Close Brothers Asset Finance is to provide open access to its SME Data Hub, making available all the research it has conducted – in partnership with Kantar research – since 2016.
The company said it has been surveying SMEs for over a decade on a wide range of topics and rather than archive the data, Close Brothers decided to make its data available to everyone, from researchers and students to journalists and finance professionals, requiring no sign-up or contact details to access the data.
Data currently available on the SME hub is for Q4 2019.
In addition, both graphs and tables generated from the data can be downloaded by users.
The only requirement the company has placed on the use of the data is that it be credited by the user as the source of the data.
Anton Nebbe, head of PR and communications, said: “We were sitting on many years’ worth of research, archiving it once we’d issued our press releases and thought leadership articles.
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By GlobalData“But coming from a journalism background myself, I knew there would be ongoing value in making the data freely available without the need to register, and I’m delighted the business agreed with me.
“I don’t know yet how the SME Data Hub will be used but my hope is there is something there for everyone given we have the thoughts and opinions of – literally – thousands of business owners and senior members of the SME community dating back over four years, since even before the Brexit vote.”
How it works
The data can be manipulated in a number of ways, including sector, business size and location.
To access the data:
- Select the year/quarter: Each ‘wave’ was collected at a specific time. Just select from the drop-down (above) the year/quarter you wish to view.
- Choose a question set: You can choose different question sets to select data about a specific category or topic.
- Filter the data: Use the filters to split the results
- Compare data: If the same question has been asked in other years/quarters, you can use the drop-down underneath each chart to see how results have changed over time.
Sectors surveyed include:
- Construction
- Engineering
- Manufacturing
- Food and Drink
- Transport & Haulage
- Wholesale and distribution
- Print and Packaging
- Public sector
- Retail
- Recruitment
- Services
