Business confidence in South West remains high, despite dip - Lloyds

Published by

Peter Davison

Amanda Dorel

Business confidence in the South West fell six points during May to 30 per cent, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.

Companies in the South West reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down one point to 42 per cent.

When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down 11 points to 17 per cent, this gives a headline confidence reading of 30 per cent.

South West businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as evolving their product or service offerings (41 per cent), diversifying into new markets, investing in teams, and introducing new technology (all at 23 per cent).

The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.

A net balance of 35 per cent of businesses in the region expect to increase staff levels over the next year, up three points on last month.

Overall UK business confidence dropped five points to 28 per cent in May. Despite the dip, every UK nation and region report a positive confidence reading.

As the country celebrated the Coronation, London reported the highest levels of business confidence at 43 per cent (down four points on last month), followed by the North East at 35 per cent (down six points month-on-month).

Alongside the South West, the West Midlands and South East also reported high readings in May, all at 30 per cent.

Firms remain optimistic about their own trading prospects, with a net balance of 34 per cent expecting business activity to increase over the next 12 months, down just five points on last month.

Amanda Dorel, regional director for the South West at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “Despite a slight dip in confidence levels it's encouraging to see firms looking to increase staffing levels in order to take advantage of growth opportunities.

“A combination of bank holidays and rising temperatures could be the tailwind the regions hospitality and leisure businesses need to kick start a season of strong summer trading.

"Businesses that act swiftly to manage working capital needs and keep a close eye on their margins will be best placed to capitalise on timely prospects.”

Confidence among manufacturers increased to a one-year high of 40 per cent (up from 29 per cent), while retail registered a more modest two point rise to 26 per cent, and construction remained robust at 34 per cent despite its monthly nine point decline.

Services confidence, however, fell back to 26 per cent from 36 per cent, almost erasing last month’s rise. Overall, confidence across the broad sectors remains above levels at the start of the year.

Hann-Ju Ho, Senior Economist Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “As the economic environment remains challenging, compounded by stubborn inflation and higher wage pressures, business confidence has dipped slightly this month as firms feel cautious about the wider economy and their own trading prospects.

“However, while firms’ trading prospects and economic optimism both eased back, they still remain in positive territory as the UK has avoided an outright contraction in GDP - indicating a certain amount of underlying resilience in the economy.”

Peter Davison

Peter Davison is deputy editor of The Business Magazine. He has spent his life in journalism – doing work experience in newsrooms in and around Bristol while still at school, and landing his first job on a local newspaper aged 19. By 28 he was the youngest newspaper editor in the country. An early advocate of online news, he spent the first years of the 2000s telling his bosses that the internet posed both the biggest opportunity and greatest threat to the newspaper industry and the art of journalism. He was right on both counts. Since 2006 he has enjoyed a career as a freelance journalist. He lives in rural Wiltshire with one wife, two children, and three cats.