Although business activity was broadly unchanged during July, new orders contracted at a sharper pace, according to the latest NatWest Regional Growth Tracker. At 50.1 in July, the headline NatWest East Midlands Business Activity Index was up from 49.7 in June, and signalled a broad stabilisation in output levels at private sector firms. Underlying data captured a more challenging picture, however, as new sales declined at a steep rate. On the price front, rates of input cost and output charge inflation were little-changed from those seen in June. Despite companies struggling with pricing power, cost burdens increased at a historically elevated pace. Business confidence in the outlook improved but remained historically subdued, with firms also cutting workforce numbers further amid a sustained drop in new orders. Lisa Phillips, regional managing director, Midlands and East, commerical mid markets, said: “The East Midlands private sector signalled a challenging start to the second half of 2025. Despite output levels broadly stabilising on the month, underlying data indicated subdued demand conditions and a marked drop in new orders. The pace of contraction was also the steepest of the 12 monitored UK regions and areas. “Meanwhile, the impact of recent increases to National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage continued to play out in sharp upticks in cost burdens and a further reduction in headcounts. “Although pricing power was squeezed again, firms were able to raise their output charges. Moreover, business confidence improved amid hopes of stronger demand conditions in the coming months.” Performance in relation to UK Although the seasonally adjusted Business Activity Index posted above the 50.0 no-change mark, the latest data signalled broadly unchanged output levels in July. The UK average, however, indicated a modest upturn. July data signalled a tenth consecutive monthly decline in new business at East Midlands private sector firms. The rate of contraction accelerated notably to the steepest since December 2022, as client demand reportedly slowed significantly. Moreover, the pace of decline in new sales was the quickest of the 12 monitored UK regions and areas. Meanwhile, the level of optimism at East Midlands businesses improved. Although still below the long-run series average, firms were more upbeat in the outlook for output over the coming year than in June. The degree of positive sentiment was stronger than the UK average. Workforce numbers at East Midlands private sector firms contracted again in July, as has been the case in each month for over two years. The pace of decline was unchanged from June, and solid overall. The pace of job shedding was softer than the UK average, however. Meanwhile, the pace of cost inflation was among the slowest of the 12 monitored UK regions and areas, with only the North West and West Midlands signalling weaker rises in operating expenses. That said, the rate of charge inflation was muted in the context of the series history and the joint-slowest of the 12 monitored regions and areas (alongside Scotland).

Greg Simpson, founder of Press For Attention PR, shares how the human voice can work wonders in gaining an advantage for your press releases. I had a chat with a radio producer recently that made me realise something rather embarrassing about our industry. Most people aren’t even bothering to send images with their press releases. Images. The most basic visual element you could possibly include. And they’re skipping it entirely. But that revelation was just the beginning. What this producer told me next completely changed how I think about press releases. The pile problem Here’s what actually happens when your press release lands on a journalist’s desk. It doesn’t get binned immediately. It just doesn’t make it to the top of the pile. Think about that for a moment. With journalists receiving over 100 pitches per week and responding to just 3%, your beautifully crafted press release is competing in a brutal attention economy. The radio producer put it perfectly: “It’s almost like a cheat code to get you to the top of the pile.” What’s the cheat code? Audio. Corporate speak vs real human voice Let me show you the difference with a real example. Traditional written quote: “We are delighted to be appointed as chief widget provider for Acme Limited. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the team.” Pretty soul-crushing, isn’t it? Now imagine hearing the same person actually say: “This is a big day for us. We’re incredibly excited. The entire team have been looking forward to this. