The Lincoln Independent Business Index
The Independent Business Index is Highstreett’s measure of how much of a high street is genuinely independent rather than chain-owned. For each city we count the independent businesses, set them against the chains, franchises and private-equity-owned outlets, and track how the balance shifts over time. It is built for journalists, local people and policymakers who want a straight answer to a simple question: how independent is this place, really? Lincoln’s figures are being compiled now, drawing on official business counts and our own verification. We publish numbers only once we can stand behind them, so the data will appear here as soon as it is ready. The methodology behind it is already public.
Lincoln’s figures are on the way
We’re still verifying Lincoln’s independent businesses, so we haven’t published the index for the city yet. When it’s ready, this page will carry the headline stats, the most independent streets, the breakdown by category, and the commentary that goes with them. We’d rather show nothing than show numbers we can’t back up.
About the index
How do you define 'independent'?
Independent means locally and privately owned: not a national chain, a franchise, or a business owned by private equity. We verify ownership through Companies House and background checks before a business counts as independent. The full definition is on our methodology page.
What sources do you use?
We combine official business counts from the Office for National Statistics with company records from Companies House, then add Highstreett's own manual review of who actually owns each business. The methodology page explains how the three fit together.
How often does the index update?
The index is rebuilt as our verified data grows and as ownership changes on the ground. We publish the date each figure was last updated alongside it, so you always know how current the numbers are.
Can I cite this dataset?
Yes. Once the figures are published they are released under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0), with a ready-made attribution string on this page. Use them freely as long as you credit the source.
Where can I see the methodology?
Our full methodology, how we define independence, source the data and verify each business, is published at /methodology/independent-business-index.