Stafford is a historic market town in the West Midlands region. It is the 3rd largest county after Stoke and Newcastle-under-Lyme. Historically, Stafford was a centre for delivering grain. It later became an industrial area for centralised production of Roman-style pottery. In addition to this, Stafford has a long and rich history of shoemaking. This tradition continues today. Stafford is also home to Staffordshire University computer science and IT. The university is one of the major employers found in Stafford and is an integral part of the community. Additionally, there are over 40 retail outlets and five superstores. These new developments make an ideal opportunity for a new business start-up in the area as they should only increase the popularity of the town.