The UK’s transport and storage industry saw a sharp rise in turnover in September, outperforming most other business sectors, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The latest ONS Business Insights survey found that 23% of companies in the transport and storage sector — which includes logistics, parcels, haulage and warehousing — reported higher turnover than in August. Only the education sector recorded a better result.
Industry analyst ParcelHero described September as a “bumper month” for the industry, highlighting that just 10.3% of transport and storage firms reported falling revenues.
David Jinks M.I.L.T., Head of Consumer Research at ParcelHero, said the latest figures showed a clear contrast between logistics and other parts of the economy.
“The latest business survey, held between 1–30 September, reveals that not only did 23% of transport and storage sector firms enjoy an increase in turnover over August, but that only 10.3% saw a fall in their revenues – the best result for any sector,” he said.
Manufacturing and retail both posted weaker results. Around 19.2% of manufacturers and 21.4% of retailers saw turnover increase, but 27.1% of manufacturers and 31.8% of retailers reported declines. Jinks said this “puts into focus how healthy a month September was for transport and storage firms.”
The survey also found transport and storage companies were less concerned than other sectors about key business pressures such as labour and material costs.
Only 14.9% of firms in the sector cited labour costs as a major concern, compared with 22.8% of manufacturers and 20.9% of retailers. Similarly, just 12.4% were worried about material costs, against 20.3% and 22.9% respectively in manufacturing and retail.
When asked about the impact of wider economic uncertainty, just 15.9% of transport and storage firms expressed concern — less than half the proportion of worried retailers (39.6%) and manufacturers (32.5%). Only the arts sector showed slightly less concern, at 14.7%.
“That’s not to say that transport and storage sector companies were wearing rose-tinted spectacles,” Jinks said. “Sixteen per cent were concerned about financial costs impacting on turnover, which was more than both manufacturers and retailers.”
The survey suggests that confidence remains steady heading into November. Around 15.2% of transport and storage firms expect turnover to rise, similar to manufacturers, while 14.2% anticipate a decline — well below the 24.2% of retailers predicting a fall.
“It will be those transport and storage companies partnered with retailers and manufacturers with strong in-store and online sales that will ultimately triumph,” Jinks added.
He referenced ParcelHero’s report 2030: Death of the High Street, which argues that retailers must adopt an “omnichannel approach, embracing both online and physical store sales” to remain competitive.