Business activity across the North West's private sector increased in February for the first time since August 2022, according to new figures.
The latest UK regional PMI data from NatWest shows the upturn came amid signs of a slight pick-up in demand, which was partly driven by improving confidence among customers, the survey found.
The headline North West PMI Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – moved back above the 50.0 no-change threshold in February, registering 52.3 from January’s 47.2.
