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SMEs set for 'happy 2007'

Published On 17 January 2007 at 10:54:36

SMEs in the UK are set for a "happy new year", according to the Bank of Scotland.

The bank's latest confidence survey among small business owners and managers revealed that most are optimistic about the coming 12 months.

Bosses show rising confidence in the performance of their own company. More than four in five expect performance to be the same as last year or better in 2007, up one per cent on the last survey.

Furthermore, the quarterly small business economic confidence index found that the number of SME bosses expecting their business to decline has fallen from 17 per cent to 13 per cent.

The proportion of owners and managers describing themselves as optimistic has risen from 64 per cent to 69 per cent.

However, managers did complain that it is becoming more difficult to run a small business in the UK, citing government red tape and the problem of attracting new customers.

 

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