80% of British small businesses believe they have shown resilience at its best throughout the pandemic.
79% noted that they have had to adapt their business throughout the pandemic, but 75% feel optimistic about their company's future.
As we say goodbye to lockdown restrictions, new research from Sky Connect, Sky's new B2B telecoms business, celebrates the strength and adaptability of British small businesses with a third revealing that the secret to their resilience over the past year is sheer hard work and motivation. The majority of the UK's SMEs (80%) - which make up over 99% of the business population - believe they have shown resilience at its best throughout the pandemic.
In fact, SMEs have fared better than larger businesses with Local Data Company research revealing that the independent retail and leisure market was more resilient than chains. With 66% of small businesses agreeing that they are more resilient than larger businesses.
Over this past year, businesses across the UK have had to deal with a lot of change, with almost a third of British SMEs saying they have felt anxious and 79% noting that they have had to adapt their business. However, during this incredibly tough time for small businesses, over half have lent a helping hand to another business in need, with London's SMEs being the most generous across the UK (69%).
Kevin O'Toole, Managing Director, Sky Connect said: It's been a tough year for British small businesses. But it's testament to their resilience that many of our smallest businesses are among the most adaptable - and the most optimistic about the future. It was no surprise to me to see that they've bounced back better than larger firms. At Sky Connect, we believe that small businesses should be provided with as much support, and the best tools as possible to grow and recover."
Mike Cherry, Federation of Small Businesses National Chair, said: Sky Connect's research shines a new light on how small businesses have coped through COVID and the public health restrictions. The resilience of the country's 6 million small business owners has never been more on display than it has during this pandemic. Small firms helped each other, engaged in their local communities and did their bit to get through to the other side of the crisis. After incredibly tough times, confidence and optimism among small businesses is now bouncing back. They are ready to innovate, reinvent themselves, connect to customers and drive the recovery.
Thankfully, 75% said they feel optimistic about the future of their business as we come out of lockdown and almost a third (32%) of UK's small businesses say that they have felt more resilient thanks to the strength of their staff over the past year.
In fact, the UK's most optimistic industries are manufacturing (87%), healthcare (85%), and construction (81%). But even the hardest hit sectors are positive about the future, with 80% of food service, 73% of retail and automotive and 71% of travel agent SMEs currently feeling optimistic for their businesses.
Bronwyn Lowenthal, Founder of London-based sustainable womenswear brand Lowie said: The pandemic has been one of the biggest challenges for the business since Lowie was founded nearly twenty years ago. But we used our passion for what we do to work hard, push us through the tough times and adapt to a fully online business during lockdowns. The work we put in to reach customers online has benefited us long-term and we're now feeling very optimistic about the future of the brand as we continue to improve our ecommerce offerings and create beautiful handcrafted designs we know our customers will love.
Kyle Parchment, Founder of Birmingham-based vegan food delivery service Jam N Vegan said: While the pandemic presented challenges for us and many local businesses, we were determined to keep the business running at all costs and continue to provide the community and our loyal customers with tasty and sustainable vegan meals to help see them through the depths of lockdown. Witnessing the incredible positive response from our customers, who have truly rallied around us during this difficult time, has made us more and more optimistic for the future and shown that hard work really does pay off.
Sky Connect is a new entrant in the UK B2B telecoms market focused on partnering with small businesses to provide them with a better broadband experience, offering purpose-built business products, exceptional service, and simple pricing with no hidden fees. Created with reliability in mind, Sky Connect offers Connection Pro', an automatic 4G back-up service, as well as VoiceEdge' - the UK's most feature-rich* inclusive digital phone service for small businesses, helping them to manage their calls from anywhere and everywhere.
To support small businesses in bouncing back from the pandemic, Sky recently launched SME100, a £2 million+ support scheme for UK SME's. The scheme offered 100 small businesses £20,000 of free TV advertising across Sky Media's channels, as well as a free 12-month superfast broadband and digital phone package, courtesy of Sky Connect.
For more information on Sky Connect and the survey results visit: https://businessconnect.sky.com/smepandemicresilience.
For more information please contact
Charlotte Mitchell, Head of PR & Communications, Sky Connect: charlotte.mitchell2@sky.uk
Sky Connect press office: skyconnect@fightflight.co.uk
Survey methodology
Sky Connect commissioned a Censuswide research survey of 2,000 UK SME decision makers on 13th to 24th May 2021. The research highlights the resilience of SMEs across the UK during the pandemic and how optimistic they are feeling about their future.
*Most Feature Rich: Based on a comparison of any of Sky Connect's business broadband and voice packages
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
15/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
15/05/2026
Rebranded show announced
Ahead of their 2026 return, Music Expo have announced that they have now officially changed their name to the MONO Music Conference...
