The latest Leeds York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce quarterly economic survey shows that overseas markets continue to present opportunities for exporters and that manufacturers are outperforming their service sector counterparts by some distance.

More than half of exporting-manufacturers are experiencing an increase in overseas sales and orders, according to the survey, and the majority of the sector’s growth is coming from international trade. Service sector exporters reported…

More than half of businesses in Leeds, York and North Yorkshire are under serious pressure to increase prices as a result of rising overheads, fuel and raw material costs according to research carried out by Leeds University Business School.

But, aware of the potential impact on their competitiveness, rather than passing price rises on to customers they are working hard to find new ways of reducing overall costs and reduce…

Two words – ‘carbon’ and ‘people’ sum up the biggest challenges facing manufacturing, according to CEO and chaiman of GSM Group Barry Dodd. Speaking this week at a manufacturing lunch organised by Leeds Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by law firm Irwin Mitchell, he argued that rising fuel costs in energy and logistics combined with new ‘carbon taxes’ will make it critical for business,…