UK's 'Mittelstand' could drive recovery

ON UK GROWTH

SVM's Neil Veitch explains the importance of the UK's small and mid cap companies.

As consumer confidence wilts in the face of government austerity measures, and GDP growth slows, the outlook for the UK economy appears challenged. By contrast, on the continent, Germany continues to prosper. This growth has largely been powered by the ‘Mittelstand’, those thousands of small- and medium-sized enterprises that focus on exporting niche, high-value products across the globe. Many have chosen to lament the lack of such a force in the UK, yet there are a multitude of companies who could form the nucleus of the UK’s very own ‘middle-stand’.  Engineering group GKN, for examp...