01656 815322 | business@bridgend.gov.uk Economy and Natural Resources
business.bridgend.gov.uk
March 2017
Businesses in Bridgend County Borough are growing
96% rely on UK customers and supplies
10% new businesses 2010-2015
88% expect to increase turnover
95% expect to grow
Introduction The role of Bridgend Business Forum (BBF) is to act as a voice for businesses in Bridgend County Borough and to provide a vehicle for networking and hosting events which are likely to be of benefit to members and other local organisations. In 2016, as Chair of the forum, Ian Jessopp I worked with Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC) to commission Wavehill to undertake research in relation to Bridgend-based businesses. This exercise was designed to assist in shaping the nature of support and services provided to the business community from the council via the forum. The research intended to gain a wider, deeper understanding of the needs and opportunities of Bridgend County Borough businesses. Details of the findings are included later in this publication along with an overview of the socio-economic context and the support the council provides to the local economy. These findings have been used to create a three-year development plan for the forum. The undertaking of this research has supported a review of the forum and developed a better understanding of the views of the business community in relation to the way forward for the forum, and to support its role as a representative body for the business community.
As part of the way forward I will be establishing an executive group to work with me and the council across a range of issues and opportunities the business community now faces. I am now launching a process to appoint a vice-chair and an executive group. The vice-chair will work closely with me in delivering the aims of the forum and deputise where required. The executive group will comprise of a series of experts in the following areas: • Communications and marketing • Engagement and consultation • Events and sponsorship The call is now open for action. If you can think of someone in the local business community who could support the forum in any of these ways and would like to nominate them then please contact me. The positions are unpaid and further details can be provided by contacting Jeff Peters, Bridgend County Borough Council, email: jeff.peters@bridgend.gov.uk or call 01656 815313. The deadline for nominations is Friday 31 March 2017. I would like to thank all of you who took part in the research and assure you that your views have been heard and will be put into practice to direct how the forum operates under my tenure. Ian Jessopp Chair - Bridgend Business Forum
Overview Established in 2008 and with over 770 members, the forum provides local companies with the opportunity to come together as a collective voice and respond to local issues and developments that are affecting their business. Bridgend Business Forum is free to join and the benefits for members are: • Free events and networking opportunities • Priority booking at paid events • Exclusive member to member offers • Opportunity to place an advertising banner on the front page of the Bridgend Business Forum website (linking to member company’s website) • Member profile in the business@bridgend monthly enews • Opportunity for a link to member company’s website from the forum’s website • The ability to display the forum logo on a member company’s website
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The forum has generated income from ticket sales and sponsorship since 2009 for some of its higher profile business events and was pleased to welcome Carwyn Jones AM as Patron in 2015 and Ian Jessopp, owner and Managing Director of KK Solutions, as its chair.
Socio-economic context • In 2015 there were 3,515 enterprises in Bridgend County Borough which makes up 4 per cent of all enterprises in Wales (97,800)
• In 2015 unemployment was 7.1 per cent • As the following charts show, Bridgend County Borough has a diverse range of enterprises, across a range of sectors, each playing a role in providing employment.
• The number of enterprises in Bridgend CB is increasing at a quicker rate than for Wales as a whole with a 10 per cent increase from 2010 to 2015
Business size comparison – enterprises 80% 70% UK 60% 50%
Wales
40%
Bridgend
30% 20% 10% 0%
0 to 4
5 to 9
10 to 19
20 to 49
50 to 99 100 to 249
250+
Business size comparison – employees 40% 35%
UK
30%
Wales
25%
Bridgend
20% 15% 10% 5% 0%
Micro (0 - 9)
Small (10 - 49)
Medium (50 - 249)
Large (250 +)
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Sector profile 6.0% 14.2% 2.8%
A: Agriculture, forestry and fishing
0.0% 0.1% 0.0%
B: Mining and quarrying
0.3% 0.4% 0.6%
E: Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities
11.6% 11.7% 12.4%
F: Construction
6.0% 8.6% 8.8%
I: Accommodation and food service activities
7.9% 4.2% 4.4%
J: Information and communication
C: Manufacturing
D: Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply
15.0% 15.5% 18.5%
G: Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
3.4% 3.4% 4.5%
H: Transportation and storage
2.0% 1.5% 2.0%
K: Financial and insurance activities
17.8% 11.8% 12.2%
7.9% 7.4% 7.1%
0.3% 0.4% 0.6%
M: Professional, scientific and technical activities
N: Administrative and support service activities
O: Public administration and defence; compulsory social security
2.5% 2.3% 2.1%
4.3% 4.5% 5.3%
4.3% 4.4% 4.5%
0.1% 0.1% 0.3%
5.3% 5.6% 9.5%
3.6% 2.6% 3.0%
L: Real estate activities
1.7% 1.2% 1.4%
P: Education
UK Wales
Q: Human health and social work activities
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R: Arts, entertainment and recreation
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S: Other service activities
Bridgend
Support for the local economy Through its Economy team, Bridgend County Borough Council supports the following: • Supporting new business start-ups – kickstart and Enterprise Facilitation • Supporting existing businesses to develop – Special Regeneration Fund (SRF)
• Bridgend Business Forum events • Supporting inward investment to the area • Marketing and communications • Destination Management and tourism marketing
Views from businesses…
46% 96%
Bridgend County Borough is a good place to be for business: 46 per cent of respondents view location as the best thing - the proximity to the M4 and to Swansea and Cardiff.
