Confidence among South West firms is the highest it’s been for a year amid rising output, sales and employment, according to a new Natwest report.
The bank’s South West PMI 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 - saw its first increase in activity across the region for seven months.
Bosses told researchers the upturn in new business, which also saw the first expansion of staffing levels for three months, coincided with strengthened demand from customers.
