London, Scottish and North East SMEs worst hit by coronavirus

• London, Scottish and North East-based SMEs will be the worst affected by coronavirus, with London SMEs facing £17,074 each in lost earnings, work and loan repayments – over £5,000 higher than the national average
• Business confidence has been hardest hit in Scotland and the North West where over two fifths (45%) say their business is at risk of closure
• The largest number of permanent closures has been seen in London
• London is likely to remain a key hub for SME activity – up to 163,500 new SMEs could emerge from the coronavirus era
• SMEs in Wales are most critical of government action, with 42% saying they don’t feel supported by government programmes

London, Scottish and North East-based SMEs will be the worst affected by coronavirus, according to new research by small business insurer Simply Business.

The SME Confidence Report spoke to 3,700 SME owners across the UK to measure the impact of coronavirus on small businesses and found that in London the pandemic will cost SMEs £17,074 each on average in lost work, earnings and loan repayments. That’s £6,000 higher than SMEs based in the South West, and over £5,000 higher than the national average (£11,779).

In Scotland, whose private sector recorded one of the deepest slumps in business activity in the UK last month, SMEs will be facing an average cost of £15,484 each caused by the coronavirus. SMEs in the North East, meanwhile, will be facing the third highest average cost of £15,040 each.

Across the whole of the UK, the total cost of coronavirus to SMEs will exceed £69 billion.

The figures come as The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development warned the UK is likely to be the hardest-hit by Covid-19 among major world economies, with the UK economy likely to fall by 11.5% in 2020.

ONS figures released on Friday also showed the UK economy dropped a record 20.4% in April, far exceeding the downturn during the 2008-09 financial crisis.

Average cost of coronavirus per small business, including lost work, earnings and loan repayments:

1. London – £17,074.36
2. Scotland – £15,483.65
3. North East England – £15,039.52
4. South East England – £12,753.44
5. Wales – £11,804.82
6. North West England – £11,494.86
7. The Midlands – £11,079.12
8. South West England – £10,989.60

Business confidence

Business confidence is at its lowest iin Scotland and the North West, where well over two fifths (45%) say their business is at risk of closure.

Across the UK, an estimated 234,000 SMEs have already shut down, while two thirds (67%) have temporarily ceased trading.

The largest number of permanent closures has been seen in London, with 7% of SME owners saying they have ceased trading, compared to the 4% average across the rest of the country. This equates to approximately 76,300 SMEs permanently shut down in London alone.

The South East and South West have the lowest risk of closures, with 38% of SMEs saying their business is at risk of closing.

Room for optimism

SMEs are vital to the UK’s economic prospects, and so despite the damming figures, it’s encouraging to see signs of stoic resilience across the SME community.

Across the country, three quarters (75%) of SMEs plan to continue, or restart, their current business, while 10% are even confident they’ll start a new business.

As the economy emerges from the crisis, London is set to remain a key hub for SME activity.

Despite the capital facing the greatest cost, Simply Business also expect to see the highest number of new start-ups emerge from the capital, with 15% of SME owners planning to start a new business after Covid-19, compared to the 8-9% average across the country.

This could potentially see up to 163,500 new SMEs start up in London alone after coronavirus, helping to negate some of the effects of those lost.

Across all regions, around a fifth (22%) report feeling optimistic about life after coronavirus.

Government support

The study also looked into how well supported small businesses feel by the government.

A fifth (42%) of small business owners in Wales said they don’t feel supported by government – the highest of any region. This is closely followed by London and Scotland (both 40%), and the North West (39%).

However, over half (56%) of SMEs across the UK said they’ve been able to successfully apply for a government loan or grant, and just under half (47%) mentioned it was easy to find.

Alan Thomas, UK CEO at Simply Business, commented: “Covid-19 has had a significant impact on SMEs and small business owners up and down the country – with many being forced to sadly close.

“Their importance to the UK can’t be overstated – accounting for 99% of all British businesses and contributing over £2 trillion in combined turnover. Put simply, it’s essential for our economy that small business bounces back.