The importance of local customers and suppliers: on average 96 per cent of sales and 93 per cent of suppliers are from the UK market.
Businesses are growing: 55 per cent said they had undertaken recruitment in the past 12 months. While a number of vacancies had been hard to fill, suggesting more work is needed to resolve skills gaps, around a third have a policy for up-skilling staff.
93% 55%
There are chances to grow further with new skills: administration, regulatory compliance, product development, marketing and customer service were all highlighted as up-skilling opportunities.
Reasons to be optimistic: 95 per cent of respondents expected their workforce to either stay the same size or grow over the next 12 months; 88 per cent expect turnover to either stay the same or grow; 82 per cent expect profit to remain the same or grow; 41 per cent introduced new or improved products or services in last 12 months with 39 per cent intending to do so over the next 12 months.
Challenges to work with: Overall, in addition to skills issues, the main barriers cited were finance / funding, the costs of business rates, levels of business support services available.
£
£ £ £ £
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Views about the forum Main benefits of the forum are: 9%
9%
Business support Information / knowledge
22%
Lobbying 60%
Networking & Exposure
1%
No benefit
Options for future priorities for the forum: 1% Networking / marketing 10%
Dealing with wider issues
11%
38%
Don't know / continue as it is Targeting of support
11%
Information 13%
17%
Increase membership Other
Interest in potential other services: 84%
Support to develop collaborative projects amongst businesses Information on latest training opportunties and sources
82%
Sector specific case studies/information
76%
Study tours to exemplar projects and businesses
63%
Online discussion forum for forum members
62%
Support for collaborative procurement of services etc
61%
Mentoring support from other businesses
58%
Hot desking facilities
32%
0
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20
40
60
80
100
Future actions Short term (over the next six months) • Establish a forum executive group to help drive the delivery of the development plan. • Targeted membership growth campaign. • Undertake analysis of the sector breakdown of forum members to identify key areas of interest for sector specific activities. • Analysis of patterns of attendees to various events to identify future options. • Trial the encouragement of voluntary contributions towards specific forum activities and/or forum membership. • Review feedback systems (for example a simple online survey) to capture feedback from attendees at activities delivered through the forum.
Medium term (over the next 12 to 18 months) • Pilot new activities that promote networking and collaboration to reflect the demands of forum members including building on the success of the speed networking events. • Review the web platform for the forum. • Pursue the development of and pilot the delivery of events/activities and wider service provision that is implicitly focussed on businesses of a certain size. • Explore the appetite for meet the buyer events with large businesses that are members of the forum. • Strengthen the brokerage role of the forum through enhancing links (actual and informational) with policy interventions targeted at businesses with growth potential. • Enable and promote the forum website as a tool for existing members.
Long term (two to three years) • Increase the number of sources and scale of income secured for the forum. • Undertake a similar research and survey exercise to explore how aspirations and needs have changed.
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Bridgend Business Forum events programme 2017
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March 2017
May 2017
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September 2017
Speed networking business breakfast sponsored by United Graphic Design y James Beck ith w n o sati in conver
ed-y-Mwstwr Hotel he Co at t
Bridgend Business Forum Awards 2017 launch
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May 2017
BBF / GRWP business afternoon tea event
Social media in business seminar – Social pay per click
Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel, Bridgend
Engage Training, 1C Morien House, Bridgend Business Centre, Bridgend CF31 3SH
12noon - 3pm Speaker: Becky James
9am for 9.30 until 1pm
Cost: £25+ VAT
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Speaker: Austin Walters, Managing Director, APdigital Solutions Ltd
March 2017
Social media in business seminar – Growth hacking – the new online marketing strategy Engage Training, 1C Morien House, Bridgend Business Centre, Bridgend CF31 3SH
25
May 2017
HR seminar: Abolish appraisals! Breaking the rules to create a high performance culture
9am for 9.30am until 1pm
With special guest speaker, Olympian, Jamie Baulch in partnership with Hugh James
Speaker: Austin Walters, Managing Director, APdigital Solutions Ltd.
Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel, Coychurch, Bridgend 8.30am for 9 until 11am
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March 2017
Employment law update breakfast seminar – spring Waterton Centre, Bridgend 8.30am for 9am until 11am In Partnership with Berry Smith Lawyers and Wales Quality Centre
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June 2017
Heronston Hotel & Spa, Bridgend 7.30am for 8am until 10am
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September 2017
Employment law update breakfast seminar – autumn Waterton Centre, Bridgend 8.30am for 9am until 11am In Partnership with Berry Smith Lawyers and Wales Quality Centre
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September 2017
Bridgend Business Forum Business Awards 2017: 5th annual dinner and awards ceremony Coed-y-Mwstwr Hotel, Bridgend 7pm for 7.30pm until 11.30pm Cost: £50+ VAT
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November 2017
Speed networking business breakfast sponsored by United Graphic Design
Speed networking business breakfast sponsored by United Graphic Design
Heronston Hotel & Spa, Bridgend
Heronston Hotel & Spa, Bridgend
7.30am for 8am until 10am
7.30am for 8am until 10am
Cost: All events are free of charge (unless otherwise stated) How to book: Email: business@bridgend.gov.uk or book via the website: bridgendbusinessforum.co.uk (booking is essential) For more information contact: Mary Pope on 01656 815320 or email: mary.pope@bridgend.gov.uk
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