Thames Valley: BDO and C8 invite local businesses to take part in latest Barometer survey
Businesses in the region are being encouraged to take part in the latest Thames Valley Business Barometer survey which launches today for six weeks. The biannual survey provides a snapshot of economic confidence and business performance in the Thames Valley today and creates an overview of changes and trends over recent years.
The Barometer is carried out by accountants and business advisers BDO LLP and Reading-based PR and marketing agency C8 Consulting.
As well as focusing on economic confidence, growth and employment intentions, the Barometer will also look at what it is like to run a business in the Thames Valley, canvassing views and opinions around infrastructure, local authority support, the cost and quality of labour, cost and availability of premises, proximity to London and other features that affect companies based in the region.
Simon Brooker, partner and head of BDO in the Thames Valley, commented: “The Barometer has been tracking businesses in the Thames Valley for a number of years and we are seeing some fascinating trends emerge. The focus on ‘doing business in the Thames Valley’ should make for compelling reading as it will illustrate the advantages and difficulties that businesses based in the Thames Valley face at present. I would like to encourage as many businesses as possible to take part in the survey.”
Paula Elliott, managing director, C8 Consulting, commented: “2014 is an exciting year for businesses. In our last barometer results presented in June, a staggering 90% of business leaders felt that general levels of economic confidence had improved and I’ll be interested to see if that confidence continues.
"Berkshire alone is home to over 870,000 people and 42,000 businesses. It's also home to 10 of the top 50 global organisations in the world and 13 of the world’s top 30 billion dollar brands. This barometer aims to identify the factors that determine why these national and international companies decided to establish themselves in the Thames Valley, what keeps them here, and also what might make them consider moving away.”
Companies interested in participating in the Barometer can access the survey either at www.bdo.co.uk/news/thames-valley-business-barometer or www.c8consulting.co.uk/twenties_club.
