Hampshire's total economy (worth £22.9bn) is the largest economy in England outside London, providing almost 3% of total GDP for the UK as a whole.
See Hampshire#Economy for more information.
Hampshire Trading Standards Service originated from the initial introduction of the Weights and Measures Act, and is still better known as the Inspectors of Weights and Measures. Trading Standards Service activities are still primarily enforcement of the Weights and Measures Act, but also has the following responsibilities, in whole or in part, as of 31 March 1988;
Today the Hampshire County Council Regulatory Services Commission publishes advice on local business advice on its web site https://web.archive.org/web/20051126112451/http://www.hants.gov.uk/regulatory/busadvice.html.
Advice for new businesses is available from a number of private ventures and government funded schemes. Advice is available from Business Link, Department of Trade and Industry and the HM Revenue and Customs.
Hampshire County Council and the Economic Development Office sponsor a number of local business awards.
These web sites provide information on local Hampshire businesses (as opposed to UK-wide Business directories);