COVID-19 Still Weighing Heavily on British Businesses in China

26th February 2020
Chamber News

26th February 2020, Beijing – The British chambers of commerce in China have conducted a second survey on the impact of COVID-19 on our member companies. The initial survey measured sentiment as companies returned from the Lunar New Year holiday between 5^th and 7^th February. This survey, conducted between 18^th and 21^st February, provides an updated picture now that businesses have had time to better understand the impact of the outbreak on their operations.

The survey represents the views of 135 British businesses in China, from SMEs to globally-recognised FTSE 100 companies, operating across the country and across industries.

The key findings of this second survey are:

Half of British businesses expect their 2020 China revenue to drop by more than 10% as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak, and more than one quarter of British businesses expect a decrease of more than 20%. Companies headquartered in Wuhan, as well as those in the creative industries and hospitality, expect the biggest negative impact on their revenues.

Companies are most affected by reduced demand for their products and services (61%), global travel disruptions (58%), and business uncertainty (55%). The proportion of companies experiencing these challenges has risen significantly since the initial survey two weeks ago, highlighting that the impact on businesses is far more severe than first anticipated. 55% of British businesses’ offices in China remain closed, and 91% of British retailers have seen a drop in demand as a direct result of the outbreak. In response, the majority of companies are implementing remote working (86%) and flexible working hours (60%), and roughly one third of businesses are postponing investment decisions.

The predominant concerns for businesses for the next six months are continued travel restrictions (69%) and reduced consumer demand (63%). For companies in Wuhan and Hubei, the most widespread concern is public health and sanitation (60%), whereas companies headquartered in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong are more concerned about travel restrictions, reduced demand and reduced attractiveness of the Chinese market respectively.

SMEs are significantly more vulnerable to the economic effects of the outbreak than MNCs. 39% of SMEs expect that their 2020 revenues will decrease by more than 20%, compared to 13% of MNCs. SMEs are also three times more likely than MNCs to be postponing investment decisions.

Roughly half of surveyed British companies are contributing to efforts to curb the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The proportion of companies providing financial donations and pro-bono business advice have both increased 10 percentage points as compared to the previous survey, and 43% plan to make further donations.

“Two weeks on from our initial survey on the impact of COVID-19, British businesses continue to feel the effects of this challenging situation, and they will need support in order to recover. The majority of businesses are seeing a direct hit on their revenue as a result, and this is especially acute among smaller companies,” said chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, St. John Moore.

“Nonetheless, we remain confident in China’s ability to rebound from this crisis and in the long-term prospects of the market. We are proud to say that British businesses have contributed significant resources to help contain the outbreak, and we will continue to offer support in the battle against the virus.”

Click here to read the impact report.

For any more information or questions, please contact:

Rachel Tsang, Marketing and Communications Manager at the British Chamber of Commerce in China: rachel.tsang@britishchamber.cn

About the British chambers of commerce in China

The British chambers of commerce in China are a collective of membership organisations in the Chinese mainland focused on providing advocacy, business support and networking opportunities for British business in China. We operate as independent, not-for-profit organisations with a strong and diverse membership. https://britishchamber.cn/en/