Businesses in South West planning to invest in growth
Half of South West medium-sized businesses plan to invest more than £3m in expansion over the next five years
Around 43 per cent of firms are planning to spend upwards of £3m to grow their business, according to accountancy and business advisory firm BDO.
The firm’s bi-monthly Economic Engine survey of 500 mid-sized businesses, which generate a turnover of between £10 to £300m each and account for one in four UK jobs, has revealed that a third (33%) of those in the region plan to direct their investment primarily within the UK.
Nearly two-fifths of South West businesses (37 [er cent) said that sourcing new capital to fund growth was one of their top priorities between now and the end of the year. This includes private equity investment, venture capital or additional bank loans. A fifth (20%), are prioritising developing new products or services.
With a new government now in post, South West businesses are calling for policies that will help them deliver their scale-up plans.
Facing persistent recruitment challenges, two-fifths want to see the Government prioritise policies to ease workforce pressures, including reform of the apprenticeship levy or more support towards the cost of skilled worker visas.
To enable better access to finance, more than half (60 per cent) want to see the new Government prioritise smaller business banks entering the market or increasing access to grants for their business.
Meanwhile, more than a quarter are calling for more progress on investment in the regions outside London and the South East.
The follows the announcement last week during the King’s Speech that an English Devolution Bill will streamline the process to transfer more powers to elected mayors in combined council areas.
David Brookes, regional managing partner in the South West at BDO, said: “With a new government in place and inflation hitting the Bank of England’s two per cent target in May, businesses in the region have some reason to be optimistic after years of challenging economic conditions and uncertainty.
“The message from South West businesses is clearly one centred on growth, but they will need the support of central policymakers to ensure that the regions receive the required investment to accelerate those ambitions, with Labour looking to take a fresh approach to tackling regional inequalities.”
BDO has published a ‘mid-market manifesto’ outlining key policy areas that it believes will best support the growth of the UK’s mid-sized businesses. This includes extending holistic grants programmes to the mid-market to increase access to finance, reforming the apprenticeship levy and targeted support for mid-market exporters.
