Blog Are you ready for better times in the UK economy? - Plimsoll Publishing UK

Say it quietly and with a healthy dose of caution, but good news really does appear to be finally on the horizon for the UK economy, its businesses, and stakeholders.

As we head toward July 19^th UK businesses can start to look forward to a predicted period of expansive economic conditions as the last of the legally mandated pandemic restrictions are removed. Planning your expansion strategy now, to make sure you don’t miss the wave is going to be key to making the most of the next year or two.

A recent survey by accountancy firm Deloitte showed 71% of CFO’s at some of the UK’s brightest and biggest businesses expect a rise in capital expenditure. 76% predict more hiring, 41% are looking to invest in new products or markets, and a third are expecting a surge in acquisition deals over the year ahead.

Where major companies go, the rest of the economy will eventually follow. Plimsoll is here to help companies of all sizes to make sure they have the insight at hand to make better decisions, review and challenge those decisions as new data emerges, and react quicker than the competition.

To coincide with the post-pandemic boom and to give business leaders a convenient, effective source of business intelligence, Plimsoll will soon be introducing a new analysis platform. Complete with need-specific modules that interlink to provide insight to all parts of your business, here are some of the areas Plimsoll can help you with heading into 2022 and beyond:

Identifying the requisite return on investment you must achieve

It has been difficult over the past 18 months to plan a return on investment for companies across most UK markets. Some have simply clung on as premises remained closed and staff were furloughed. Others have been so busy that planning for a profitable, sustainable ROI has been a secondary concern to simply fulfilling demand.

However, as the fog of the pandemic clears, there are markets that have continued to generate a consistent return on investment and capital employed throughout:

Plimsoll’s new benchmarking module will provide an in-depth assessment of your company’s performance to measure whether you are generating returns commensurate to the capital you have invested. The interactive module will allow you to instantly compare your latest results to that of your peers and rivals on a variety of different metrics.

As life returns to normal and the economy booms, many could fall to temptation and go too far, too fast, weakening their mid-term financial health and leaving them vulnerable to future shocks. Plimsoll’s new platform will ensure you have the insight to best protect your position, even in the good times to come.

As hiring intentions increase, getting the right productivity balance

While Brexit has created chronic shortages in sectors from fruit picking to haulage, the adoption of work from home looks set to remove geographical limitations on workers and companies alike. One thing seems certain - companies look set to hire in greater numbers to ensure they are in place to capitalise on the increased return to normality.

As the economy rebounds, so vacancies are projected to increase with almost 800k jobs remaining unfilled before all restrictions are lifted. With 3 out of 4 business looking for staff, the risk of wage inflation is becoming more acute, further exacerbating the UK’s long running productivity problem. Carrying the right amount of staff or introducing automation are key to finding the right balance.

There are markets across the UK economy that continue to be beacons of productivity, even in the most recent past, including:

Plimsoll’s new platform is designed to help companies develop a better link between human resource and financial performance. As the economy roars back in the post-pandemic period, the analysis will help you to keep better control of the productivity of your business by showing if the level of return you generate from the staff you employ exceeds the industry standards or sees you falling behind.

Find the best new markets and opportunities first

Companies are forecast to invest quickly in new markets and new opportunities as soon as the economic recovery takes hold. But where are the best opportunities? Investing in new technology and training to capture new opportunities must be worth the risk.

The following UK markets are those that have enjoyed the best growth in the latest 12 months:

Plimsoll has added several new analytical modules designed to assist your business development plans and ensure you capitalise on opportunities first. Whether you are looking to pivot into completely new markets or exploring the best niches within a wider market, Plimsoll’s unique new platform will allow you to find the best opportunities to meet your needs.

Pick out the best possible acquisition targets for your business

With more than $1.5 trillion dollars in acquisitions in the last 3 months alone, the global M&A boom looks set to bring a major post-pandemic consolidation boom to the UK economy. Companies looking to jump ahead of their competitors or pivot into new markets and territories can often find buying an established company is better than trying to build from scratch.

Across the UK economy there are several markets that have are most likely to see a wave of acquisitions:

The new Plimsoll analysis makes finding the best acquisition options, based on whatever your criteria might be, an easy and efficient task. Rather than searching for months, you will be able to find targets in minutes with our multi-faceted search functions.

The bounce back in the UK economy appears inevitable as the shackles of the last 18 months finally start to be released. Whatever your industry or however the pandemic has affected you, make sure you are ahead of the competition in your market with Plimsoll’s all new analytical platform.

To register your interest in Plimsoll’s new platform, or to book a launch day demo, please click here.