Publications

In our Publications section we want to give you access to the valuable intelligence that Coventry & Warwickshire businesses are sharing with us regularly and insights into the wider macroeconomic impact of the pandemic on our region. We have created the below reports to give us, our stakeholders and decision makers in local and central Government an insight on how local businesses and our economy have been impacted over the duration of the COVID19 pandemic. It has helped us build evidence to inform business support provisions and launch us into the restart phase.

The reports form part of the CW Growth Hub’s SmartRegion initiative, a partnership project between the CW Growth Hub, Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council with valuable input from other local business support partner organisations including the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, the FSB, and the local universities. SmartRegion is a shared business and economy data resource for the region and enables us and our stakeholders to understand local businesses and continue to deliver smart services to help our region grow and prosper.

December 2024:

This month’s spotlight takes a Review of 2024, recapping on the themes we have covered during the year, challenges and opportunities raised, and highlighting some of the recommendations we have made.

November 2024:

This month’s spotlight focuses on the recent Autumn Budget 2024. The Chancellor delivered Labour’s first Budget since 2010, after the party’s return to power in July’s general election.

October 2024:

This month’s Spotlight focuses on the rehabilitation of ex-offenders into the workplace, and outlines some of the available support programmes and schemes.

September 2024:

This month’s Spotlight focuses on the future for high streets, following the publication of a research and policy report from the Federation of Small Businesses outlining the risks, challenges, and opportunities facing them.

August 2024:

This month’s Spotlight focuses on Young Entrepreneurs, giving a background to the challenges and opportunities amongst the younger entrepreneur community, and the importance of them in supporting economic growth for the local economy.

July 2024:

This month’s spotlight focuses on the Made Smarter Adoption Programme, giving an overview of the programme nationally and in the West Midlands region, and highlighting some of the results from its first three years.

June 2024:

Analysis in this month’s report is based on intelligence from CW Growth Hub’s contacts with local businesses, alongside survey data, information, and other intelligence provided by Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council.

May 2024:

This month our spotlight theme focuses on ‘Ten Years of CW Growth Hub’ highlighting various business support activities offered by the Growth Hub, alongside how the Coventry & Warwickshire’s economy has changed over the ten-year period.

March 2024:

This month our spotlight theme focuses on the ‘Spring Budget 2024’ highlighting the key impacts from the Spring Budget and some of the reaction from leading business representatives.

February 2024:

This month our spotlight theme focuses on ‘Levelling Up’ highlighting the progress made since the Levelling Up White Paper was published, the Levelling Up funds in Coventry & Warwickshire, and future focus for reducing inequalities.

January 2024:

This month our spotlight theme focuses on ‘Older Entrepreneurs’ giving a background to the trends, issues, and opportunities amongst the older entrepreneur community.

December 2023:

This month our spotlight theme focuses on the ‘Advanced Manufacturing Plan and UK Battery Strategy’ highlighting the government’s vision, strategy, approach, and the potential benefits for Coventry & Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands region.

November 2023:

This month our spotlight theme focuses on the ‘Autumn Statement 2023’ highlighting the key objectives the Chancellor set out to reduce debt, cut taxes and reward work whilst also backing businesses and sustainable energy measures.

October 2023:

This month our spotlight theme focuses on the ‘Party Conference Announcements’ highlighting the key announcements.

September 2023:

This month our spotlight theme is the newly launched ‘Local Skills Improvement Plan’, highlighting latest trends, issues, challenges, and future opportunities.

August 2023:

This month our spotlight theme is ‘Electrification Infrastructure’, highlighting latest trends, issues, challenges, and future opportunities.

July 2023:

This month our spotlight theme is ‘Inward Investment’, highlighting latest trends, issues, challenges, and future opportunities.

June 2023:

This month our spotlight theme is ‘Automotive & Future Mobility’, highlighting latest trends, issues, challenges, and future opportunities.

May 2023:

This month our spotlight theme is the ‘Hospitality Sector’, highlighting latest trends, issues, challenges, and future opportunities.

April 2023:

This month our spotlight theme is ‘International Trade’, highlighting recent trends, issues, challenges, and future opportunities.

March 2023:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on the ‘Spring Budget Statement 2023’, highlighting how key announcements could impact on the Coventry & Warwickshire economy

February 2023:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on the ‘High Growth Companies’, highlighting how these have, and will, impact on the economy of both Coventry & Warwickshire. We welcome contributions from Justine Chadwick & Jim Clark, High Growth and Scale-up Account Managers at CW Growth Hub.

