News Releases

Bristol’s owner-managed businesses do not believe that Bristol has a “vision” in the competitive UK and international market for inward investment, and say the city should appoint a national marketing agency to spend more than £1 million on promoting Bristol.

 

These are the top-line findings of a new survey of Bristol’s owner-managed businesses, conducted by Bishop Fleming, the accountancy firm with the South West’s widest spread of offices.

 

None of the survey respondents could say that Bristol has a clear vision which has been communicated to the city’s business community. More than a third (38.5%) said that there is no evidence of the city having a “vision”.

 

Most (61.5%) said that the city may have a “vision”, but they don’t know what it is.

 

This is a major issue for almost half of the survey respondents (46%), who said that their business would benefit from being associated with a successful city-vision, promoting Bristol as a major business location.

 

“Many of Bristol’s owner-managed businesses are competing in the national and international market, so it matters to them that Bristol appears on the radar screen”, said Matthew Lee, Managing Partner at Bishop Fleming.

 

His warning is borne out by how business owners responded to the question “would you choose Bristol if you were starting again?”

 

More than half (almost 54%) said “no” – or that they might find better conditions elsewhere, including recruitment, property, and transport services.

 

“This is a sobering message for Bristol’s leaders”, said Bishop Fleming’s Matthew Lee. “Technology means that every business is now able to move its location”.

 

Central to the survey findings is the issue of whether Bristol is matching other competing cities. Less than 8% of respondents said that Bristol is competing with other UK and EU cities to attract inward investors and put Bristol on the international map.

 

More than a third (38.5%) said that other UK and EU cities are achieving far greater profile than Bristol.

 

Asked for a solution, most respondents (58.3%) urged the appointment of a national or international marketing agency. Less than 17% suggested that marketing Bristol should be left to the city council’s staff. Only a quarter proposed the appointment of a local marketing agency.

 

The big majority (more than 69%) said that the city’s marketing budget should be more than £1 million. Less than a quarter (23%) thought that Bristol should be spending less than £1 million.

 

“Almost all of our respondents (85%) said that they would do their bit to promote Bristol, by recommending the city as a location to start or relocate suitable businesses”, said Matthew Lee. “This underlines a strong support for the city, even though our respondents suggest that Bristol is not doing enough to capture national and international attention”, he added.

 

Meanwhile, Bishop Fleming’s survey of owner-managed businesses highlighted the importance of Bristol’s big events in helping to put the city on the national and international radar screen.

 

Most respondents (54%) agreed that events like the Balloon Fiesta, the Harbour Regatta, and the organic food festival help their businesses by providing national publicity profile for the city.

 

“We have to hope that the city fathers will listen to the feedback from Bristol’s owner-managed businesses, who represent the West’s biggest economic dynamo. There is no doubt that, for all of us who are engaged in Bristol’s business scene, this city is more than a match for any other UK or EU competitor: but that message has to be transmitted nationally and internationally”, said Matthew Lee.