on effect across the industry. Start-up businesses specialising in bouncy castle hire are up 10 per cent between 2010 and 2011, following an 11 per cent drop between 2009 and 2010. Pippa Middleton's planned book will no doubt add further fuel to this trend in 2012.

Jason Stockwood, CEO, Simply Business, commented: "Entrepreneurs are often quick to embrace emerging trends but, even so, we were surprised to see the effect the royal wedding had on the party planning industry, which only a year ago was declining in popularity. It's great to see how the fame and success of one family can inspire so many aspiring entrepreneurs to take the plunge and start up their own businesses. I'm sure many party-preneurs will be looking to Pippa Middleton's new book for tips and tricks from Britain's most famous party planning family."

Notes to editors:

Regional trends:

    Top 10 party planning hotspots                Fastest rising party planning cities
 
    (by % of start-ups that                       (% increase in start-up 
    are party planners)                           cake makers: '10 to '11)
    St. Albans             1.38%                  Cambridge                769%
    Halifax                1.30%                  Norwich                  463%
    Cambridge              1.21%                  Wakefield                372%
    Harrogate              1.17%                  Newport                  282%
    Inverness              0.84%                  Portsmouth               240%
    Sunderland             0.79%                  Canterbury               235%
    Bournemouth            0.78%                  Harrogate                226%
    Bradford               0.72%                  Sunderland               213%
    Guilford               0.70%                  Redhill                  195%
    Wakefield              0.58%                  Bolton                   186%

    Top 10 bouncy castle hotspots             Fastest rising bouncy castle cities
 
    (by % of start-ups that are cake makers)  (% increase in start-up 
                                              cake makers: '10 to '11)
    Wolverhampton        2.04%                Taunton                  613%
    Walsall              1.85%                Oldham                   540%
    Chester              1.70%                Slough                   183%
    Doncaster            1.66%                Plymouth                 176%
    Telford              1.58%                Romford                  176%
    Southend on Sea      1.57%                Liverpool                162%
    Kirkwall             1.56%                East London              160%
    Llandrindod          1.49%                Aberdeen                 155%
    Coventry             1.44%                Dundee                   153%
    Hull                 1.44%                Preston                  135%

SOURCE Simply Business