January 2023:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on the ‘Tourism and Hospitality Sectors’, highlighting how these have, and will, impact on the economy of both Coventry & Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands region.

December 2022:

This month our spotlight focusses on the key discussion points from a recent ‘Skills & Recruitment Roundtable Discussion’, convened by CW Growth Hub, and involving a range of employers from across northern Warwickshire.

November 2022:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on the ‘Autumn Budget Statement 2022’ highlighting the headlines announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and how these will impact on the UK economy, with a response from CWRT’s Chief Executive, Sheridan Sulskis, on what this means for business locally.

October 2022:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on the ''Labour Market Dynamics", highlighting how these have, and will, impact on the economy of both Coventry and Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands region

September 2022:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on the 'Autumn Fiscal Event', outlining the headlines announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his recent mini-Budget, with a response from CWLEP Growth Hub’s Managing Director, Craig Humphrey, on what this means for businesses locally.

August 2022:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on ‘Building the Momentum of the Commonwealth Games’, highlighting how the recent Games have, and will, impact on the economy of bother Birmingham and the Wider West Midlands Region.

July 2022:

This month our spotlight theme focusses on ‘Research & Development (R&D) and Innovation’, highlighting how funding of R&D and innovation has positively impacted on the economy of both Coventry & Warwickshire and wider

June 2022:

This month our spotlight theme is the ‘Coventry UK City of Culture – Impact and Legacy’, highlighting how Coventry’s year as City of Culture has impacted on the local economy, and what impacts on creative and culture sectors across the sub-region might be seen over the coming months and years.

May 2022:

This month our spotlight theme is 'Perfect Storm - Spring 2022', Highlighting the range of potentially severe economic issues that are currently aligning and likely to have impacts on businesses across the sub-region over the coming months.

April 2022:

This month our spotlight theme is 'Made Smarter - Adoption Project', looking at how Made Smarter Programme has impacted businesses across Coventry & Warwickshire and the West Midlands.

March 2022:

This month our spotlight theme is 'The Cost of Doing Business’, looking at how three factors - inflation, wages, and energy costs - are increasingly and negatively impacting on businesses in Coventry & Warwickshire.

February 2022:

This month our spotlight theme is the recently published and long-awaited ‘Levelling-up White Paper’, looking at the Government backed priorities and missions to deliver levelling-up across the country, as well as highlighting future funding support for local areas and communities.

January 2022:

Business Intelligence with a Spotlight theme of ‘Future of highstreets/town centres’, looking at the challenges that Covid-19 restrictions and the recovery has on highstreets/ town centres, as well as understanding available support and changes needed to ensure sustainable and prosperous town and city centres of the future.

December 2021:

Business Intelligence with a Spotlight theme of ‘Women in the Workforce’, looking at challenges and opportunities that women currently face in the workplace, and the specific local business support initiatives and programmes that are available.

November 2021:

Business Intelligence with a Spotlight theme is the 'Future of Business Support', looking at the challenges currently facing local businesses, the funding and support available, and areas where further support might be required. This month's report features the new recommendations layout, with the archived recommendations as a separate file below.

October 2021:

Business Intelligence with a Spotlight theme is the ‘Green Sustainable Future’. We look at the varied range of issues currently facing local businesses, specifically around green innovation, and available funds to support them with green and sustainable growth.

September 2021:

Business Intelligence with a Spotlight on ‘International Trade’, looking at the varied range of issues that are currently impacting businesses, but also the opportunities available to those already importing/exporting, and those looking to do so.

August 2021:

Business Intelligence with a Spotlight on the ‘Perfect Storm’, highlighting the range of potentially severe economic issues that are currently aligning to have an impact on businesses across the sub-region over the coming weeks and months.

July 2021:

Covid19 Business Intelligence with a spotlight on Tourism & Hospitality sector, with a focus on the re-opening of more of the sector locally.

June 2021:

Covid19 Business Intelligence with a Spotlight on Health and Wellbeing, especially in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic, and it’s economic impact.

May 2021:

Covid19 Business Intelligence with a Spotlight on The Green, Sustainable Future Agenda.

April 2021:

Covid19 Business Intelligence with a Spotlight on The effects that Covid-19 has had on the so-called gig economy, with a specific focus on this way of working in the travel and delivery sectors.