Adapting to peripherality: a study of small rural manufacturing firms in northern England

Using empirical data drawn from two studies of manufacturing SMEs in ‘remote’ rural areas in northern England, the paper examines some of the ways in which firms have adapted to the characteristics of their local external environment over a 16-year period. The evidence presented suggests that in both the 1980s and 1990s successful adaptation to local conditions in peripheral rural regions included: proactive product and market development to overcome the limited size and scope of local markets; a labour-intensive development path to exploit the potential advantages of remote rural labour markets; and a relatively low level of subcontracting-out of production activities. The study also shows that whilst the recession of the early 1990s had an impact on the annual profitability and sales growth performance of rural manufacturing SMEs, its impact on their survivability was less than might be expected.