More businesses have opened than closed following pandemic
CORFU. In 2022, a year after the health crisis, 776 business have opened, almost reaching those of 2019.
According to data from the Corfu Chamber of Commerce, the number of new businesses that opened after the two years of the pandemic is positive.
In 2022, a year after the health crisis, 776 business have opened, almost reaching the number of 2019, which was 784. From the beginning of this year until 18 July, 636 businesses have opened and there are still five more months left.
In fact, all four sectors (Commercial, Manufacturing, Tourism and Services) had a positive result in 2022 and 2023 (first seven months) compared to the three previous years.
As shown by the data of the Corfu Chamber of Commerce, of the 776 new businesses that opened in 2022, the 130 were in the Commercial, 53 in the Manufacturing, 206 in the Tourism and 387 in the Services sector.
As for the first seven months of 2023, 110 businesses opened in the Commercial, 17 in the Manufacturing, 210 in the Tourism and 299 in the Services sector.
The data are particularly encouraging considering that they are quite close to the ones of 2019, which was a normal year with 784 new businesses (90 in the Commercial sector, 18 in Manufacturing, 239 in Tourism and 434 in Services).
Closures
On the other hand, the businesses that were deleted from the Chamber's register in 2022 and the first seven months of 2023 have increased compared to 2019, 2020 and 2021. There were 165 businesses that closed in 2022, the majority of which concerned the Services sector, where 97 businesses were deleted from the register. There were also 42 businesses that closed in the Commercial, 19 in the Tourism and 7 in the Manufacturing sector.
As for 2023, from 1 January to 18 July 64 businesses closed (18 in the Commercial, 7 in the Manufacturing, 9 in the Tourism and 30 in the Services sector), when in 2019 they were 122, in 2020 99 and in 2021 78.
Female-owned businesses
As far as female entrepreneurship is concerned, 150 female-owned businesses were recorded in 2022, while this year has not yet been completed and they have already reached 120.
MARIA BAZDRIYIANNI
