Business News Round Up (08/11/2021)
Bank’s new report shows Scottish firms in growth mode
Business activity across Scotland’s private sector rose at a slightly faster pace in October, new figures show. The latest Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) purchasing managers’ index – a measure of combined manufacturing and service sector output – rose from 56.1 in September to 56.3 last month. It marked an eighth consecutive month of increased activity, with the latest rise driven by an accelerated expansion in new work. However, inflationary pressures intensified. Supply constraints, logistical issues, fuel, wage bills, Covid-19 and Brexit were all linked through anecdotal evidence to a further round of input cost inflation, with the rate of increase the fastest on record. RBS said a seventh consecutive month of growing orders was fuelled, in part, by the easing of Covid-19 restrictions earlier in the year. The rate of growth regained momentum having slowed to a five-month low in September.
North West M&A market stable
The North West M&A market looks to have stabilised after the sharp decline in volume seen during the pandemic, according to a report by information specialist Experian. Experian’s M&A Review for the first nine months of 2021 said there have been a total of 645 transactions, an increase of 30 per cent on last year. Activity normalised in Q2 and Q3 after an exceptionally strong start in the first quarter, the document said. In terms of value, there was an increase of almost 32 per cent on a year-on-year basis, with a total so far this year of £12.3bn – the highest Q1-Q3 figure in several years. The report said this was a result of the increase in the number of large and mega deals, up by 42 per cent and 50 per cent respectively. The North West was the fourth most active region in terms of deal making so far this year, providing 13 per cent of the total volume of UK deals and five per cent of their value. So far this year, the largest recorded transaction for the North West was the public to private £1.1bn investor buy-out led by Vista Funds of Blue Prism Group of Warrington, developer of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software.
https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-west/north-west-ma-market-stable
Firms ‘under pressure’ to boost pay, says RBS report
Firms may have to boost their pay offers to keep and hire staff as they struggle to fill roles in the months ahead, according to a report. An RBS survey of recruiters found growth in hiring activity slowed last month, despite strong demand for staff. There was a steep decline in the supply of both permanent and short-term workers, and sharp vacancy growth. Respondents attributed difficulties in finding candidates to strong demand, the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit. Availability of permanent staff also dropped at a near-record pace. This was despite salaries for permanent starters rising for the 11th time in as many months. About 100 Scottish recruitment and employment consultancies took part in the survey.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-59165429
Business recovery continued in October as employment rose despite battling jump in costs
North West companies a sustained recovery in business activity in October while also increasing employment despite battling an unprecedented rise in costs in October, according to the latest Regional PMI data from NatWest. The headline North West Business Activity Index – a seasonally-adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 55.3 in October, up from 54.9 in September. Moving further above the 50.0 no-change mark, the index signalled a solid and accelerated rate of growth, albeit one that was slower than the UK average (57.8), the bank added. The new data also shows that inflows of new business at firms in the North West regained momentum at the start of the fourth quarter. The rate of growth was sharp and the quickest seen for three months, although it remained well below the highs seen during the summer. The upturn – which slightly exceeded the national average – was driven by the service sector, with local manufacturers observing a subdued trend in new orders, NatWest adds
https://www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/business-recovery-continued-october-employment-22075572