Update: Research, Policy and Practice
This latest update from the Family Business Research Foundation summarises the charity’s activities and key outputs over the past year, with links to freely available reports, briefings and articles
New Report: Business Property Relief and family firms in the UK: From Relief to Reform
The report analyses how Business Property Relief (BPR) is used across UK estates and examines the background and reaction to the October 2024 reforms to BPR. The report explores the competing policy narratives underpinning the current debate about BPR. For the latest news on the Government’s BPR reforms, click here
New research underway on the impact of the BPR reforms on family firms
FBRF and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) are collaborating on research to explore the impact of the reforms to BPR (coming into effect in April 2026) on family businesses and the UK economy. If you own or work for a family business and are interested in taking part in the study, please click below to find out more
New Report: Balancing Legacy and Taxation: The Evolution of Business Property Relief in the UK
This short policy report explores the development of BPR, from its origins in Estate Duty in 1894, through to the reforms announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget. Drawing on historical research, it examines how tax policy has shaped family business succession in the UK.
Understand how the BPR Reforms affects family businesses in the UK
In summer 2024, the FBRF started a multi-year programme of research and evaluation to understand how the reforms to BRP announced in the October 2024 Budget will affect family businesses and the wider economy. Click here to find out more. To provide governance oversight and strategic guidance to this programme of research, a steering group has been set up. Please see the press release for further details.
Article: Don’t Drop the Baton
This article by Dr Allan Discua-Cruz (Lancaster University) and Dr Martin Kemp (FBRF) discusses some of the implications of the BPR reforms for family businesses.
New Report: ESG in Family Firms
FBRF collaborated with a team of family business researchers from three UK universities (Leicester, Loughborough, and Lancaster) to carry out a review of research, regulations, practices and existing guidance on environmental, social and governance (ESG) activity among family firms in the UK. The report was published in January 2025.
Article: ESG Essentials
This article published in familybusiness.org summarises key insights from the ESG study
Article: It’s a Family Affair
This article by Dr Martin Kemp of the FBRF, for Governance and Compliance magazine explores the role of family-owned businesses in advancing the social dimension of ESG.
New research into social role of mid-sized family businesses
FBRF is undertaking new research into the distinctive local social contributions of family-owned mid-sized businesses. This research will assess the value of family ownership as a model for place-based economic and social resilience, and will support policy debates about local economic development, business succession, and responsible capitalism.
Family SMEs in the UK: Latest findings from the Small Business Survey 2024
Using the UK Government’s latest Longitudinal Small Business Survey (LSBS 2024), the report compiled by Martin Kemp of the FBRF looks at how common family-owned SMEs are among UK employer businesses, how this has changed since 2019, and what the data tell us about performance, innovation, finance and the pressures family firms are facing.
Family Business Sector Report: State of the Nation 2023
The latest UK Family Business Sector report, published in early 2025, reveals that family firms contribute £985 billion in GVA, employ 15.8 million people, and represent 93.2 per cent of all private businesses in the UK.
An article by Dr Martin Kemp, FBRF’s Head of Research, in familybusiness.org summarises some of the key findings from our latest sector report. Read the article, Family Businesses Have a Massive Impact on the UK Economy, here:
The Role of Family Firms in Finance, Retail and Construction
This series of articles explore the economic contribution and impact of family businesses in specific sectors:-
An article in the Retail Times discusses the economic contribution that family businesses make to the retail sector in the UK, drawing on analysis in our latest Sector report: https://retailtimes.co.uk/the-economic-contribution-of-family-firms-in-the-uk-retail-sector/
Again, drawing on evidence in our most recent Sector Report, this article looks at the scale and economic contribution of family-owned businesses within the UK’s finance sector: https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/news-and-insight/blog/family-owned-businesses-in-uk
Finally, this article discusses the role played by family firms in the UK construction sector:https://www.fbrf.org.uk/insights/family-firms-construction-sector
Guidance: Transferring Family Wealth to the Next Generation - What’s Fair?
This article published in familybusiness.org summarises some of the key challenges that arise during inter-generational wealth transfers.
Organisational changes – New Trustees
We’re pleased to announce that since our last update, Harry Trevor-Jones of Lowe & Fletcher, Chloe Benest of Bettys and Taylors, and Philip Bouverat have joined the Family Business Research Foundation as Trustees.
Get involved and stay in touch
We are keen to continue working with family businesses, policymakers, academics, practitioners, advisers and members of business-owning families to deepen the understanding of the UK family business sector.
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If you are a family business researcher or author, or write on family bushiness topics, and are interested in contributing to the FBRF's new insight and commentary blog then please get in touch - email info@fbrf.org.uk
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