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This section looks at data concerning Commerce, Energy and Industry.  To access this data, relating to floorspace and rateable values, shopping surveys (retail information) and trading standards, please use the links on the left hand menu.

In Bournemouth, the majority of businesses are predominantly distribution, hotels and restaurants (2,300 in 2003) and banking, finance and insurance based (2,200 in 2003).

Although there are large numbers of employees in these sectors, public administration, education and health hold the largest numbers of employees by sector (20,400 in 2003).

The most common commercial and industrial properties by bulk class in Bournemouth (in 2005) is retail with a total of 2,764 properties with a floorspace area of 538 (sq.m - thousands).
To put this into context, the total floorspace and number of properties found in Bournemouth, as at 2005, is 4,521 properties and a total floorspace area of 1,230 sq.m (thousands). 
The total retail floorspace in the South West area is 9,611 sq.m with a total of 51,199 retail properties.  This information has been extracted from the Floorspace and Rateable Value for Commercial and Industrial Properties 2005 report, by the Department for Communities and Local Government and is available in full by following the above link.

Retail Information is also available, such as the Dorset Shopping Centre surveys and the Retail factsheets (updated annually).  The Dorset Shopping Centre Survey covers all shopping centres within the Borough of Poole and Dorset County Council and includes data such as the number of shops, floorspace and shop type.

Statistics are available from 1982 & 1988, 1992 & 2000 and 2005.  In 2000 the highest total number of trading units could be found in Boscombe (392 units), followed by Bournemouth (342 units).  The total floorspace in these centres was 35,026 sq.m and 81,923 sq.m respectively.  The majority of vacant floorspace was available in Boscombe (2,759 sq.m).

Trading Standards figures in Bournemouth from 2001-2004 are available, which look at the number of enforcement visits, number of premises inspected and goods and articles tested.  In 2003-04, 5,001 complaints or enquiries were received in Bournemouth.  However only 5 prosecutions arose from enforcement activity.

In terms of employment land provision, the Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole Structure Plan sets Bournemouth a target of around 20 hectares of land for employment uses (B1 to B8) to be provided over the period 1994-2011. As at 31 March 2006, Bournemouth has so far completed 11.02 hectares of employment land, with a further 14.74 hectares in the pipeline, either under construction or with current planning permission for development.

The latest results of the Commercial Development Monitoring survey show that the greatest gain in commercial land use was for A1: shops, with a net gain (once A1 losses have been taken into account) of just over 10,000 square metres of new A1 retail floorspace. In contrast, there was an overall loss of B1 floorspace; 2,306 square metres, and less than 500 square metres gained for all other land uses monitored.

An Employment Land Monitoring Report specifically for Bournemouth has been produced for 2004-05 which looks at the results both of the Employment Land Survey for 2004-05 and the overall results since 1994.  It also puts this into context by examining the wider picture of Bournemouth’s economy. To view this report,click here

To view the latest Dorset-wide Monitoring Report which contains a section on the economy, click here