Confidence in growth prospects among privately owned businesses in the East of England has fallen to 83 per cent from 86 per cent at the start of the year, according to the mid-year update to KPMG UK’s Private Enterprise Barometer.
KPMG surveyed 1,500 privately owned businesses across the UK at the start of 2026, including 125 in the East of England, spanning sectors including life sciences, hospitality, food and drink and technology. It returned to the same businesses six months later to test how conditions had changed their outlook.
The regional figure remains above the UK average of 80 per cent. Nationally, confidence fell from 87 per cent when the same businesses were surveyed earlier in the year, KPMG said.
Technology was the leading investment priority among East of England firms, with 67 per cent naming artificial intelligence, cyber security or wider digital transformation. That is one percentage point above the UK average and 30 percentage points higher than at the start of the year.
Diversification was cited by 65 per cent, who said they were looking to expand their service offerings and broaden their client base, up from 64 per cent in January and two points above the national figure.
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