Business confidence in the North East rose once again in March, with the region outstripping the UK average for the sixth month in a row, the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking has found.
During the month, North East business confidence climbed by two points to 56 per cent.
Companies in the region identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as investing in their team, entering new markets and introducing new technology such as automation or AI.