15/05/2026
Fuzz pedal joins UK companys line-up
UK-based pedal makers Buzzing Bugs Audio Devices have recently unveiled their latest creation, the Bolster. Said to pay...
15/05/2026
Join Calrec at MPTS 2026 | May 13-14 | Stand A40 | Olympia, London We're looking forward to meeting up with customers and partners at this year's Media ...
15/05/2026
The six-part series is a co-commission with BritBox and Sony Pictures Television...
15/05/2026
Against that backdrop, IAB UK has added retail media to its Gold Standard. Jan Pitt, Commercial Director at ABC, spoke with Liv McCullagh, Retail Media Lead at ...
15/05/2026
Further to RT 's statement released yesterday and in the interest of full transparency, with the full permission of Derek Mooney, we are now publishing the ...
14/05/2026
At Spotify, we're focused on making every listening experience feel intentio...
14/05/2026
Spotify recently welcomed songwriters, artists, executives, and music students t...
14/05/2026
New articulations, ostinatos, Motion Scoring Articulation Sets & more
Sonuscore's flagship cinematic string library has just been treated to a significa...
14/05/2026
World-class studio opens on T rkiye's Aegean coast
P r Recording & Residence have announced their official opening, introducing a new world-class reside...
14/05/2026
Now supports channel layouts up to 9.1.6
Nugen Audio have just released an update for their AI-powered dialogue intelligibility and compliance tool. Set to ...
14/05/2026
New recordings & one-key chord tool
UVI have just announced the release of Orchestral Suite 2, a ground-up redesign of their all-in-one symphonic orchestra ...
14/05/2026
Two new arrivals & expanded factory content
Rob Papen's all-encompassing plug-in and virtual instrument collection has just been treated to another upda...
14/05/2026
Embed QR codes into DAW sessions
FSK Audio's latest plug-in doesn't process audio, but serves as an organisational tool that allows QR codes to be e...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz transforms spectrum complexity into situational awareness and ef...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Quantum Systems join forces to redefine EW and C-UAS-enabled...
14/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases STANAG aligned ARDRONIS Counter UAS capability at NATO...
14/05/2026
Code of Silence has won the BAFTA for Best Drama Series at Sunday night's ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall.
The series, starring Rose Ayling-Ellis and w...
14/05/2026
Vivid Broadcast was embracing remote production long before it became the industry norm. Now, with Calrec's True Control 2.0-enabled Argo M and Type R conso...
14/05/2026
Comscore Reports First Quarter 2026 ResultsRESTON, Va., May 14, 2026 Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating...
14/05/2026
RT is today publishing the earnings of its top 10 highest-earning presenters for 2025, ahead of the publication of RT 's Annual Report 2025 later this year...
14/05/2026
What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week?
This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...
14/05/2026
The high-stakes chase thriller from Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated writer Matt Charm...
14/05/2026
Back From The Brink airs Sunday 17 May and Sunday 24 May at 6.30pm on RT One an...
13/05/2026
13 May 2026
VEON Delivers Strong Start to 2026 1Q26: Revenue 17.0%, EBITDA 17...
13/05/2026
Thousands of props donated from Skys longest-running original seriesWednesday 13 May 2026
How a neon windmill from A League of Their Own ended up in a dogs'...
13/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 13, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that I...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
FOX Announces Schedule for 2026-27 Season FOX'S POWERFUL NEW SERIES PIPELINE FUELS A BREAKOUT SEASON WITH RETURNING HITS AND BOLD NEW STORYTELLING ACROSS ...
12/05/2026
Customer demand for data continues to grow in the first quarter of 2026 at Magya...
12/05/2026
The latest drama underscores Sky's continued investment in regional production and Welsh creative talent.Tuesday 12 May 2026
Wales takes the spotlight in S...
11/05/2026
As Eurovision fans gear up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the iconic song ...
11/05/2026
Pela primeira vez na hist ria, o Brasil figura entre os oito maiores mercados de...
11/05/2026
New desktop instrument focused on tactile performance
Bastl Instruments have announced the Kalimba, a new desktop instrument that combines physical modellin...
11/05/2026
Compact sampling workstation gains new features
1010music have announced the blackbox 2, a new version of their compact standalone sampler designed for DAWl...
11/05/2026
Performance-focused sequencer with microtonal control
Berlin-based KOMA Elektronik have announced Monoplex, a new 42HP Eurorack sequencer designed for hands...
11/05/2026
Boasts wireless control from mobile devices
The latest iteration of IK Multimedia's compact amp and effects modelling pedal expands on the capabilities ...
80% of British small businesses believe they have shown resilience at its best throughout the pandemic.
