BIFS and BOPS are available free of charge from BRAVE, Business West and CEED.   The information they cover can save you a lot of research time when putting together your business plan.

Business Information Fact Sheets offer useful information and statistics relevant to a particular industry or sector.  This is essential background data for someone thinking of starting or developing a business venture in that sector. 

Business Opportunity Profiles provide a concise overview of an industry, job or niche sector. BOPS highlight the main business issues, the state of the market, likely start-up costs, legal requirements, training and qualifications.  They indicate where to find further information, listing the relevant trade associations and professional institutes. BOPS are aimed at people thinking of starting a business and cover a wide range of specialisms.