This report provides essential insights into how family businesses in the UK can navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by ESG. This comprehensive review examines UK and EU regulations, voluntary standards, and best practices tailored to family firms. It highlights the strategic role of ESG in driving sustainable growth, fostering innovation, and building long-term stakeholder trust.

This white paper, produced by Policy Points and Henham Strategy for the Family Business Research Foundation, assesses the impact of Business Property Relief (BPR) and Gift Hold-Over Relief (GHR) on UK family businesses.

This report shares some of the results relating to family-owned SMEs from the latest UK Longitudinal Small Business Survey. It draws on survey results released by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) for SME employers during the period 2019 to 2023 to examine rates of family-business ownership among SMEs over this period.

The Family Business Research Foundation’s latest report examines the adoption of the Wates Principles by UK family businesses, revealing key differences between family and non-family firms in corporate governance practices. The report provides valuable insights into the challenges family businesses face in governance and highlights the need for improved guidance and support to ensure they can meet evolving governance standards designed for large private companies in the UK.

A study prepared by PwC and the Family Business Research Foundation to provide robust data on the Total Tax Contribution (TTC) of family businesses to the public finances in the UK.

This is the pre-print copy of a Chapter from the book ‘De Gruyter Handbook of Family Business’ by Professor Carole Howorth, Dr Martin Kemp, and Professor Tim Nichol.

This report from the IFB Research Foundation and Oxford Economics takes an in-depth look at the UK Family Business Sector. Data from UK business surveys are used to assess the contribution that family firms make to the UK economy in 2020. The report seeks to assess the performance of family firms during the COVID 19 pandemic and the strategies they used to adapt to the harsh economic conditions during this difficult period.

This report by Dr. Claudia Binz Astrachan and Professor Isabel Botero suggests that family governance plays a key role in achieving a multigenerational legacy in family firms.

This report presents detailed evidence on the UK family business sector and estimates the contribution it made to the UK economy in 2019. It investigates the family business sector’s characteristics and identifies the challenges faced by family SMEs in the year prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK government’s policy response. This report also includes statistical analysis of data from the UK's Small Business Survey to investigate how family ownership of a firm affects its adoption and use of technology.

This report from RepGraph reveals that one in five of the largest businesses in the UK are family-owned, with over one in ten owned by UK families.

This report by Dr Jane Glover and Professor Kiran Trehan presents the findings from new research on the social and community impact of family firms in the UK.

This report presents a detailed statistical profile of the UK family business sector in 2018 and estimates its contribution to the UK economy in that year. The report includes an analysis of family businesses’ performance expectations and their strategies for the future, together with some preliminary analysis of the likely impact of the pandemic on the UK's family firms.

This report by Carole Howorth (University of York) and Martin Kemp (Family Business Research Foundation) presents a comprehensive review of the research literature and existing evidence relating to family governance and the corporate governance of family businesses. It also includes an analysis of national guidance/codes of governance designed specifically for family businesses. The report was commissioned by the IFB Research Foundation to provide a comprehensive overview of what we know and what we suggest should be in a research agenda for future work in this area.

This report from the IFB Research Foundation and Oxford Economics provides a comprehensive economic assessment of the UK family business sector in 2018-19. It investigates the characteristics of family firms: their size, structure, and concentration across different industrial sectors. It measures the contribution that family businesses make to the UK economy - GDP, employment, and taxes each year; providing in depth analysis of the geographical and sectoral spread of family firms.

A new report by Dr Josip Kotlar, Dr Francesca Cuomo, Dr Silvia Gaia, and Prof. Alessandro Zattoni shedding light on the corporate governance arrangements of large UK family firms.

These research findings from DCU Business School offer new insights into UK family businesses in terms of their long-term objectives and strategies, non-economic goals, and long-term orientation.

This report from the IFB Research Foundation and Oxford Economics provides a comprehensive economic assessment of the UK family business sector in 2017-18. It investigates the characteristics of family firms: their size, structure, and concentration across different industrial sectors. The report seeks to estimate the contribution family businesses make to the UK economy - to the UK’s GDP, employment, and to the public finances, providing in depth analysis of the geographical and sectoral spread of family firms.

The latest data and findings on the growing contributions, challenges and opportunities of the family business sector in a report from Oxford Economics.

Access the latest findings on next generation engagement in UK family business: what are the challenges and opportunities? Researched and written by Carole Howorth, Caroline Parkinson, Claire Leitch and Valerie Stead.

This report from RepGraph presents the results of a study by the Research Foundation to identify family-owned businesses among the top 1,000 UK companies.