For many family businesses, shares in a trading company form a core part of long-term family wealth. Importantly, they’ve historically provided a tax-efficient way to pass on wealth via inheritance.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill passed its second reading, and has progressed through to the committee stage. This fast-moving legislation marks a significant step forward in the government’s efforts to strengthen national cyber defences.

Owning a valuable art collection is a source of immense pride and personal satisfaction, but it comes with responsibilities that go far beyond curation and display.

Birth order remains one of the most powerful lenses for understanding sibling dynamics in family enterprises. A sibling’s place within the family system often influences behaviour, leadership style, relationship patterns—including relationships with in-laws—and the values later passed on to the next generation.

While bringing in outsiders offers significant opportunities, it is not without risks, and the decision requires careful consideration of both the business and family dynamics.

The defining strength of family businesses, the overlap of family and business, is also their most persistent vulnerability and one that needs constant monitoring.

Continuity is not secured by birthright or sentiment, but by incentives, institutions and credible opportunities.

Family businesses offer more than products, they offer continuity, trust, and a sense of belonging that cannot be bought.

On a quiet industrial estate in east Leeds, among warehouses and ring roads, a familiar glow still flickers.

In an industry often driven by short-term contracts and shifting ownership, Bagnalls stands out as a rare constant. Founded in 1875 and still family-owned nearly 150 years later, Bagnalls is one of the UK’s most respected names in its field.

Whether they are centuries-old manufacturers, neighbourhood grocers or emerging technology innovators, these firms play a far more influential role than their modest public profiles might suggest.

The ability to juggle roles, sometimes gracefully, sometimes awkwardly, is one of the least discussed yet most critical skills in family business life.

Family firms sit uneasily between two magnets of modern capitalism. One pulls them towards profit, public markets and professional management; the other tugs them back to lineage, legacy and “the business as family estate”.

Recent announcements around Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) have provided some welcome clarity for family business owners.

Family-owned businesses, from small local firms to vast international conglomerates, that quietly form the backbone of prosperity, employment and innovation across the world

Family-owned businesses are in the news this week. With Russell & Bromley, the fifth-generation family-owned premium footwear retailer, reaching a pivotal crossroads.

A family charter or constitution, documents the shared vision and values of the family and its policies regarding the ownership and operation of the family business.

Across generations, well-governed families have shown a greater ability to grow, adapt and endure, balancing the needs of the business with the dynamics of family life.

While families have long formed the backbone of commerce and trade, the systematic study and management of family enterprises emerged much more recently.

As we move into 2026 and beyond, family businesses find themselves standing at a decisive moment in their long histories.