Lockdown sparks start- ups

THE number of new companies starting up increased by seven per cent during the months of national lockdown, research suggests.

The Royal Mail said its study indicated there were 315,000 company start- ups between March and July. The increase was fuelled by a

“boom” in ecommerce businesses as consumers shifted to online shopping, it said.

From April to June, 176,000 start- ups were recorded, the highest for any second quarter on record, according to the Royal Mail’s report.