UK SMBs to invest £8bn more in tech this year

UK firms also have stronger level of investment confidence than their mainland European counterparts, according to GE Capital Capex barometer

The headline findings of GE Capital's latest Capex barometer suggest UK SMBs are poised to spend heavily on technology this year as the feel-good factor returns to the economy.

According to the study, UK SMBs will plough £22.8bn into technology over the next 12 months, a hike of 54 per cent – or £8bn – on last year.

The full findings of GE's European SME Capex barometer, which quizzed more than 2,000 firms, will be exclusively unveiled at a CRN roundtable in central London on 25 June, more information about which can be found below.

In line with the rebounding economy, the UK was found to have the strongest level of investment confidence across the large western European economies. Growth is expected in all technology asset classes: IT hardware, IT software, and office equipment.

The CRN roundtable, which is being run in association with GE Capital, will probe whether resellers are positioned to capture their fair share of this predicted growth in expenditure.

The barriers that have stopped some resellers from adopting financing and leasing will form a key part of the discussion, as well as the opportunities alternative finance can offer reseller salesforces.

Anecdotal evidence suggests finance is used in just 10 per cent of deals in the IT sector, compared with 80 per cent in the reprographics industry.

But according to GE's findings, 66 per cent of SMBs would consider using leasing providers when purchasing technology. This is higher than among the EU countries surveyed, where the figure stood at 55 per cent.

If you're an IT reseller looking to find new avenues of expansion as the green shoots of growth poke through, join us for this event to share your opinion and learn best practices from other leading UK resellers.

If you are a reseller interested in attending, more details of the timings and agenda of the roundtable, which will be held at Kettners restaurant on 25 June, can be obtained by emailing Doug Woodburn at [email protected] or by calling him on 0207 316 9517.