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and it’s ultimately going to make a real difference to the business going forward.” You can hear the difference immediately. There’s tone. There’s personality. There’s what I call the “give a shit factor.” You can’t fake that in written text. The iPhone solution Before you start worrying about studio costs and professional equipment, let me stop you right there. I tested this approach with a journalist using nothing more than my iPhone. We recorded it, exported the file, and that was it. You could add a £50 Lavalier mic from Amazon if you want to get fancy, but it’s not essential. What matters is taking the time to add real value and personality to what can be a fairly flat story. You’re bringing it to life with actual human emotion. The journalist’s reaction when we played it back? You could feel the effort, the energy, the emotion immediately. Making journalists’ lives easier Here’s the clever bit that most people miss. When radio producers get a story they like, they usually think: “I wonder if I could get them to comment live on the radio or do a recorded interview.” Most people run scared from that. By including audio soundbites, you’re essentially creating that recorded interview yourself and giving it to the journalist to use if they wish. You’re solving their problem before they even know they have it. This approach works because multimedia press releases receive up to 77% more responses than text-only versions. The complete media toolkit Audio is just the beginning. The producer also mentioned supplementing releases with extra photos that can be stitched together with the audio overlay to create video content for social media. Think about it. You’re giving them more ammunition to create a better story, a more all-around experience. Instead of posting a link to bland copy with one image, they can create engaging video content that actually attracts and engages their audience. With audio accounting for nearly 20% of daily media consumption, you’re speaking their language. The relationship reality Now, a crucial caveat. You’re not sending audio files to every journalist who’s never heard of you. This approach is about building relationships with people who understand you and trust you. You’re making their job easier by giving them content they’d be delighted to have. It’s the difference between being helpful and being a nuisance. The ROI of extra effort I know what you’re thinking. “Christ, now I’ve got to record myself and find extra photos too?” Yes, it’s a bit of extra effort. But extra effort is what delivers results. If you’re looking at return on investment in PR, you sometimes have to make an investment rather than trying to do it as quick, dirty, and cheaply as possible. That approach gets you quick, dirty, cheap results. If any at all. You’re not being asked to record a perfect studio version. You’re not doing a piece to camera. You’re opening your phone and saying what you really feel about your latest story. The human voice, straight from the horse’s mouth, will always beat corporate speak.   A former business journalist, Greg Simpson is the author of The Small Business Guide to PR and has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 5 PR consultants, having set up Press For Attention PR in 2008. He has worked for FTSE 100 firms, charities and start-ups and conducted press conferences with Sir Richard Branson and James Caan. His background ensures a deep understanding of every facet of a successful PR campaign – from a journalist’s, client’s, and consultant’s perspective. See this column in the August issue of East Midlands Business Link Magazine here.

East Midlands Freeport has published its first Investment Strategy and 2025/26 Business Plan, outlining how over £1 billion in funding will be used to drive infrastructure, skills and sustainable energy development across the region. These plans set out how the Freeport is going to use retained business rates and other funding tools to unlock development, attract investment and support growth across its three nationally significant sites: East Midlands Airport and Gateway Industrial Cluster, East Midlands Intermodal Park, and the former Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station site. This approach is backed by the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and developed in close partnership with local authorities, site developers, and the East Midlands Combined County Authority. It reflects the Freeport’s role in delivering targeted, long-term economic growth for the region. The new Investment Strategy outlines how East Midlands Freeport will reinvest £1bn through retained business rates and complementary funding, deliver enabling infrastructure and unlock development-ready sites, launch a Skills and Communities Fund in 2025, support the clean energy, logistics, and advanced manufacturing sectors, help create 28,000 new jobs and deliver £9 billion in wider economic impact. This strategy ensures that investment is deployed in a way that supports national priorities while delivering long-term value for communities and businesses in the East Midlands. The Business Plan sets out how resource and investment will be targeted in the year ahead – supporting site activation, investor engagement and workforce development. It builds on early progress, securing £150m of investment and creating over 850 jobs, and outlines next steps to scale activity across all three sites. Priority areas include infrastructure planning and early works, occupier attraction in key growth sectors, delivery of inclusive skills programmes, strategic collaboration with local and national partners, and governance and impact measurement to track results. Tom Newman-Taylor, CEO of East Midlands Freeport, said: “These plans show how East Midlands Freeport is unlocking development, attracting investment and building value for the region. “This is a Freeport delivering with purpose – backed by strong partnerships and focused on sectors that will define the UK’s economic future. We’re proud to be part of a strong ecosystem supporting growth that is targeted, inclusive and aligned with both national strategy and regional priorities.”