Europe Market Research

"As competition in the energy retail market continues to heat up, suppliers are branching out into other utility services, such as broadband and mobile phone contracts, and bundling their multi-utility offering to gain a competitive edge. This trend is set to continue, with more suppliers offering ...

"The UK government’s strategy remains focused on reducing the national deficit, with a desire to maintain public expenditure while reducing borrowing and boosting economic growth. The government further reduced borrowing in 2018, with this trend set to continue in the coming years, assuming no ...

“UK demand for thermal insulation has demonstrated an erratic development over recent years. This has been exacerbated by changes to government programmes promoting home energy efficiency measures, which has resulted in stop-start activity in the retro-fit building insulation market. The recovery ...

“Statistics demonstrate that the larger the company, the more likely it is to use e-commerce as a route to market. Yet cloud computing and software-as-a-service are making important facilities increasingly cost-effective for SMEs. Companies of all sizes remain three times more likely to use ...

“The cars and commercial vehicle market contracted in 2017 amidst political and economic uncertainty and the decline of diesel. This followed two years of bumper sales and production. Last year’s slump was underpinned by low domestic demand, which fell in line with wavering business and consumer ...

“Independent care providers are already well-established in the market and are expected to offer services to those with ‘substantial’ care needs, as well as all other care clients. However, the ever-widening gap between the fees paid by LAs and the actual cost of service provision means some ...

“Commercial borrowing levels recovered in 2017, bolstered by a strong second half of the year, as the market displayed resilience a year on from the lull that followed the EU referendum. This growth came as a surprise to many in the industry given the climate of uncertainty, with fears that ...

“The UK is an unusual market by European standards due to the predominance of wall tiles, but attitudes to ceramic tiles for flooring are changing, stimulated by the emergence of wet rooms and some use outside the traditional areas of kitchens and bathrooms. Per capita consumption of tiles is, ...

“Despite uncertain progress in Brexit negotiations, several stagnant economic growth indicators, and potential interest rate rises over the next year, the industry has performed well in a difficult environment. Whilst some lenders have left the market, others have entered and continue to adapt and ...