It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Alexandra Fogal, Partner, Head of Private North at EY.
The outlook for Yorkshire’s private mid-market appears bright and full of potential for 2025. Indeed, despite ongoing economic headwinds, including increasing employment costs and geopolitical tensions, there are reasons for optimism as we look forward to the year ahead.
There are several investment hotspots in Yorkshire, including renewables, as the UK’s drive towards net zero continues. Indeed, the focus from companies within the private mid-market on their ‘sustainability in business’ practices, especially led by regulation, ramped up substantially in 2024 – a trend that appears likely to continue throughout 2025.
Meanwhile, technology is another area with significant growth potential in 2025. The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the integration of clean technology have been recent priorities for businesses in the region, and throughout the UK, which bodes well for tech growth prospects going forward.
Diving deeper on technology, the manufacturing industry is embracing significant transformation through the adoption of robotics, while the growing prominence of e-commerce is driving sustained changes in consumer habits, as well as supporting supply chain resilience.
Property is another area in which investment prospects appear bright for 2025 in Yorkshire, with urban regeneration real estate projects on the rise as businesses look to embed themselves in their communities to help drive regional growth. An apt recent example of this was EY’s move to its new Leeds office at Wellington Place.
Furthermore, for both Yorkshire and the UK more broadly, prospects for the Private Equity (PE) market appear promising for 2025, with market activity steadily increasing of late, and businesses likely to have access to higher levels of capital in the new year to help support and drive investments.
