Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Latest News

UK businesses positive after ‘fast lane’ growth in turnover

by Personnel Today 22 Dec 2003
by Personnel Today 22 Dec 2003

Nearly
two-thirds of UK businesses have grown their turnover in the last 12 months,
with almost a quarter achieving ‘fast lane’ growth, according to research by
HSBC Bank.

HSBC
Bank’s 2003 Business life in the fast lane is one of the largest business surveys
ever undertaken, researching more than 20,000 UK businesses. It looks at all
sizes and sectors of business, and defines companies according to growth: fast
lane companies grew turnover by more than 20 per cent; middle lane by up to 20
per cent; companies in the inside lane saw no growth; and companies in reverse
experienced a decline in sales.

The
survey shows that despite the dot-com backlash, IT and electronic companies saw
greatest growth, along with professional services and construction firms.  Agriculture and manufacturing were worst
hit, although the outlook for these in 2004 is more promising.

Almost
half (47 per cent) of businesses are optimistic about future market conditions,
especially small businesses (with an annual turnover of up to £500,000).  IT, electronic and construction companies
remain optimistic, while those in distribution and manufacturing appear to be
more pessimistic, along with those with overseas interests, who blame the
strong pound.

More
than half of businesses say that having the most satisfied customers in the
market is a major priority for the next 12 months. Customer satisfaction is
also an important acquisition tool – more than 30 per cent of respondents
consider customer recommendation to be their best sales mechanism.

Alan
Keir, general manager, Commercial UK Banking, HSBC Bank, said: “The fastest
growing businesses are positive and ambitious about the future, looking for
substantial growth in the short and long-term. 
As a result, they recognise the need to plan beyond one year, both in
terms of how they will develop the business and also in the help that might be
needed from the bank to realise their ambitions.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

www.ukbusiness.hsbc.com.

By Quentin Reade

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Private sector pay settlements restricted in 2003
next post
UK bosses give informal backing to the arts

You may also like

Man who juggled four council jobs guilty of...

18 Jul 2025

House of Lords votes against day-one dismissal rights

18 Jul 2025

Government launches call for evidence on unpaid internships

18 Jul 2025

Hospitality made up 45% of latest job losses

18 Jul 2025

‘Window of opportunity’ to avert resident doctor strikes

18 Jul 2025

Jaguar Land Rover to lose 500 management roles

18 Jul 2025

Gender pay gaps narrow in 2024-25

17 Jul 2025

UK job vacancies fall to a 10-year low

17 Jul 2025

Zero-hours employees may have to request guaranteed hours

17 Jul 2025

How to avoid the ‘Netflix effect’ in learning...

17 Jul 2025

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+