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Chamber Quarterly Business Report Q1 2026

Have Your Say

Thank you for contributing towards the Chamber Quarterly Business Report, ran in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council. This survey requires no detailed information about your company, only broad trends, and all responses will remain anonymous.

If based at your head office, please answer for the whole UK operation.
1.How many people does your business employ?
(Estimate if not known; sole trader = 1)
(Required.)
2.What area is your business located in? (Tick all that apply)(Required.)
3.Which is the most appropriate category for your business?(Required.)
4.UK and overseas markets
Excluding seasonal variations, over the past three months...
increased
remained constant
decreased
UK sales/custom/bookings have...
UK orders/advance custom/bookings have...
Overseas sales/custom/bookings have...
Overseas orders/advance custom/bookings have...
5.LABOUR FORCE
increased
remained constant
decreased
Over the past three months, has your workforce
Over the next three months, do you expect your workforce to
6.RECRUITMENT
Yes
No
Have you attempted to recruit staff over the past 3 months?
7.If yes,
part-time jobs?
full-time jobs?
temporary jobs?
permanent jobs?
were they for
8.RECRUITMENT
Yes
No
Did you experience any difficulties finding suitable staff?
9.If yes,
Skilled manual/Technical
Professional/Managerial
Clerical
Un and semi-skilled
for which of the following categories of employee?
10.CASH FLOW AND INVESTMENT
Increased
Remained Constant
Decreased
Over the past 3 months, cash flow has...
Over the past 3 months, investment plans for plant/machinery/equipment have...
Over the past 3 months, investment plans for training have...
11.BUSINESS CONFIDENCE
Improve
Remain the same
Worsen
Over the next 12 months, do you believe your business's turnover will...
Over the next 12 months, do you believe your business's profitability will...
12.CAPACITY
Full capacity
Below capacity
Are you currently operating at...
13.PRICES
Increase
Remain the same
Decrease
Over the next 3 months, do you expect the price of your goods/services to...
14.PRICES
Labour costs (e.g. salaries, pay settlements, contractors)
Raw materials (e.g. steel, cardboard, food)
Utilities (e.g. gas, electricity)
Fuel (e.g. petrol, diesel)
Finance costs
Other Overheads
Is your business facing pressure to raise prices from any of the following sources? (please tick all that apply)
15.EXTERNAL FACTORS
Interest Rates
Exchange Rates
Business Rates
Inflation
Competition
Corporate Tax
Please indicate which of these following factors are more of a concern to your business.
16.Feel free to share any feedback about business or economic conditions in the previous three months
17.If you would like to receive a copy of our Quarterly Business Report which is based on responses to this survey, please supply your email address:
18.Would you like to speak about your results in our Chamber magazine?
Yes
No
If you tick “Yes” you could be selected to take part in a free half-page feature looking at your response to this survey.
For Businesses Based in Cheshire and Warrington Only
The Mayoral Combined Authority for Cheshire and Warrington has just commenced.
19.How familiar are you with what this means for the region? (5 = High familiarity)
20.How positive do you feel about this for business? (5 = Very Positive)
21.What are you most optimistic about as a result?