Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 156): 28 May 2026

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

• the top concerns for businesses for June 2026 were falling demand (12.0%), energy prices (10.4%) and inflation (9.8%); although an estimated 17.5% of businesses had no concerns
• an estimated 74.9% of businesses were very or somewhat concerned about energy prices, with this share rising to 86.7% for businesses in the Accommodation & Food Services sector and 87.7% for businesses in the Transport & Storage sector
• for an estimated 39.0% of businesses the prices of goods or services bought in April 2026 increased compared with March 2026, and 20.6% increased the prices of goods and services they sold
• an estimated 21.3% of businesses were expecting to increase the prices of goods or services sold in June 2026; labour costs (39.4%) and energy prices (31.3%) were the top factors for businesses considering price increases
• around a quarter (24.3%) of businesses reported that their turnover had increased in April 2026 compared with the previous month, which was down on March 2026 (40.0%), but in line with April 2025 (25.1%)
• in May 2026, an estimated 28.5% of businesses expected their business performance to increase over the next 12 months and an estimated 12.6% expected it to decrease

Note that the next BICS Scotland publication, with data to Wave 157, is scheduled for release on Thursday 11 June 2026.