THE YEAR AHEAD
2026 ARE YOU READY
FOR LANCASHIRE’S BIGGEST BUSINESS CELEBRATION?
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
19 JANUARY 2026 Awards ceremony:
Thursday 12 March 2026, Winter Gardens Blackpool
redroseawards.co.uk @redroseawards
#RRA26
TAKING A PEEK INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL
2026
The new year is with us and to start on the right foot we’ve asked business leaders from across Lancashire to look into the future.
We wanted to know their thoughts on the biggest challenges facing their business and its sector over the next 12 months.
And we also quizzed them on opportunities for growth and their prediction for the county’s economy.
Our participants, from a wide range of sectors, also shared their wish-list for the next 12 months.
Devolution, the impact of AI and the ongoing skills challenge are among the subjects on their radar as they get ready to take on whatever 2026 will throw at them.
Ben Ritherdon, managing director of Darwen based engineering and manufacturing company Ritherdon and Co
We supply products into a range of sectors, from power supply kiosks to commercial buildings as well as data and equipment cabinets for the nation’s motorways.
By and large these all fall into the construction industry, a sector which has unfortunately been held up for the last couple of years,
either through the brakes being put on public spending or the economic conditions not favouring investment.
Whilst these challenges remain, there are perhaps some signs of things improving. But I’m sure we are not alone in wanting to see more activity in these sectors in 2026.
If the factors that seem to have been holding up construction and infrastructure work could start to be unlocked and freed-up over the next 12 months that would really keep the factory busy.
The roll-out of EV charging stations seems to be continuing at pace and this is a huge area of potential growth for us both nationally and internationally. As long as we continue to develop our products in line with what this sector needs, there still appears to be plenty of growth potential.
One of the aims behind setting up the Lancashire Combined County Authority is to increase investment in the region, especially from central government. If this is successful, then it should boost the sectors that Ritherdon supplies in Lancashire.
While our products are used nationwide and internationally, our local market is still very important to us, as we have proudly operated as a Lancashire business for more than 130 years.
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