BUSINESS REPORT


BUSINESS REPORT


FIRMS REMAIN RESILIENT IN FACE OF BREXIT


Milton Keynes’ business community remains resilient, according to the latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) released by Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce. Despite Brexit uncertainty, the


business barometer for quarter three of 2019 saw a rise in overseas activity and good news for domestic sales and orders. Respondents


“Following on from the last


‘BUSINESSES HAVE


also reported that they saw workforce growth of 18% and 28% of businesses anticipate increasing their workforce in the next three months. However, more than half of the businesses that tried to recruit struggled to find suitable staff during Q3 and nearly 70% of respondents revealed that they continue to operate at below capacity. Milton Keynes Chamber chief


executive Paul Griffiths said: “The latest QES goes to show the resilience and positive attitudes of the Milton Keynes business community.


CONTINUED TO


SEE AN INCREASE IN OVERSEAS ACTIVITY IN Q3’


quarter, Milton Keynes-based businesses have continued to see an increase in overseas activity in Q3 with demand for both overseas sales and orders rising. This quarter also saw a healthy increase in capital investment and investment in training plans. “In the next few quarters, business confidence and investment expectations are expected to improve as the economy adjusts to new trading


relations with the


EU.” Milton Keynes


Chamber’s QES is part of the


biggest and most representative survey of its kind in the UK. QES data is used by the Bank of England to inform interest rate decisions, by the Treasury to help formulate economic policy and by international finance institutions to assess the UK’s economy.


To read the full report visit: www.chambermk.co.uk/representa tion/quarterly-economic-surveys


GROWING WORKFORCE SIGNALS OFFICE MOVE


Accountancy firm Hillier Hopkins has moved into new, larger premises to accommodate its growing workforce. The move in September from 199 to 249 Silbury Boulevard was only


100 steps away but represents a big jump in office space, which is needed to house their growing team. The firm has increased the size of its workforce by more than 20% since 2017 and further growth is projected. Principal Grant Franklin said: “We are pleased to be expanding our


presence in Milton Keynes. The city is a great place to do business and the expansion of our office reflects the investment we have made here alongside the growth and prosperity of the local economy. We are seeing increased demand for all our services but particularly in areas such as cloud accounting and business process outsourcing.” The Milton Keynes team supports a wide variety of businesses and


has industry expertise and specialists in property and construction, GP practices, professional service businesses and academy schools.


Visit: www.hillierhopkins.co.uk Call: 01908 232020


BEYOND THEORY EXPANDS COURSE OFFERING


A local training and coaching consultancy can now offer even more qualifications as part of a comprehensive leadership and management programme. Beyond Theory has been an


accredited ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) centre for several years and this summer its status was upgraded which means it can now offer two new qualifications - ILM Level 3 Diploma for Managers and ILM Level 5 Diploma for Leaders and Managers.


4 inbusiness DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 Beyond Theory senior consultant


Paul Beesley said: “We’ve been accredited and quality controlled by the ILM for five years and in response to demands from our clients we’ve upgraded to offer these additional qualifications. “We’re different to other Level 3


and 5 providers in that we’ll introduce our delegates to guest speakers who will be business leaders and experts in their field. We’ll also take part in an external visit to a highly regarded employer to see how they operate so we can


use their best practice as a benchmark. Delivering training that is highly engaging as well as practical is very important to us.” The firm has also just gained


Cyber Essentials accreditation with help from fellow Chamber members Firesand. Paul said: “It’s a great example of


two Chamber members working together and we now proudly display the Cyber Essentials logo on our website.”


Visit: www.beyondtheory.co.uk


MILTON KEYNES CHAMBER keeps its members up to date with all the latest business news. Whether it’s through the pages of this magazine, our website or regular email updates, we will always endeavour to keep you in the picture and informed


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