ABSTRACT
Businesses, as the basic units of industrial activity, have been collectively instrumental in powering the economic performance of any modern capitalist economy. The breakdown of regional markets in the nineteenth century and the geographical spread of business enterprise naturally diminished the reliance of any single business upon its regional base and, conversely, the reliance of any single region upon relatively few businesses. On the other hand, the concentration of industry in the twentieth century has allowed a fewer number of firms to dominate many regions in the UK, as retailing illustrates.
