Economic Climate

Barclays’ Q1 2026 Business Prosperity Index reveals that the vast majority of UK businesses (85 per cent) remain confident in the strength of their business, despite 80 per cent reporting a negative impact from the Middle East conflict.

Barclays Property Insights reveals that global and economic uncertainty is impacting how UK homeowners are managing their household finances.

A significant step forward for Cranleigh’s international ambitions, with a new education partnership in Vietnam.

In response to the increasingly complex trading environment for businesses, professional services firm, AAB, has launched a new ‘Office of the CFO’ service designed to give organisations the ability to strengthen their finance leadership and gain clarity in their numbers without the difficulties of recruitment of finance professionals at all levels.

The UK economy unexpectedly failed to grow in January, ahead of the outbreak of the Iran war. Official figures revealed zero growth for the month – a much weaker figure than had been predicted and followed sluggish growth of 0.1% in December.

The uniqueness of Oxford’s retail market is a major contributor to the city’s success while other high streets are suffering, says a regional commercial property specialist.

“The Spring Statement offered little immediate relief for business owners already grappling with a heavy tax burden and persistently rising costs."

Workers would prefer to earn less if they had guaranteed hours, a new major survey has discovered. When considering a job, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) is the least important factor, along with benefits and perks.

Ahead of the government’s Spring Statement on Tuesday 3 March 2026, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce is demanding Rachel Reeves takes practical steps to ease pressure and reduce the costs of doing business.

Wales’s next government must put the country’s 200,000 small businesses at the heart of its strategy in order to protect jobs, communities and the Welsh economy, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned.

Nearly 6,000 high-growth business owners left the UK in just two years between 2024 and 2026, with the greatest proportion working in tech sectors.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is sounding a warning shot ahead of a looming cost crunch in April that could push many small firms to breaking point.

The John Lewis Partnership has announced a £108m investment in pay, continuing its commitment to invest in Partner wages, alongside its wide range of other benefits.

The latest Barclays Business Prosperity Index report reveals that despite affordability pressures, regulatory challenges and financial caution, four in five businesses (83 per cent) operating in housebuilding and its supply chains remain confident about their outlook for the year ahead.

New research reveals that the UK development industry is entering 2026 with cautious optimism but is still held back by deep-rooted staffing challenges that are slowing delivery and squeezing project viability.

Vistage, the leading business performance and leadership organisation for small and medium-sized businesses across the UK and Ireland, has released new findings from its latest CEO Confidence survey, revealing a sharp contrast between how leaders see the wider economy and how they feel about their own businesses.

A new partnership between NK Motors and Brackenfield School is helping SEND students in Long Eaton explore their future careers and discover the opportunities available in the automotive industry.

Sentiment amongst retailers fell at the sharpest rate in 17 years, with a growing share of firms expecting their business situation to deteriorate over the coming quarter – according to the CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades Survey.

Publicans across the South West are calling on the government to take positive action and ease mounting financial pressures on pubs ahead of this week’s Budget, warning that the sector is at a critical tipping point.

Firms across the private sector expect activity to fall in the next three months (weighted balance of -20%), extending a run of negative predictions that began in late 2024, according to the CBI’s latest Growth Indicator.