The heart of the matter: with thriving cities and market towns, the Midlands is a region that has always been at the forefront of UK trade and industry. There are some unique challenges to face when running a business in the area, but there are also some major advantages.(special feature)

Wander around Nottingham's Market Square or through Birmingham's Bullring and you can't help but be consumed by the hustle and bustle of business. The Midlands region encompasses a host of vibrant and prosperous towns and cities, a couple of which claim to be the most densely populated and economically productive cities in the country after London. According to a government survey by the Small Business Service (SBS), there are an estimated 3.75 million active businesses in the UK and 530,000 of them are located in the Midlands. Furthermore, small businesses account for 99 per cent of companies in the Midlands area, a large number of which are franchises.

'The Midlands is not only the heartland of Great Britain, but the franchise community too,' says Simon Wise, BFA deputy director of the British Franchise Association. 'The BFA has nearly 90 member brands based in the Midlands region and results from the latest NatWest/BFA UK Franchise Survey report that the area's estimated annual turnover from franchising is 1.57 billion [pounds sterling].'

The NatWest/BFA survey results show that the West Midlands has a considerably high concentration of franchise units, relative to the …