Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 154): 30 April 2026

Key points for businesses with 10+ employees and a presence in Scotland:

• the top concern for businesses for May 2026 was energy prices (18.5%), followed by falling demand of goods and services (12.1%); although an estimated 13.7% of businesses had no concerns
• an estimated 80.1% of businesses were very or somewhat concerned about energy prices, with this share rising to 89.1% for businesses in the Accommodation & Food Services sector and 93.6% for businesses in the Transport & Storage sector
• an estimated 39.0% of businesses saw an increase in the prices of goods or services bought in March 2026 compared with the previous month, which was up on February 2026 (24.2%), but in line with March 2025 (37.2%)
• an estimated 35.4% of businesses were expecting to increase the prices of goods or services sold in May 2026; labour costs (40.5%) and energy prices (38.7%) were the top factors for businesses considering price increases
• two fifths (40.0%) of businesses reported that their turnover had increased in March 2026 compared with the previous month, which was up on February 2026 (26.6%), but in line with March 2025 (41.1%)
• around 1 in 10 (9.6%) businesses experienced global supply chain disruption in March 2026, up from 3.0% in February 2026 and the highest proportion since May 2023 (9.7%); of these businesses, 62.4% cited conflict in the Middle East as the main reason for experiencing global supply chain disruption in March 2026

Note that the next BICS Scotland publication, with data to Wave 155, is scheduled for release on Thursday 14 May 2026.