“But they’re also crucial to our communities, and we’ve all been eager to see more small businesses have the opportunity to restart their trading – knowing many are relieved to have opened up their doors this week. However, with social distancing measures and strict government guidelines still in place, the challenge is far from over for most.

“No corner of the UK has been able to escape the effects of coronavirus, and the financial impact across the country is startling. SMEs in the capital will be swallowing a cost of over £17,000 each – around £5,000 higher than the national average.

“While the financial impact of Covid on small business owners is enormous, we’re incredibly inspired by their resilience and equally encouraged by their optimism.

“With so many set to continue or restart their current business, and many others planning to open new small businesses, we expect confidence to continue to rise as we move through the stages of lockdown.”

With financial support vital to keeping small businesses going, Simply Business has launched a free Financial Support Checker to help SMEs, landlords and the self-employed to quickly determine what financial support and schemes are available to them during the coronavirus pandemic.

A simple questionnaire takes business owners just a few minutes to complete and will point them towards relevant financial support.

-Ends-

Footnotes:

• RBS Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for May
• 2 See methodology
• 3 OECD
• 4 4% of SMEs said they have already ceased trading. 4% of total number of SMEs in UK (5,860,000) = 234,400
• 5 1,090,000 SMEs in London at the end of 2019. 7% of 1,090,000 = 76,300
• Source: House of Commons Business Statistics Briefing Paper No. 06152
• 6 15% of the 1,090,000 SMEs in London = 163,500

Full regional breakdowns available upon request

Methodology:

Data: Survey of 3,734 small business owners from across the UK, conducted May 2020

Total number of respondents for each region:

• London – 430
• North East England – 410
• Scotland – 390
• South East England – 627
• Wales – 231
• The Midlands – 659
• South West England – 441
• North West England – 519

Region	Average cost to each SME	SMEs temporarily stopped trading	SMEs already permanently shut down	SMEs who fear their business is at risk of permanently closing	SMEs who’ve been able to apply for government support	SMEs who do not feel supported by government	SMEs who say they feel partly supported by government but it’s not enough	SMEs who plan to continue with their business after coronavirus	SMEs who plan to start a new business after coronavirus	SMEs who feel optimistic about life after coronavirus
London	£17,074.36	61%	7%	44%	51%	40%	30%	70%	15%	22%
Scotland	£15,483.65	72%	5%	45%	59%	40%	35%	76%	9%	21%
North East	£15,039.52	70%	4%	41%	57%	38%	28%	75%	8%	24%
South East England	£12,753.44	65%	3%	38%	57%	33%	29%	78%	8%	21%
Wales	£11,804.82	69%	4%	44%	57%	42%	29%	74%	8%	23%
North West England	£11,494.86	70%	6%	45%	56%	39%	32%	76%	9%	21%
Midlands	£11,079.12	67%	4%	40%	54%	36%	32%	74%	10%	22%
South West England	£10,989.60	69%	2%	38%	56%	35%	29%	79%	7%	23%

How did we calculate the £69 billion figure? 100% of small business owners surveyed reported being affected financially by the coronavirus pandemic.

We asked small businesses how much they estimate the coronavirus pandemic will cost them in total, including lost earnings, jobs and revenue. The weighted average of this cost is £11,779.

£11,779 multiplied by the number of SMEs in the UK = £69,024,274,091.

For further information, please contact:

Frank PR

+44 20 7693 7433

[email protected]

About Simply Business

Simply Business is one of the UK’s biggest business insurance providers, specialising in public liability insurance for SMEs and insuring over 900,000 small businesses and landlords across Britain.

Launched in 2005, Simply Business provides an online brokerage service, delivering policies tailored to individual business requirements. Using the power of tech and data to create the best possible customer experiences, Simply Business employs over 800 people across offices in London, Northampton, and Boston in the US.

Owing to its internal underwriting capability, Simply Business can cover over 1,000 trade types – ranging from plumbers to accountants to dog walkers. An accredited B Corp for their positive social impact, Simply Business has also been voted the Sunday Times Best Company To Work For twice in a row.