A DEFINITIVE guide to Hampshire businesses is to be published for the first time after the county council and Hampshire Chamber of Commerce agreed to merge their directories.

The Hampshire Business Guide will include information on staff, turnover and exports for thousands of businesses across the county.

Jimmy Chestnutt, chief executive of Hampshire Chamber, said: “By pooling our strengths and creating a single unifying guide, we are making it much easier for people to find business data for all activities from purchasing to business-to-business research and marketing.”

An online directory will launch in April to accompany the 124-page book.

The 2013/14 edition, produced by Newsquest Hampshire, will have an initial run of 68,000 copies and will be distributed to business and government offices throughout Hampshire