Welcome to the Northern Business Podcast, a regular discussion with people in the North of England who lead businesses, employ people and have new ideas to help our economy grow.

In the studio today, we have Martin McTague OBE, Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses, and joining us down the line is retail expert, Graham Soult.

Northern Business Podcast is produced by Recognition PR, which serves scores of companies in different sectors across the country, some which occasionally contribute.

We are kindly sponsored by Vertu Motors plc, one of the top automotive retailers in the UK, with a network of dealership representing some of the world’s most popular brands. It also owns the successful commercial vehicle retailer Vans Direct.

Our host today is Graham Robb, co-presenting with Joss Havakin.