Thriving PR Industry Fuels Economic Growth in the South West

The South West has seen 20% growth in PR businesses since January 2023, with Gloucester in particular being a hub of activity, seeing a 32% increase in PR companies incorporated in this time – far outpacing UK wide growth (23%).^*

Data collated by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) shows almost 650 of the UK’s 15,220 active PR and communication companies are based in the South West’s eight core cities (Bath, Bristol, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Exeter, Gloucester, Plymouth, Swindon).^*

The Top 5 PR agencies in the South West - Camargue Group, Greenhouse Communications, Speed Communications, Meeting Place and Wonderland Communications – achieved a combined revenue of over £26 million in 2023, a 6% increase on the previous year. The UK public relations and communications industry is worth £16.7bn and all predictors show it is poised for robust growth through 2025, driven by increasing budgets and the demand for integration of digital and traditional PR strategies.

Further highlighting the industry’s regional growth, Bristol was recently named in PR Week’s Recruitment Report as a hotspot of recruitment activity in the South West, behind only Manchester and Leeds in terms of recruitment postings outside of London.

Kelly Pepworth, Chair at PRCA South West and MD at Speed Communications commented:

“The PR sector has consistently demonstrated its resilience and continues to build after a challenging few years during the pandemic. The growth in the region is reflective of the increased value of PR as a channel due to its ability to pivot quickly in response to the fast changing social, economic and political landscape.

“No longer solely focused on media, PR teams have evolved working multi-channel, embracing digital & AI, managing influencers and events to provide clients with highly valuable skills to deliver an ever increasing scope of support. The true power of PR has never been more clear than it is today.”

James Hewes, Chief Executive at PRCA, added:

“These statistics indicate an industry that’s innovating, growing and supporting the wider economy in the South West and the regional, national and international organisations and brands that are based here. All successful organisations need to manage their relationships and their reputation and we’re ready to add value and deliver strategic creative and communications programmes.”

The PRCA recently celebrated the biggest PR achievements in the South West with the PRCA Dare awards, naming winners across eleven categories. Winners included Tewkesbury-based Pic PR, who took home the Low Budget Campaign award for its work with Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort; Bristol-based Speed Communications, taking home both the Charity/Not For Profit award for its emotive work with Sanctuary Care and the B2B Marketing Award for its integrated Grounds of Innovation campaign for BRITA; Cheltenham-based Camargue, who won Large Consultancy of the Year.