ADVICE
Polls indicate tough
period for Tees businesses
Aseries of Twitter polls carried out by Tees
Business shortly before publication of our
summer issue emphasised the scale of the
challenge the region’s businesses face in
bouncing back from the Covid pandemic.
We asked our social media followers for their
feedback in a series of business-related polls – and
there was plenty of food for thought.
More than 50% of respondents said their
business was likely to make some staff redundant
over the next 12 months – with nearly 40%
suggesting this was “very likely”. Fewer than one
in three believed redundancies were “unlikely”.
While undoubtedly stark, those results were
perhaps not so surprising given the results of
another poll that asked “How has your business’s
income been affected by Covid?” Almost half of
respondents said their business has suffered a
“sharp decrease” in income. More than 75% said
their business had suffered some decrease in
income, though 17% revealed that their income had
actually increased during the crisis.
As far how long they believe it will be before
their businesses bounce back to post-lockdown
levels, more than 70% expressed a belief that this
would take more than six months – with more than
one in three saying it would take more than a year.
Indeed, 13% of those taking part revealed they
were “not confident” their business would survive
post-Covid for the next 12 months, with 19%
unsure. More promisingly, nearly half were “very
confident” and one out of five “fairly confident”
their business would survive the next year.
Four out of five respondents said the furlough
scheme had been the most useful Covid support
for their business, well ahead of grants (11%), easyaccess
loans (7%) and rates relief (2%).
More than half of those who responded said
they were “unlikely” to visit a restaurant in the
near future, despite many eateries now having
reopened – with fewer than one in three likely to
visit a restaurant within the next four weeks of the
late June poll.
The results were similar when followers were
asked if they were likely to visit a bar or pub in the
near future. More than 60% replied that they were
“unlikely” to do so.
There was more promising news for hair salons,
with more than half of respondents indicating they
were “very likely” to visit one within four weeks of
the reopening, though 40% remained “unlikely”.
Finally, there was little positivity for the airlines
and travel agents, with nearly three quarters of
respondents revealing they were “unlikely” to have
a holiday abroad in 2020, despite the government
relaxing restrictions on overseas travel.
The voice of business in the Tees region | 15