A SIGNIFICANT rise in the number of local firms expecting to take on staff has been reported.

The latest Dun & Bradstreet quarterly survey shows North West firms are also increasingly hopeful about improving sales and profits.

But optimism over exports has dipped slightly with weakening demand from Western Europe.

And the survey shows that there is increasing pressure from high street customers for prices to be kept as low as possible. "It seems that customers are telling retailers that they are not willing to accept higher prices, with retailers in turn placing pressure for price restraint on their suppliers to protest their margins," said Philip Mellor, senior analyst with Dun & Bradstreet.

Companies in London, the South East and East Midlands are most optimistic about prospects for the coming three months, according to the survey.

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