UK cities identified for imminent baby boom
Residents in Aberdeen and Glasgow may have noticed their neighbours stocking up on buggies, baby grows and bibs over the past nine months, as they prepare for a baby boom, reveals Yell.com, the UK's local search engine.
Research undertaken by Yell.com’s data analysts examined baby related searches in the past year to pinpoint exactly when and where a baby boom was expected to hit. Both the Scottish cities performed more baby related searches than other UK cities, reaching the top ten for new arrivals.
Other cities gearing up for the pitter patter of tiny feet over the next month include fellow Celtic city Cardiff, Bristol and Leicester, alongside the big Northern centres of Manchester, Liverpool, York and Sheffield.
Helen Stevenson, Yell’s chief marketing officer in the UK, said: "We see more than 24 million searches on Yell.com each month ranging from local nurseries and online baby superstores, through to everyday plumbers and decorators. We are uniquely placed to understand the behaviours and trends of the UK population allowing us to show which cities are likely to experience a big change in 2007, such as a pending baby boom in Aberdeen.
“With more than two million UK classified businesses listed and new site features including links to shopping, maps and directions, we are confident we will be ready to meet all individual needs, regardless of how much their life is set to change over the coming months.”
Top Ten UK “Baby Boom” regions *
1. Aberdeen
2. Cardiff
3. Nottingham
4. Glasgow
5. York
6. Manchester
7. Bristol
8. Leicester
9. Liverpool
10. Sheffield
Expect an explosion of “Owens”, “Robs” and “Bobbies”
The research indicates that July was the peak time for babies being conceived last year ,* about the same time the World Cup celebrations were coming to an end and the UK festival season was in mid-swing.
As a result, Spring 2007 could see an explosion of 'Owens', 'Robs' and 'Bobbies' as parents hurry to name their children after Summer 2006's sporting and musical greats. English football legend 'Owen Hargreaves', Welsh football star 'Rob Earnshaw' and Scottish Primal Scream frontman 'Bobbie Gillespie', headliner at T in the Park 2006, could all be favourites.
North England increasingly attractive to young families
The Yell.com data reveals a surprising insight into the UK's great North/South debate. Northern cities such as York, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool sit at the top of the chart, while London narrowly missed out on the top twenty – the UK capital was placed at twenty-one. In fact, nowhere south of Bristol made it into the top ten, suggesting that UK couples are opting to head north to have their babies.
Kelly Forsyth-Gibson, owner of an Aberdeen-based baby business and a mother of three said: "This is great news. It will be lovely to see more babies out and about in Aberdeen. We've certainly noticed a lot more internet shopping on our website over the past few months and if past years are anything to go by, April is one of our busiest times. Many people seem to be celebrating the birth of a little baby."